Emerging Minds of Maryland Launches New ‘Virtual School Option’ Advocacy Group

Emerging Minds of Maryland was created by a group of parents committed to expanding the opportunity for students in Maryland to participate in the entire range of online or “virtual” school options, they are launching their efforts today.
By: Therese Pompa
 
March 3, 2009 - PRLog -- Baltimore, MD –Emerging Minds of Maryland (http://www.emergingmindsinc.org) was created by a group of parents committed to expanding the opportunity for students in Maryland to participate in the entire range of online or “virtual” school options.  There are twenty-one states that provide a full-time virtual opportunity to public school students and many more provide extensive supplemental instruction.  This emerging and exciting form of schooling has had limited use in Maryland and is not available to most students.  

What is a Virtual School Option?
Virtual schools provide students with the opportunity to use computers, print and online textbooks, lab equipment, and art supplies and much more outside of the traditional classroom, often at home, while interacting with certified teachers and other students via the Internet. It affords families an alternative when their child is not succeeding in a traditional environment, including students who are gifted, have special needs, and are in need of remediation or a flexible schedule. In addition, virtual instruction can be the optimal choice for a child facing bullying, health issues, expulsion, pregnancy or experiencing any educational hindrance. This is an innovative alternative for students who are falling between the cracks in brick and mortar schools.

Maryland does have an online virtual high school program known as the Maryland Virtual Learning Opportunities Program that is used by some districts to offer courses not otherwise available in their district, but compared to other states, it is still relatively small.  Maryland law specifically prohibits charter schools from using virtual instruction for full-time programs although it does permit school districts to receive full funding for students attending classes online.  

During 2007-2008, Baltimore County piloted a full-time K-12 program which received high marks from parents and showed demonstrable academic gains for students, a number of whom had been struggling with their previous schooling and had withdrawn from the public school system.  However, the program was cut from the school system’s budget for 2008-2009 by the Baltimore County Executive, along with other new programs proposed by the school system.    

“This fight is for all the children that did not have a voice during the budget discussions and all the families that thought this was a viable option for the state of Maryland,” said Kia Drake-Cummings, President of Emerging Minds of Maryland. “Virtual instruction is a terrific and practical option where children in special circumstances are specifically accommodated as parents take a more active role in their education, and where typical learners equally benefit from the program’s comprehensive teaching style and inherent flexibility. This is an investment in our children’s future, not just here in Maryland, but across the country.”

Drake-Cummings joined four other parents who had participated in the virtual school pilot to help form the organization: Amy Sparks, Bonnie Wesselhoff, Victoria Airey, and Michelle Miller. The founding parents note that this movement is not just local; there is a National Coalition for Public School Options http://www.publicschooloptions.org that Emerging Minds of Maryland is tentatively working with on joint advocacy efforts at the legislative level.
If you are interested in working to expand access to virtual instruction to all families in Maryland, please join us and visit: http://www.emergingmindsinc.org



About Emerging Minds of Maryland
Emerging Minds of Maryland is a grass roots advocacy group that believes that online learning should be an option for all families in the state of Maryland. (http://www.emergingmindsinc.org). Emerging Minds of Maryland supports all the families and children who feel that virtual learning is the best education option for their family and that it should be available through the public school system. Our goal is to educate parents who want to learn more about this option, policy makers and others on why we chose the option of virtual instruction for our children.

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Emerging Minds of Maryland is a grass roots advocacy group that believes that online learning should be an option for all families in the state of Maryland.
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Source:Therese Pompa
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Tags:Virtual Instruction, Home Schooling, Maryland Education, Disability, Autism, Special Needs, Baltimore
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Location:Baltimore - Maryland - United States
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Page Updated Last on: Mar 03, 2009
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