Chris CiarloChannel 2 News
With the public school system juggling budget cuts and overcrowded classrooms, more and more parents are turning to alternative schooling for their children.
"We send them a computer. We send them all the material, textbooks, paper, clay, jump ropes and even safety glasses for science," says Alison Osmond, elementary teacher for Nevada Connections Academy.
Nevada Connections Academy is a state funded, K-12 virtual school. Unlike most public schools, they aren't making dramatic cuts.
"We don't have a lot of the overhead schools have with janitors, transportation and all that kind of stuff," said Osmond.
Connections Academy is available now in 23 states. Here, in Nevada, Osmond said enrollment numbers are really adding up. "We started in 2007 with about 400 kids and we're look to be at 1800 this year."
One of those 1,800 students is Lauren. She is a first grader, who has been with the academy two full years. When she first started last fall, her grandmother said she couldn't read.
"When we finished this June, she could read chapter books and she's learned 1,000 words," said Nancy Varnum.
Varnum said she prefers online learning to the traditional classroom setting because Lauren can work at her own pace.
"There's just one student," said Varnum. "I can just focus on her and her progress. It's not like there's 30 other kids in the class."
Osmond said Lauren is one of the academy's most successful stories because she and her grandma have put in the time.
"When you have the family buying in and parents who make learning a routine, kids can just take off."
For more information, go to www.connectionsacademy.com
