OnlineSchools.com, a digital resource for online education from kindergarten to graduate school, recently launched an infographic highlighting how today’s newest dads are taking on more parenting and domestic duties than their predecessors. “Proud Papas” also charts how the most recent of America’s estimated 67.8 million fathers are transforming the online social space.

For the rest of the article, go to New Dads More Engaged At Home And Online According To Onlineschools.Com Infographic

The school district also received about $40 million in federal stimulus dollars over two years, Smith has said, but that ended last fiscal year. The district then used reserve dollars to make up for the loss of the federal funding to maintain jobs in the classrooms.

There aren’t enough funds left in the reserve to take any for the coming school year, Smith has said, because the board’s policy is to maintain a 5 percent reserve. The state requires Florida school districts to maintain a 3 percent reserve.

For the rest of the article, go to Volusia school officials look at cutting about 225 teaching positions

“In urban, suburban and rural communities throughout the U.S., parents and educators are fighting back — unwilling to compromise democratic control over their public schools, unwilling to give up public real estate to privately governed schools and unwilling to reallocate precious public finances from local public schools to charter Schools, “ Dr. Fine added.

Julia Sass Rubin noted that, “Our State’s broken charter school law gives residents no say in whether a new charter school opens or closes in their community, leaving that decision entirely to the Commissioner of Education. More recently, the creation of virtual charter schools that can draw students from across the state and divert their excess funding as revenue to discredited for-profit institutions, is only increasing the challenges that New Jersey’s charter school law poses for continued local democratic control of public education.”

Dr. Fine put it succinctly when she said, “It’s critical that we hold public conversations about the future of our schools, our democracy and our vision for public education.

For the rest of the article, go to Charter School Panel to be Held Tonight in Highland Park

A week after announcing enrollment was underway at one online-only charter school out of Newark, K12 Inc. this week announced it had added two more charter schools to its growing New Jersey portfolio.

These two — Spirit Prep and Newark Prep charter schools — will be a so-called “blended learning “ model in which students will take classes both face-to-face and online out of a central location.

For the rest of the article, go to Online Educator Adds Two Newark Charters to Portfolio

The school will admit students for kindergarten through 10th, providing them with instruction almost entirely online. Teachers will interact with these students potentially hundreds of miles away. What’s more, the school already has 300 students enrolled, and is part of a growing trend of full-time online schooling across the country.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual instruction hurts education

The New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School (NJVACS), operating under contract with the for-profit online education company, K12 Inc., has begun advertising its New Jersey program through traditional press releases, email blasts and informational events.

After just a week of accepting names, it had enrolled more than 300 students, said school officials, who did not rule out that demand could outnumber seats and a lottery may be needed. The school seeks to enroll 850 for its first year, kindergarten through 10th grade.

For the rest of the article, go to NJ’s First Virtual Charter School a Screen Test for Online Learning

NJVACS, a public charter school approved by the New Jersey Department of Education, will initially serve students in grades K-10 in its first year and add the remaining high school grades in succeeding years. The school also plans to offer blended learning programs – online and face-to-face instruction – at learning centers in Newark and other locations. The school is currently accepting applications to enroll.

For the rest of the article, go to New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School Announces Fall 2012 Opening

“Imagine trying to fund one period of one teacher of one kid, Mandarin Chinese,” Opiekun said. “That’s what we have going on.”

Four elementary teaching positions will be cut in the 2012-13 budget due to declined enrollment. This will be done by moving some of the elementary teachers to different grade levels. The number of kindergarten teachers will go from seven to five, first grade will go from eight teachers to seven and fourth and fifth grade teachers will go from eight to seven. But second grade teachers will increase from seven to eight and third grade will remain with seven teachers.

One thing that is not going away, however, is the pay-to-play fee students wishing to participate in athletics or extra-curricular activities, or park on school property, is asked to pay each year. But Opiekun emphasized that the district would not be raising the fee.

For the rest of the article, go to Co-Curricular Programs Remain Intact With Kinnelon School Budget

The overall tax levy increase is 2 percent. Services and programs for the district have not changed, although the district projects an additional 20 students and either one new teacher or guidance counselor, to be determined later based on need. The district plans to increase its virtual high school opportunities while curtailing the purchase of new textbooks and continuing its online financial literacy curriculum.

For the rest of the article, go to Three towns to see tax increase for Pascack Valley Regional District

http://www.northjersey.com/news/144401455_Three_towns_to_see_tax_increase_for_Pascack_Valley_Regional_District.html

According to Pennsville Memorial High School Principal Matt McFarland, students are currently registering for online courses as part of the VHS program.

“The idea behind the move is to increase our course offerings to Pennsville Memorial High School students,” McFarland said.

VHS was founded in 1996 in Maynard, Mass., as a project for kids in school, according to VHS spokeswoman Carol Arnold.

“It became successful and spun into a non-profit organization,” Arnold said.

For the rest of the article go to Pennsville Memorial High School preparing to launch new Virtual High School program