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21st Century Cyber Charter School Provides Tips for Transitioning Schools and Discusses Potential for Future Growth

As Pennsylvania schools closed their doors for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, virtual schooling has quickly proven itself an immensely attractive option for schools within every county in the state. Many are willing to accept this change in order to provide the best possible education to children despite school closings, however, brick-and-mortar schools that are facilitating the transition to online learning are acknowledging that they do not have all the answers for how to perform at their best. Pennsylvania is lucky in that there are several cyber charter schools that have been operating for years that are willing to lend a helping hand to share ways that they have perfected cyber learning and, in this article, 21st Century Cyber Charter School provides a few tips to schools making the switch.

One of the biggest tips that cyber charters such as 21st Century Cyber School offer to schools switching to online learning is acknowledging the importance of emulating the human connection that is typically a cornerstone of in-person education. Online educators must be mindful of the fact that online learning can lack the small interactions that keep students feeling in focus and on track and do their best to replicate individual touchpoints in an online education environment. For example, emails, messages, and comments on shared documents can do wonders for making sure that students see the time investment you are making to enable them to succeed. A disengaged student can quickly fall behind in any educational environment, and the best way to keep students on course with their learning goals is to do your best to ensure that they stay focused on their tasks and development.

Communication is also key for maintaining the trajectory of a student’s educational career in an online learning environment. While cyber charter schools in pa maintain that it should not be the responsibility of parents and guardians to teach their children the curriculum, students that have a strong network of educators and administrator offering support to them and their parents typically perform well academically. In order to provide this network, schools should work to ensure that teachers are properly reaching out to parents and guardians, especially if they appear to be falling behind or not engaging with the material. A dedicated academic advisor responsible for making sure that a student is staying on track is an indispensable resource that 21st Century Cyber School extends to its students.

21st Century Cyber Charter School realizes that the current pause on in-school attendance due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is likely to cause a climb in cyber charter school enrollment projects. Ana Meyers, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools has stated that parents have been beginning to choose cyber schools because there is something that does not work for their children in a traditional learning environment. In fact, the reasoning that enrollment in cyber charter schools has been on the rise and was projected to grow substantially by 2025 even before the health crisis was due to cyber schools’ observable commitment to fostering engagement among the student body. Cyber charters such as 21st Century Cyber Charter School acknowledge that teaching students core standards and lessons is important, but it is equally important to guide them via mentor-ship and academic coaching to best prepare them for academic success. Perfecting the infrastructure to keep students on track means that cyber school students can build the confidence necessary to complete assignment independently, much like what will be expected of them in the future.

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