Parents of Cyber Charter School Students Value Flexibility Offered by these Institutions

The obvious choice isn’t always the right one. Most parents think the local public school is the only option for education. We must dispel this notion. The ongoing health crisis has brought much attention to cyber charter schools. These institutions offer remote learning, which is important during the coronavirus pandemic. Parents of students with medical needs also agree that cyber charter schools are a good fit. 21st Century Cyber Charter School (21CCCS) has proven itself to be the perfect fit for many families. Pennsylvania recently recorded roughly 33,000 school-age children enrolled in cyber schools.

According to Public Source, a Pennsylvania-based news organization, 21CCCS is doing well. The school “earned the highest [School Performance Profile] score of any cyber charter school in the state.” This is a goal that 21CCCS strives for. Academic progress is at the forefront and a full course load is always offered. Testimonials from parents reflect well on student performance. Results show that students who enroll in remote learning often improve their grades compared to preceding years. “I could not imagine what my life would have been like now if I continued in my previous school district. Cyber schools provide kids who have been failed by their local public schools another option,” one 21CCCS testimonial reads.

Flexibility is a core component of 21CCCS. A school day that is arranged around the needs of the household is always an option at 21CCCS. This cyber charter school wants life to be more convenient for parents and students. An individualized approach to learning is one of the core components of online learning. The day-to-day schedule can be tweaked to meet household needs. This offer is clearly paying off and parents are pleased. The article cites many parents, adding “children are learning and [parents] care more about their individual performance. The schools also provide them with flexibility they couldn’t find in traditional public schools.” There are other circumstances where remote learning can aid both parents and pupil. The Public Source article addresses one student who was prone to seizures. This pupil later enrolled in a Pennsylvania cyber charter school. This kept the student home and under the watchful eye of a guardian in case of a medical emergency.

Cyber charter schools provide an effective teaching environment. Parents who want their children home for health and safety reasons will appreciate their options. Students who want to try a new approach to learning should also consider cyber charter schools.

21CCCS provides asynchronous programs that allow students to study at their own pace. Each student has an Academic Advisor as a mentor whom helps and guides students, track their success to make them succeed.

The Difference Between Cyber School and Traditional Homeschooling

Public school is not the right fit for everyone. For many children, homeschooling is a much better route. And while traditional home school where parents stay home to teach their children is still one way to go, other options like Cyber School have also emerged.

Now there are plenty of pros and cons of Cyber School, but rather than focus on those, we’re here to discuss the main differences between Cyber School and traditional homeschooling. Both are done from home and can be better options for children who seek an alternative school setting to succeed, but there are still some fundamental differences to keep in mind.

Traditional Homeschooling

Traditional homeschooling revolves heavily around the schedule of the parent doing the teaching. The parent is in charge of scheduling what subjects will be taught and create their own list of subject materials. It is not uncommon for families to have a designate school area in their home where the child and parent meet each day to learn. There are resources out there for homeschooling parents to use such as pre-made curriculum and lesson plans, as well as tips from other homeschooling parents on how to create a classroom area. This situation is likely very overwhelming to a lot of home school parents.

Cyber School

What if a parent is unable to spend the time needed or is ill-equipped to provide the teaching and leadership their child academic needs? Well, with Cyber School, children can be provided with an education that includes guidance and instruction from teaching professionals via the Web. Cyber School students still have the benefit of learning from home, the flexibility of creating their own work environment and schedules, but they also gain the advantage of learning from teacher-led courses and an accredited curriculum. Cyber School students typically receive reminders from their instructors when assignments are due, and while they’re encouraged by teachers not to fall behind, they still have the freedom to work at their own pace.

Visit 21st Century Cyber Charter School in PA today.

Preparing for College as a Cyber School Graduate

As you prepare for college as a cyber school graduate you likely have questions, concerns, and worries. Life will be much different for you than it was in high school unless you attend a strictly online university. Moving from a cyber school setting to a classroom setting can be very difficult, even for the most mature students. Here’s how cyber school can prepare you for college.

Take the Road Less Traveled

Taking the road less traveled is not just a good song, it’s also a great way to get noticed by colleges and universities. Admissions departments want to accept students who look for challenges and who do things differently than everyone else. They want students who aren’t afraid of risk and who want to succeed even if it means there will be difficulties along the way. You can use cyber school as an advantage when applying to colleges across the country.

Time Management Skills

Quite possibly one of the best ways cyber school can prepare you for college is by giving you time management skills. There won’t be classmates or teachers hounding you to get your work done or study for tests. There are teachers in these best cyber schools in PA but they are all online. You will need to create a schedule for yourself and learn how to stick to it when going to cyber school.

Become a Problem Solver

It can be very difficult to make the right decisions when attending cyber school. There’s no one around to tell you to go to class. There’s no one around to tell you that you need extra time or help on a project. You will need to come to these realizations on your own and then make decisions about your time.

Get Involved

A common misnomer is that students who attend cyber school are not involved in their school/community, when in fact there are lots of opportunities to be involved. Some cyber schools provide clubs and activities, as well as field trips, and some cyber school students continue their sports and music with their home district while attending cyber school. Due to the flexible schedule of cyber school, students have more time and opportunities to pursue their activities.

As you can see, cyber schools can help prepare any student for college. Take advantage of them today.

Internet Safety Tips for Charter Schools

Charter schools are a popular choice for parents looking for an alternative to public school and institutions. Just because charter schools are more selective with their admissions it doesn’t mean that issues can’t crop up regarding online safety. The internet is a magical place, but it can also be dangerous when children are given access to it unsupervised. Here are some internet safety tips for charter schools.

Internet safety is an important skill that must be taught to children beginning at a young age. More and more schools, especially charter schools, are implementing technology in the classroom. This includes lessons involving the internet and other online software applications.

As more and more charter schools offer classes online, it’s only right to ensure that the students are safe when taking those classes on the internet. So, how does cyber school work? For starters, children can enroll online and take classes via software offered by the charter school on their website. Enrolled students are given the necessary equipment to complete classes, including their own laptop and complementing software. This requires students to log into the system and use a computer to participate in their classes on a virtual classroom with a video camera for video conferencing when necessary. 

Charter schools should make sure that all of their students know how to operate safely on the internet. This includes never accepting or opening a file from an un-trusted source, not engaging in chat rooms with unknown users, and staying away from cyber bullying. Students are required to take a technology orientation given by the tech department to ensure that students know the ins and outs of their computer, the network, and staying safe online. The technology department is always available to assist students when they need further help.

If a brick-and-mortar charter school decides to offer cyber school, it must make sure that the web portal it uses has a secure connection so that it cannot be hacked. The portal should also offer two-step authentication when students attempt to log into it for classes each day. If the web portal is not secure, a hacker can access the private information of the students and even crash the system so that classes cannot occur. Given that students are constantly connected to the web in online courses, additional safeguards are out in place to prevent accessing harmful or inappropriate websites. Gary Scheer can talk about it at his website here.

For instance, at 21st Century Cyber Charter School's Cybrary (Cyber Library), the school provides an entire section on both online study skills as well as online safety. This is open to both students and parents. With lessons such as "Digital Safety," "Cyber Security," and "Being Savvy Online," students will learn all about how to maintain an online identity, as well as how to keep their personal information safe.

As long as students use the tools they are provided regarding safety and take the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe, the Internet will remain an excellent tool across the board for getting an education and reinforcing lessons taught.