Responses came from a wide cross section of educators. Some teach in rural communities, others in large urban districts. They teach all sorts of children, some who are learning English, others who learn in mainstream classrooms, those who have special needs, and many others. Although a diverse group of teachers responded, not surprisingly, many of their concerns were the same.

A comprehensive report, titled Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools, is the result of this gathering of information. While the findings may or may not surprise you, they beg for solutions, and they confirm what many of us know.

The response was overwhelming, confirming what we have always known to be true: that teachers are fully engaged in the hard work of educating our children; that they have strong ideas on how best to raise student achievement; and that they are vocal advocates for students, with thoughtful opinions on education reform, rooted in the realities of the classroom.

In this report, teachers identified five ways that we can address the challenges facing today’s schools and ensure that all students achieve at their highest level as follows:

1. Establish clear standards, common across states: Seventy-four percent of teachers say that clearer standards would make a strong or very strong impact on student achievement.

2. Use multiple measures to evaluate student performance: Ninety-two percent of teachers say ongoing in-classroom assessment is either very important or absolutely essential in measuring student performance, while only 27% say the same of  state required standardized tests.

3. Innovate to reach today’s students: Eighty-one percent of teachers say that up-to-date information-based technology that is well integrated into the classroom is absolutely essential or very important in impacting student achievement.

4. Accurately measure teacher performance and provide non-monetary rewards: When asked about teacher retention, nearly all teachers say that non-monetary rewards like supportive leadership and collaborative working environments are the most important factors to retaining good teachers.

5. Bridge school and home to raise student achievement: Teachers know what is necessary to build a sustainable culture of achievement in their schools: the right mix of academic instruction, family support and student engagement.

The recommendations listed above are only the beginning of a long road to raising the bar for teachers, students, and parents as they play their part in the educational process.

Like the teachers who responded to the aforementioned survey, ODYSSEYWARE® is committed to helping students succeed. With innovative learning tools and technology-rich learning environment, our curriculum is designed for today’s digital learners and the teachers that guide them. We want what you want – to give all students the opportunity for academic achievement.

What would you add to list above to improve America’s schools?

“Since about 2002, online learning has been growing nationally at about an average of 30 percent each year.”

-Allison Powell, Vice President, iNACOL

No longer strictly an “alternative”, online learning is now used as the primary K-12 curriculum in more and more schools. In addition, online learning environments address challenges specific to the diverse needs of learners, providing content in individual ways.

In a recent article, “Five Trends in Online Learning”, posted at DistrictAdministrator.com, other, and perhaps less predictable, trends are explored.

This may be the decade when technology-based, fully-online learning goes mainstream. From fully-online learning environments to blended learning opportunities, and summer school programs to alternative high schools, online learning is here to stay.

Find out how you can stay ahead of the curve with ODYSSEYWARE®.

At ODYSSEYWARE, we believe that offering an alternative to conventional academic programs is no longer an option, but an essential component of a comprehensive learning program. We provide schools with a proven alternative for students in grades 3-12. Using adaptable online curriculum, state-of-the-art lessons, and innovative features that revolutionize teaching and learning, we provide the resources necessary for schools to create an individual learning environment for all students.

After a realization that the nation appears to be facing a crisis in high school completion, a much needed investigation into the way we define and measure graduation rates was initiated. As a result, a new way of calculating graduation rates will be used by all 50 states beginning in 2012.

One of the major changes to the way graduation rates will be calculated involves the number of years it takes a student to complete high school. In the past, many schools included not only students who completed high school in four years in their count of graduates, but also those who required more than four years to get a diploma. Under the guidelines that take effect in 2012, only students who complete graduation requirements in four years will be included in the count.

This will, for some states, lower graduation rates and, therefore, put their Title I funding at risk.

How this affects actual high schools remains to be seen. Some states, anticipating the result, have put new programs into place to reduce the fallout from the new guidelines.

As reported in the Birmingham News, Alabama, a state that expects its graduation rate to drop by 20 percent using the new formula, is implementing innovative programs to counteract any effects it may have.

According to state Superintendent Joe Morton,

It doesn’t matter which formula you choose to use, the fact of the matter is too few students are graduating from high school on time, and we owe it to the future of this state to find effective ways of keeping our students in school. This is not about appearance or public relations. This is a real issue that is affecting our state. Yes, we’ve made progress, but we can’t rest on our laurels. One student not graduating on time is one too many.

ODYSSEYWARE® offers academic solutions that help schools elevate their graduation rates. Through assessments that identify learning gaps and our Prescriptive Credit Recovery, students are succeeding and earning their diplomas with proven, innovative, online curriculum.

Schools, too, were a victim of this event, leaving the future of Haiti’s economy in tatters as schools were destroyed, and children have gone without lessons for the past several weeks since the earthquake hit. To respond, Paul Vallas, of Philadelphia public school district, is attempting to take his approach to Louisiana (in the aftermath of Katrina) to Haiti to provide the nation with hope and an opportunity for its students. From Education Week:

“‘We benefited from the generosity of others, and we almost feel there’s an obligation for us to the same,” Vallas told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from New Orleans.

To make it happen, Vallas and his crew are reaching out to Teach for America cadets and university students to visit Haiti and set up makeshift classrooms where local students can continue their education. In many ways, Haiti will be getting the best America has to offer of its generosity and of its curriculum and education system. We wish Mr. Vallas the best in this effort.

E School News reports the summary of those findings and interviews Boston College’s education experts for their views:

According to Bebell and O’Dwyer [study analysts], a big mistake that both researchers and educators make in talking about 1-to-1 computing programs is assuming that by adding computers to the classroom, nothing else has to change. One-to-one computing ‘refers to the level at which access to technology is available to students and teachers; by definition, it says nothing about actual educational practices,’ say the editors.

ODYSSEYWARE® fully agrees that teachers are an integral part of the online learning atmosphere. For that reason, we offer training sessions conducted by our professional staff to achieve proficiency with teachers who will use our curriculum. Although our curriculum is extremely easy to learn how to use, we ensure that our partner schools are well-prepared prior to deploying ODYSSEYWARE within their classrooms. That is our commitment to you.

According to a recent New York Times article, High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early, a pilot program being organized by the National Center on Education and the Economy is an effort to change that unfortunate statistic. High school students in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont will be the first to participate in the program, and if successful, graduate two years earlier than their counterparts in traditional learning programs.

The program is an extreme departure from the traditional seat time-based model of education. Dr. Terry Holliday, the Commissioner of Education in Kentucky was quoted as saying,

“We’ve been tied to seat time for 100 years. This would allow an approach based on subject mastery — a system based around move-on-when-ready.”

The pilot program, consisting of clear learning outcomes, instruction, and board examinations, is largely derived from successful systems in place in high-performing nations around the world. Backers hope that it will help students to master basic requirements and reduce the number of graduates that require remedial courses when they go to college.

Student-driven ODYSSEYWARE® allows students to complete courses at their own pace. With their foot on the accelerator, the can set their own pace towards graduation. It’s no pilot program; it’s available to your school right now. Find out more about our mastery-based lessons.

It’s important to be sure your computer and network are set up properly to implement text-to-speech functionality. We recommend you install the latest version of Adobe Flash and Java installed. We also recommend using Firefox. Where applicable, be sure that MP3s are not blocked from playing on the school network.

You can begin to utilize the text-to-speech feature with the following steps:

1. Open an assignment.

2. Look for the Tools section on the left side of the screen.

3. Choose Read Section to have the entire assignment read, OR

4. Highlight the specific text you want read and click the Say button.

Please note: the Translate To and Translate From buttons do not apply to the Text-to-Speech function.

5. Once you click on Say or Read Section, a box will appear in the upper middle portion of the page. That box contains the Play, Skip Forward, and Backward, buttons and volume controls. Keep in mind that it may take some time to download the audio file depending on the internet connection.

6. To select the reader’s voice, click on the drop down box and choose David, Linda, William, or the default voice, which is Callie.

7. To adjust the speed of the reading, click on the drop down box and choose Slow, Normal, or Fast. Normal is the default.

This tool can be especially useful to students whose native language is not English or to those with reading challenges. ODYSSEYWARE’s Text-to-Speech feature helps to remove obstacles to learning for students with special needs.

The students that attend MCAC have, in most cases, had a tough time in the mainstream classroom. Of the students enrolled during the 2008-09 school year, more than half had a history of discipline problems in their home school, and the rest were trying to recover credits.

At the beginning of the school year, the school implemented ODYSSEYWARE in an effort to enable the transition of students back to their home school or get them on track to graduate.

ODYSSEYWARE’s online, self-directed learning environment provided the MCAC students with the right tools to succeed, and succeed they did, as evidenced by their off-the-grid math scores.

The students at MCAC substantially outpaced students across the district and the state with outstanding scores on the algebra End of Course Test (EOCT). The Achievement Center’s EOCT pass rates were twice that of the district and 50 percent greater than the state’s. When compared with high school students across Georgia, students at the Achievement Center scored as well as their counterparts on the Georgia High School Graduation Test, an unprecedented feat. These incredible results prove once again that given the right curriculum adapted to their individual needs, students succeed.

So what advantage do the Achievement Center’s at-risk students have over other Georgia High School students?

According to Rayceen King, an educator at the center, “ODYSSEYWARE has given us the rigor and relevance necessary for student success. As you see from our data, the high school’s test scores are increasing.”

This technology-based online curriculum is created for 21st century students whose lives are saturated with technology. For today’s students, ODYSSEYWARE is familiar and easy to navigate, employing the same sorts of multimedia with which they engage everyday. It is the right curriculum for students today. In addition, ODYSSEYWARE is fully customizable and easily adapted and paced to meet each student’s individual needs. These essential features, when combined with anytime access, automatic grading, built-in messaging, and other functional components, make ODYSSEYWARE ideal for students like those at MCAC, and just about any other student born into the digital age.

“Snow has not fallen in every state today but all 50 states have some accumulation — even the mountain tops of Hawaii,” he said.

We all grow winter-weary, tired of slippery streets, icy winds, driveway shoveling, and cancelled classes, even where such precipitation is atypical.

“Cities in southern Alabama saw their largest snowfall since the 1970s. And in Louisiana, although it wasn’t quite a blizzard on the bayou, it was enough to cancel school.”

For schools that partner with ODYSSEYWARE® and their students, it’s business as usual. No missed days and no missed material. They’re teaching and learning in their bunny slippers, no matter what the weather.

Their distinct advantage is the anytime availability of the curriculum. Because all ODYSSEYWARE classes are fully online, students and teachers aren’t bound by the constraints of the school day, classroom, state lines, or national borders. Whether you choose ODYSSEYWARE to serve accelerated and alternative students, as your primary curriculum, or as part of a blended educational environment, learning doesn’t have to stop when schools are closed. When roads are impassable due to snow, rain, or other weather events, students can be logged on and learning when you partner with ODYSSEYWARE.

From online books to algebra study tips and from professional development resources to data portals, we’ve dug up a treasure trove of informative sources and interactive activities that add up to a more exciting learning experience in the core subjects of math, science, language arts, history, and geography.

Check out these links for a sampling of what you’ll find on our resources list:

 – Starfall– Reading and phonics tools that make learning fun

– Project Gutenberg– Nearly 30,000 free public domain titles to download

– National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - Concept tutorials for math from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

– EdSITEment - Multiple resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities

– Cyberschoolbus- Information on countries around the world from the United Nations

– The Wise Guide - Educational and useful resources from America’s library

As you lead your students into a digital future, it’s important to guide them to sources that are valuable, relevant, and reliable, while engaging their minds. We’re happy to provide you with these and many more valuable resources for participatory learning. Just call your ODYSSEYWARE® training specialist or 877-795-8904.