The Virtual Academy’s inaugural 200 students are a mix of home-schoolers and children who for whatever reason don’t fit in well at traditional classrooms. Anne Zeman is Elk Grove Unified’s point person on the new program. She says the district wants to offer those students a more effective way to learn from home.
Zeman: “Parents, we know, are ready for this and are trusting of electronic learning environments, whereas 10 years ago, we think that was probably much less the case. These type of virtual academies have been tried successfully.”
Here’s how it works: A private company called K12 creates the courses and mails the students books and other materials. And the students log online each day to take their classes. Meantime, Elk Grove Unified sends K12 nearly all of the funds it receives from the state for per-pupil attendance.