BRIGHT SPOTS

Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration

Dear Educator,

While there were wildly inconsistent experiences and expectations during the pandemic’s “emergency” remote learning time, many families found value in the flexibility and window into their students’ learning. In response to a community interest and need, Spark Online Academy, a public school in Colorado Springs District 11, set out to create an online and blended, learner-centered program where all children would be safe, happy, and in love with learning.

For this week's Bright Spot, I'm excited to share the progress from our partner school's first year in this Case Study.

With Gratitude,
Katie

BRIGHT SPOT OF THE WEEK

Fostering Personal Connections at an Online School

One of the biggest concerns educators hear from parents and students considering online learning is the fear of lack of connection between teachers, peers, and community partners. Our society saw the negative impacts of isolation during the pandemic. Spark Online Academy addresses this in a vastly different fundamental design from module-based models, such as: 

• Keeping class sizes small to make space and time for direct instruction in small groups
• Collaborating with peers daily
• Offering in-person experiences for learning and social connections

As a result, administrators and educators regularly hear from students and parents that they feel more connected than in-person class because they feel safer to get their voice into discussions and have a variety of ways to contribute and collaborate when leveraging the technology to meet the individual strengths and needs of each student.

With the first school year complete, there is much to celebrate as well as learnings from the year to build upon. Launching a new school is a ton of work and even harder when pushing on traditional systems and organizational practices. I'm inspired by Spark Online Academy as they continue to lean into both what is working and our own learning as a team of educators and leaders. 

Interested in learning more about innovative school models such as Spark Online Academy’s? Let's connect!

RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Below are some resources to support the integration of innovative school models in your learning community.

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