By Eileen Elliott
As the school year starts to wind-down, teachers, students, and parents are catching their breath and reflecting on the enormous educational shifts that most of them faced (and continue to face) because of the pandemic. iLEAD Online’s educators and families have had a different experience. Though they made some minor adjustments, for the most part, it was business as usual. iLEAD Online was built for this, and their students' learning hasn't missed a beat.
iLEAD is a public charter school - meaning it receives funding from the state and federal government just like a traditional district public school. Full-time students living in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, or Kern may enroll free of charge. Students living outside of those counties still have options available to them and can contact iLEAD Online to learn more. During the 2019-2020 school year students in grades 3-12 were invited to enroll, but starting in August, the program is expanding to K-12.
There has never been a more critical time for this supportive yet virtual learning model. iLEAD's infrastructure for student support is unmatched. Kids have access to course facilitators (teachers), real-time tutors, and one-to-one academic coaches who provide personal attention and advocate for their students. That support is combined with original, project-based courses that are created in-house by credentialed, expert teachers who can customize classes to best fit the interests and needs of each learner (student) -- without compromising the integrity of the courses.
Though this is obviously an online school, that doesn't mean students are "plugged-in" all day. iLEAD promotes the philosophy that learners are leaders, servers, problem-solvers, creators, collaborators, and deep thinkers. Project-based-learning is the key to honoring that philosophy and holding students to a higher level of accountability -- because it requires learners to be actively engaged and to demonstrate their understanding. You won't find multiple-choice or true/false exams here.
The pandemic has left many parents worried that their child's education has suffered this spring, and they have a desire to find a high-quality online program during the summer break. iLEAD Online has an established program for grades 2-12, and classes start in July. Students can choose from a variety of courses that combine skills and content from the core academic subject areas and culminate in a real-world opportunity to make an impact!
The majority of the high school course catalog is open during July/August, and there are also unique offerings for high schoolers -- including those who are college-bound. Students who wish to get ahead or recover credits will be well-served by this program, and they will receive an official high school transcript upon successful completion.
iLEAD Online is WASC accredited, and their high school courses are NCAA and UC a-g approved.
Families living in LA, Orange, Kern, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties may contact iLEADonline.org to see if you qualify for free tuition or if you have any enrollment questions.
The opinions and information are only those by Eileen Elliot and not necessarily those of California School Choice Foundation