RtI...What the Heck is That?

You are the parent of a child who is struggling in school and you want and need help, what do you do? The schools response is that it is going to take time. You might be asking yourself why, and there is a very good explaination that the school is not explaining in a clear way. Here is the info that you are looking for.

RtI is the new buzz phrase when it comes to children who are struggling in school. What is RtI? It is short for Response to Intervention and it actually is not a bad thing. It means that the school is required to put intervetions into place right away for your child in the areas that they are struggling in. Hopefully these intervention will assist your child and they will not need to be placed into special education. The way it used to work is that your child would be tested and if they were eligible they would get the help that they needed. Many children who did not meet the eligibility criteria for Special Education were left to struggle without additional support. Now those children will begin getting the help they need imediately without the need for a label.

Although, this is better for the student, it puts the burden of providing this individual or small group intervention back onto an already overworked, underpaid teacher. In a time when there are massive cuts in an already bare to the bones teaching staff, they are being called upon to do more. I am sending out a plea to you as a taxpayer to write your congressional representative and express your concerns. In addition, contact your local school board and express your outrage that although the school districts are making major cuts in teachers and those who provide direct service to children, they are keeping the fat. There is no big surprise as to the why the cuts are being made the way that they are. Just like in congress, the ones making the decisions about cuts (the administrators) are not going to cut their own jobs. In a time when the economy is so tight, maybe we need to take a hard look about the way we are currently doing things, and change them to a more efficient way.

Is a Virtual School the Right Choice for your Child?

A virtual school or cyberschool is a school that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods. They are descendants of the correspondence courses that have been around for a long time and utilized the postal service for communication. Using the internet for communication seems to be a much more effect way of communicating and may be the reason for the growth explosion of virtual schools. A virtual school differs from the traditional school by linking administrators, teachers, and students together utilizing the internet. Accredited schools must meet rigorous standards designed to insure that students are receiving the highest quality instruction and education, however many virtual schools are not accredited at this time.

Virtual Schools are now available to all grade levels and can provide a full curriculum to your child or an al carte type menu where they can choose to attend some classes through a virtual school. It is important to note that not all Virtual Schools provide your child with the ability to receive a diploma, so be sure to research the guidelines governing the schools in your area. There are many different models of virtual schools available. Instructional models range from fully independent self paced courses to teacher facilitated courses, so you’ll need to do some research on what model will best suit your child’s needs and abilities. Keep in mind that it will take a lot of will power to stay on track and focused in an entirely self-paced course. Class sizes range widely with anywhere from 25 students to as many as 200 students in each class section. Students keep in contact with teachers and collaborate with other students through web communication tools. In some cases students communicate by phone with instructors.

A link is beginning to develop between Public and Virtual Schools. Many districts either have their own Virtual Schools or have linked together with an already existing Virtual School. Some Public Schools are providing computer labs where students can take online courses right on their campus. Typically if there is this connection between the two types of schools there will be no charge to the parent for the course or for materials required for the course. Check with the schools in your area about fees and supplies since they will differ greatly from school to school.

Some advantages of attending a virtual school are: not being required to attend and travel to face-to-face classes so students are able to set their own schedule and the daily use of digital media in the curriculum keeps these students up to date on the latest technological advances. In addition, I think that it provides a student with the ability to work at their own pace in a subject that they may be struggling with.

Disadvantages of this type of schooling include: lack of social interaction with the teacher and their peers, the challenge of staying focused while in the home environment and that these schools are not held up to the standards of other types of schools. The lack of socialization can be addressed through participation in group activities held outside of the schools just like it is addressed with home school students. Standards are being developed for these types of schools and they do have some accrediting agencies but they are still in the growing phase. It is important given this information that you conduct your own research on the Virtual Schools available to you before jumping into this choice. As far as the focusing issue, that is all on you and your child. Do you both have the ability to stay committed and focused to the tasks at hand or like me are you a major procrastinator? That is a question that only you can answer.

Is a Public School the Right Choice for Your Child?

Is public school the right choice for your child? That is a question that a lot of parents are asking themselves nowadays. Parents are finding themselves looking for an alternative to public school given all the violence and bullying that is popping up in public schools, the funding cuts and the believe that teachers are focusing their teaching on what is going to be on a standardized test. There is some validity to these concerns; however the reports of violence and bullying are over emphasized in the news. Make sure that you are getting accurate information on the violence present in the schools located in your area and how your district handles bullying behavior because there are probably as many ways of dealing with bullies as there are districts in the United States. Don’t rely on the information reported on television or the information provided by the district. Get your information from parents and students already attending the school your child is zoned to attend. It is also important to understand that bullying occurs in charter and private schools as well.

I don’t believe that there is as much teaching to the test as is reported. If your child attends school in a state that has standardized testing each year, it is important to understand that these test were developed to ascertain whether your child has learned the concepts that they were to have learned in that year of schooling. Having said that, I have run into some teachers in the public school system in the twelve years that I was working there that I would classify as teaching to the test, but they are few and far between.

There are several benefits to choosing a public school over any other school choice. One that you may not have considered is the number of different classes that they can choose to take at the middle school and high school level. Depending upon their interests they may have the opportunity to take classes in photography, specialized art classes, woodworking, theater, mechanics, band, orchestra, and electronics to name just a few. Be sure to research what your district has to offer.

If your child has a special need such as a learning difficulty, speech or language delays, autism, low ability or emotional difficulties, the public school provides support that other types of schools cannot provide. Charter schools do provide some support for these difficulties but not to the extent that a public school provides them.

Public schools have access to many different types of technology that other types of schools cannot provide for their students. Most public schools have several computer labs which provide students access to programs like movie maker, Google map, and educational games that help support what the students are learning. In addition, they can share information and interact with students all over the world instantly. In our technology driven society, this type of access may be very important to your child’s future.

As you can see it is most important to do your research when picking out the right school for your child. Be sure to consider what your child’s needs are and which type of school best meets those needs.