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Franksville girl one of a growing number of virtual home-schooled students
By Brent Killackey
Eight-year-old Maddie Hintz needs only to step out of her bedroom, head down the hall and grab a seat at the kitchen table to start the school day.
Maddie, a second-grader working on third-grade material, does her learning at home in Franksville.
On a recent morning, instructor Ginny Hintz - Maddie's mother - started the day with a lesson on contractions.
"What does isn't stand for?" Hintz asked.
At first glance, this appears to be a typical home-school setting.
It isn't - or is not, to draw from Maddie's lesson on contractions.
The Wisconsin Connections Academy and the 12 other virtual school programs in the state rely on computers and the Internet to provide an alternative educational option.
Some schools rely heavily on the Internet to deliver lessons. The Wisconsin Connections Academy, which is a charter school of the Appleton School District, relies on the Internet primarily to deliver lesson plans to parents, who work with their children with traditional textbooks and
worksheets.
"There is very little you actually do on the computer," Hintz said.
Hintz was home-schooling her children prior to discovering the virtual school a few years ago. It still offered flexibility, but also provided a curriculum, access to licensed teachers and testing - at no cost because it was a public school program, she said. The school even provides a computer and Internet stipend.
"And of course, the most wonderful thing of all, they planned the day for me," Hintz said. The day's lessons are outlined on the school's Web site.
The accountability involved in public education remains embedded in the program - grades, daily attendance, adequate progress and participation in state standardized testing, according to Nichole Schweitzer, principal of the Wisconsin Connections Academy.
"All of those accountability features are still woven into our school, they're just done a little bit differently," Schweitzer said.
The K-8 school has just under 500 students from communities all over Wisconsin enrolled this year, Schweitzer said. Ten teachers and a principal stay in touch with students by e-mail, occasional phone calls and notes on the many assignments that must be mailed back.
"For me, it's just been so much more helpful to have someone other than their mom writing the good comments and the negative comments (on assignments)," Hintz said.
The spread of computer technology and availability of the Internet have spawned the growth of virtual schools, particularly at the high school level where students are adept at using
technology.
"Virtual schools typically around the country are looking to double or triple their enrollment annually," said Heidi Laabs, director of curriculum and instruction in the Waukesha School District.
Waukesha opened the virtual doors on the IQ Academies this school year. The school has 203 students. It's expecting 500 to 750 next year.
"Kids who enter this program get School District of Waukesha content, taught by School District of Waukesha teachers and they will get a School District of Waukesha diploma," Laabs said.
It provides an option for home-school families challenged by high school subjects, students with chronic illnesses, social issues or those who find it difficult to attend a traditional school, Laabs said.
The state Department of Public Instruction will pay tuition for those who choose a virtual school prior to a Feb. 25 deadline for open enrollment. Students have until June to make a final decision about attending.
Hintz said the Wisconsin Connections Academy isn't for everyone. It's a big commitment, even with the help provided by the school.
But Hintz said that for her, it's worth it.
"The kids don't know any differently," Hintz said. "But I really do hope they look back on these years as good times and something to remember, because I sure will."
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