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Gov. Heineman Announces Nebraska Virtual School Agreement

August 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

(Lincoln, Neb.) – Gov. Dave Heineman was joined by Nebraska education leaders Friday to announce the creation of the Nebraska Virtual Partnership, and outline plans for the creation of the Nebraska Virtual School and the Nebraska Virtual Library systems.

Efforts of the Nebraska Virtual Partnership will significantly increase educational opportunities for students throughout the state.

“This is a significant step forward for the future of education in Nebraska,” said Heineman. “The virtual school will provide Nebraska students a rigorous online high school curriculum with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, commonly referred to as STEM courses, and advanced placement courses in both rural and urban areas. Additionally, the virtual school establishes a single, centralized website informing students, parents, teachers and schools of virtual learning opportunities in Nebraska.”

Nebraska educational leaders signed a Memorandum of Agreement (M.O.A.) formally establishing the Nebraska Virtual Partnership.

The M.O.A. represents the commitment of the Department of Education, the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council, the University of Nebraska and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) to the construction of the Nebraska Virtual School.

In addition to the virtual school, the Nebraska Virtual Partnership will establish the Nebraska Virtual Library. NET has proposed to make multi-media and digital instructional resources available to students and teachers across Nebraska.

For the rest of the article go to Gov. Heineman Announces Nebraska Virtual School Agreement.

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Virtual school plan praised

June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A virtual school would give students in rural and low-performing schools access to honors, enrichment and remediation courses, improving achievement and graduation rates at a lower cost than traditional classroom instruction, according to a report by the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy.

Virtual schools offer other advantages over bricks-and-mortar schools. For instance, distance is no barrier, and kids learn on their own time and at their own pace, the report said.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual school plan praised

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Virtual education boom hits the states

March 15, 2011 By 2 Comments

Using the Internet allows poorer or more rural districts to have access to more specialized teachers without having to pay big incentives. And in some cases, it makes it possible for teachers to reach more students either in larger classrooms or at home, minimizing costs to school districts. An audit of Wisconsin’s virtual charter schools last year found the per-pupil costs of some of the schools were lower than those of traditional public schools, although they were higher in others because of high start-up costs.

Last year, Vermont and Montana launched their first state-run virtual schools, while Michigan and Massachusetts created full-time online programs. This year, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman told lawmakers he wants to use $8.5 million in lottery funds to create an online high school to bring new courses to the state’s students. “In rural Nebraska, it can be difficult to hire foreign language, math and science teachers,” he said in a January speech. “A virtual high school would allow rural schools and rural communities to survive.”

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A commitment to education

February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I want to focus this week on several proposals aimed at strengthening education in Nebraska. These proposals are focused on creating new opportunities for students and accelerating Nebraska’s potential to attract research and development projects.

I have recommended directing $8.5 million to the development of a virtual high school for Nebraska students. While the concept is still being developed, this would be a joint effort of the Nebraska Department of Education, the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska P-16 Initiative.

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Heineman touts budget proposal

January 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Heineman’s budget calls for $50 million in new programs as a way to jump-start the state at a time when competing states are merely raising taxes.

His plans include a $25 million one-time investment into the University of Nebraska Innovation Campus at the former state fairgrounds in Lincoln, $8.5 million of lottery funds to develop a Nebraska Virtual High School, $7 million for the Business Innovation Act to help new and existing businesses, creating a Site and Building Development Fund, creating an Angel Investment Tax Credit Program to promote high-tech business development and redirecting about $3 million of job training dollars into a Nebraska Internship Program to create new internships for college students in the state.

“You’ve got to have economic success and educational success,” Heineman said.

For the rest of the article, go to Heineman touts budget proposal

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Bill will keep us busy

January 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

On Thursday, Gov. Heineman presented the State of the State Address. The governor outlined his priorities for the state and his budget proposal for the next biennium. Gov. Heineman emphasized job creation, improving our economy and strengthening education. Our projected budget shortfall is $986 million, and in order to close this gap, the budget proposal reduces funding for many state agencies and programs, disqualifying across the board cuts. Regarding education, the budget proposal holds steady K-12 spending, although the stimulus funds previously distributed to schools will not be available. An investment in virtual schools is part of the proposed budget, which is a noteworthy opportunity for students in our rural schools to broaden their academic coursework to take classes that may not be offered in our district. Funding for the University system is proposed to be maintained at the current spending level, and the governor stated his intention to dedicate a one-time investment of $20 million to the University for Innovation Campus in an effort to boost both education and employment opportunities in our state.

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Education funding dominates questions during Sheehy visit

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In Heineman’s proposed budget $8.5 million will be put toward a Virtual High School program, led by the Nebraska Department of Education and the University of Nebraska. According to Sheehy the program is designed to expand learning beyond the traditional school day, allowing for evening and weekend education opportunities.

$25 million is budgeted to be invested in Innovation Campus, which Sheehy described as an effort that will attract new students and faculty to the University of Nebraska Campus, as well as facilitate partnerships.

Sheehy said the proposed budget was developed with input from citizens taken into consideration, stating the three priorities communicated were creating jobs, improving the economy and strengthening education.

For the rest of the article, go to Education funding dominates questions during Sheehy visit

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Nebraska administrators hit UI campus, visit headquarters of Big Ten consortium

July 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

URBANA – Like thousands of high school students, top academic administrators from the University of Nebraska made a campus visit Wednesday, learning about the University of Illinois, the Big Ten and the consortium of top schools that will now include the Lincoln, Neb., campus.

Ellen Weissinger, who is the equivalent of provost at Nebraska, said her campus has much to offer to Illinois and the Champaign-based Committee on Institutional Cooperation, an organization made up of the Big Ten and the University of Chicago.

In June, Nebraska formally asked to join the Big Ten effective next year, saying the school is more “aligned” with the Big Ten when it comes to academics, culture and athletics than its former conference, the Big 12.

Through the CIC, Nebraska will share courses, particularly in distance learning, as well as academic materials and even study abroad programs, while also participating in a purchasing cooperative that Weissinger said could eventually save her institution millions of dollars.

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Students to graduate from unique Lincoln high school

June 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

More than 100 students, including one 14-year-old, will graduate from a unique high school in Lincoln Friday, but few will be there for the ceremony.

Each year, more than 100 students from across the country and around the world earn their high school diplomas from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Independent Study High School.

A commencement ceremony and reception will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Nebraska Union, 14th and R streets, to honor the 113 graduates who make up the ISHS Class of 2010.

For the rest of the article, go to Students to graduate from unique Lincoln high school

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