K12 Inc.

Infobox_Company
company_name = K12 Inc.
company_
company_type = Publicly held
foundation = 2000
founder = Ronald Jay Packard,William Bennet
location = Herndon, Virginia
area_served = International
industry = Education
products = education software, textbooks, workbooks
operating_income = $5.6 million (as of June 2007)
revenue = $140.6 million (as of June 2007)
equity =
num_employees = 636 (as of 2007)
homepage = [http://www.k12.com/]

K12 Inc. is a worldwide virtual homeschooling business that supplies an online education system geared towards students in grades from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Company history

The company was founded by William Bennett and Ronald Jay Packard in April 2000. It was 1999 when Ron Packard walked up to William Bennett's door with the idea of an virtual education company. This all all started when Mr. Ron Packard realized that his daughter needed more advanced math than the state was giving her. K12 inc. became a publicly traded company on December 13, 2008.

Student lessons

K12's curriculum includes subjects such as Math, Science, Literature, Language, Vocabulary, Composition, and History. As an option, Art and Music can also be added to a typical curriculum. A student's schedule is arranged in a weekly, or daily calendar format displaying each subject that must be done for the day. The student clicks on a lesson in their list for that day, completes all of the assignments, then clicks on a "Complete" check box, to indicate the lesson's completion. If there is an assessment to be taken (assessments are taken almost every day), then the assessment must be completed before the student can go onto another lesson in that subject.By clicking on a "Lesson Lists" tab, the student can choose a subject, and complete as many lessons and units in one day as he/she would like to. The student may also check his/her progress in a certain subject by clicking on the "Progress" tab.

Parental involvement

K12 allows parents to customize the student's curriculum. The parent may set vacation days, specify what, and how many lessons are taught each day, and whether a student can take an assessment with or without their password permission. The parent can also mark a lesson complete, whether or not the assessment or lesson has been completed. For younger grades, parents are often required to teach, or read a lesson.

Virtual schools

K12 Inc. virtual schools are state-funded schools that use K12's program and curriculum. The schools are considered public schools, and they follow a public school's schedule. Instead of the parent being the sole teacher (as in the independent K12), a public school teacher is at hand to administer assignments, schedule conferences, and to monitor work. The parent becomes a "Learning Coach". The same curriculum is used, but class projects, such as field trips, are used. Several times (almost every school day), students of the same grade will come together in a virtual classroom, using the communication program Elluminate. They will be taught a certain concept by a teacher, while interacting with other students from across the state.At the end of the year, the students are required to take the same state standardized test as a typical "brick and mortar" school.

Controversies

There have been several controversies concerning K12's approach to learning, and several of these controversies surround the Virtual Schools. One controversy arose when the Philadelphia Board of Education called for a termination of the $3 million dollar contract with K12, after the company's co-founder, William Bennet, made racist remarks. Another controversy surrounding the virtual schools is that some citizens of states using virtual schools do not like the idea of a large, private company taking the jobs of public school teachers, and taking advantage of the state's money. One other controversy is that some parents are not happy at the idea of being called simply "learning coaches", and being told that they are not homeschooling, but in a home-based public school.

References

*The Notebook.com [http://www.thenotebook.org/editions/2005/winter/hot.htm]
*Eschool News [http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=35921&CFID=1594653&CFTOKEN=27425218]
*K12 Inc. [http://www.k12.com/]
*Georgia Virtual Academy [http://www.k12.com/ga/]
*Edspresso.com [http://www.edspresso.com/2006/04/k12_still_atoning_for_bill_ben.htm]

External links

* [http://www.k12.com K12 Inc.]