Learning Online Solves Unique Challenges

Brad Rathgeber

As every school administrator knows, August can bring surprises. There are surprises that are minor and relatively easy to handle: the student who discovers a new passion over the summer and wants to change some courses; or the student whose schedule needs fixing because they’ve been double-booked for the same class period. And then there are those surprises can become full blown emergencies pretty quickly:  the teacher who needs time off to handle a health crisis or decides not to honor their contract; or the student whose life is upended by a family move or a new opportunity.  In either minor or major situations,  we’ve found that online learning can solve unique challenges that arise for schools.

Let me share a few recent cases, both minor and major:

• Minor: A  senior at  top mid-atlantic boarding school wanted to challenge herself by taking AP Latin, but she didn’t have enough room in her schedule. Taking AP Latin online with One Schoolhouse let her pursue her love of classics without giving up any of her other goals.
• Minor: A school called this summer because they have  lower than expected enrollment in statistics. They wondered if we could teach their handful of students online, in order to better align teaching resources on campus.  We were able to take on the students and solve this staffing challenge for the school. 
• Minor: A middle school student was starting 7th grade at a top day-school, having done her previous course work at a Chinese immersion school.  High school Mandarin wouldn’t fit into her middle school schedule, so the student enrolled in our online program with the support of the school -- and she will do so again this coming school year.
• Major: Two weeks before the 2018-2019 school year started, we got a call from a boarding school that suddenly lost its AP Physics teacher, and needed us to teach a full class of students. We were able to teach the class for the school and on-board its students to online learning -- in addition to our standard orientation practices, I Skyped in to the class to answer student questions and alleviate concerns.
• Major: We are blessed in independent schools to work with students who are immensely talented. In the summer of 2018, we got a call from Claire, a student at a top day-school, and her mom who were trying to figure out if it would be possible for her to complete her senior year online while spending most of the year in Russia studying ballet at the Bolshoi.  We worked with her school to create a course of study for her to complete her graduation requirements from the school online while being able to live in Russia

​In any of these cases, the relationship with the school was key.  The schools wanted to solve the challenges and retain these high achieving students, and we gave them an opportunity to do so, because they trusted that these students would receive a high quality education online. ​

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For a deeper dive, check out these case studies, partner profiles and past blogs:

• ​Strategic Engagement with One Schoolhouse - Five case studies of school engagement in online learning are presented, with lessons learned from their experiences. 
• Strategic Ways to Partner & Partner Profiles: Archer School for Girls, Laurel School, Louisville High School
• Flexible Learning Programs
• Problem Solvers​