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HOUMA, La. (AP) — Online education enrollment has skyrocketed as parents and families search for a more individualized education for their children.
Nancy Toups, a former public school teacher who home schooled three of her children, started eLearningK12 with two other teachers in 1999, seeking to provide individualize education in an efficient manner. They started in Toups' Thibodaux loft with less than 20 students. Now, enrollment is over 1,000 with students from across the country and locations in Thibodaux, Houma and Baton Rouge.
Earlier this month, eLearningK12 received a perfect score in its evaluation from the state Department of Education.
"I think that for one thing, our lifestyle today lends itself to this type of education. More people are working at home, more have flexible schedules. They're able to travel more with their children," Toups said.
The Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1huqk1W) the program was founded to get students to work at their own pace.
The program was founded to get students to work at their own pace. Public school students move at the pace of the class. For advanced students, if the curriculum isn't moving fast enough they can get bored and disinterested. Slower students can be left behind. The program also provides enrichment classes, including art, robotics and performing arts, among others.
"It's a high-tech form of home schooling, with assistance," Toups said.
The eLearningK12 program provides its own curriculum through the second grade while the remaining grades are contracted out. Students move through each level at their own pace and move on once they've mastered the content.
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Information from: The Courier, http://www.houmatoday.com
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