Iowa Connections Academy Altoona Info Meeting

When: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.
Where: Holiday Inn Express, 165 Adventureland Drive N.W.
Who should attend: Families interested in kindergarten through 12th-grade online education

Education chief: Online academies will face scrutiny

The CAM and Clayton Ridge school districts will face heavy scrutiny next school year as they begin offering virtual academies to state students, said Jason Glass, Iowa Department of Education director.
Connections Academy, based in Baltimore, and K12 Inc., of Virginia, will begin partnerships with Iowa�s CAM and Clayton Ridge districts, respectively, in July. The partnerships will allow Iowa students to attend the virtual classes without leaving their homes.
Some Iowa educators say allowing the for-profit companies in the state is the same as creating a voucher system, in which students take state money to attend the school of their choice. The partnerships will create competition among cash-strapped, mostly rural districts, where leaders mostly worry about students being shortchanged, several educators said.
Educators will present their concerns Feb. 22 to the Government Oversight Committee.
- Sheena Dooley

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Companies looking to expand online public education in Iowa