Believe in yourself, and you'll get there eventually.

October7, 20191 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In this video, Entrepreneur Network partnerBrian Tracy asks a simple question:What difference would it make in your life if you had unshakeable confidence?

To achieve your biggest aspirations, you must live your life consistently, following your most important values and your highest goals with utmost confidence.

Click the video to hear more.

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Originally posted here:
Self-Confidence Is the Best Motivation for Chasing Your Goals - Entrepreneur

ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes is about to fight Kevin Belingon for the fourth time. The pair will collide with the bantamweight title on the line at ONE: Century this Sunday in Tokyo, Japan.

Despite the fact that hes once again preparing for a familiar foe, Fernandes says his focus hasnt wavered.

Im excited to fight Kevin one more time, Im motivated, Fernandes told BJPenn.com in Tokyo.

Fernandes never expected to fight Kevin Belingon four times, but after beating them with a first-round kimura in their first fight, he never expected a second fight either.

I believed it was finished after the first time, he said. But he always wins his way back to me. Thats ok too. I keep myself motivated.

Ive done jiu jitsu all my life. Sometimes you have to fight a guy 10, 6 times. No problem. I can prove my skill.

While Fernandes has no objection to fighting Belingon again, he is of course looking to put a decisive end to their rivalry in Tokyo so that a fifth fight is not necessary.

I have to go in there and fight Kevin, he said, emphasizing his intention to push the action. I have to be ready for striking, grappling, everything in the fight. Ill make little adjustments and well see what happens.

Ill cut angles, he added. I think thats very important in this fight.

Bibiano Fernandes comes from a jiu jitsu background, while Kevin Belingon comes from a Wushu striking background. Despite their differing origins, Fernandes believes he is Belingons equal on the feet perhaps even his better.

I come here to get the knockout or submission, I dont fight for decisions, he said. If I can get the finish, Ill do it.

My striking has very improved. I was close to [knocking him out] last time we fought. When you look at Kevin, hes a striker. But my striking has better technique. Kevin has the spin-kick, thats the one thing he has, but I believe my striking is better.

The time is almost at hand for Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon to settle their score once and for all. Fernandes is looking forward to the opportunity to do so, then head home to be with his family in Vancouver.

I want to defend my belt then go home to my kids, he said. Then well see what happens next.

This article first appeared onBJPENN.COMon 10/11/2019.

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Bibiano Fernandes motivated as ever for fourth fight with Kevin Belingon - BJPenn.com

Tech teams make up one of themore oftenoverlooked departments of a business, yet they are critical tothe company's functionality and growth. Managers from other departments may not even know tech teams are around. Yet if they were to disappear, even temporarily, it's very likely that some of the most basicfunctions of the businesswouldbe compromised, not to mention the impactthis would have on the development of new products, features or functions.

Just like any other employee, tech teammembers need to be motivated and happy on the job in order to perform to their best ability. Employees who feel motivated are not only more productive, but are also more efficient and forward-thinking than those who see the job simply as a chore.

Below,seven members of Forbes Technology Council explore how a business could motivate and satisfy its tech teams. Here is what they advise:

1. Make Sure They Know Their Importance

Dig in with them and learn how they work. Use their communications mechanisms and participate in daily stand-ups. When they hit a critical milestone, reward them. Give them opportunities for publicity if they desire, and make sure they are integrated into strategic business planning to ensure they know how important they are to the overarching vision. - Tom Albert, Measured Risk Inc.

2. Convey The Right Mission And Vision

The basis is the right mission and vision. As we're in the field of artificial intelligence, this might be even more important than in other sectors. AI has the potential to kill many jobs but used in the right way, it can augment humans with superpowers. Besides the mission-critical vision and purpose, I believe in giving tech people as much freedom as possible, to hire the best and let them be successful. - Marc Vontobel, Starmind

3. Understand Their Career Goals And Help Them Grow

People are our assets. Continuous engagement with the team is key, and understanding their career aspirations and goals is important to enabling them to feel that the company is giving them a platform to grow. Every team member is an entrepreneur in their heart and that is what we need to identify. Thats my mantra for success. - Bhavna Juneja,Infinity, a Stamford Technology Company

4. Let Them Use Their Skills To Solve Problems

I find that my teams are motivated and energized when I can layout objectives, explain their role in achieving those objectives, and remove roadblocks to let them do the great things they can do. Most technology people want to solve problems and use their skills. I let them do that. - BJ Vander Linden, Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment

5.Treat Them Like Internal Customers

Measure your technical team on metrics they can improve on, create a friendly competitive environment and give them time to step away when needed. In the office, we have ping pong, bags and other games they can play to break up the day. Treating employees like internal customers will create a much happier employee who will deliver better service to our customers. - Edward Lennon, Votacall, Inc.

6. Provide The Right Kinds Of Challenges

We focus more on motivated and engaged instead of happy. We believe that for us to get the best out of our folks, we need to rightsize the challenges they are going to overcome, as well as provide challenges that are going to help them develop professionally. - Patrick Emmons, DragonSpears, Inc.

7.Enable An Inquisitive, Learning Culture

First, help them understand the company's or group's vision and show them what an integral part they are to achieving it.Second, provide them with interesting problems to work in addition to their day-today-day activities, as well asautonomy and a sense of ownership for the team to execute and thrive. Third, enable a dataor consumer-centric decision-making culture, giving people room to disagree or propose alternative strategies. Finally,make sure your culture is always inquisitive and open to learning, keeping up with trends, and figuring out methods to incorporate this into their groups. - Brian Sathianathan,Iterate.ai

Originally posted here:
How To Keep Your Tech Team Motivated And Engaged: Seven Proven Methods - Forbes

Campaign Trail is our analysis of some of the best and worst new creative efforts from the marketing world. View past columns in the archives here.

Mattress ads often depict people resting atop a cloud or jumping near a glass of wine to illustrate how cushy a bed is. Nectar's latest campaign contrasts with this serenity, instead riffing on over-the-top styles of motivational speakers. A high-energy parody video that dropped this week introduces Yawn Yawnson, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand's new fictional spokesperson, as a sleep-obsessed evangelist revving up massive crowds around the power of a good nap.

In a series of videos, the hype man of sorts works his fans dubbed Bedheads into a frenzy around the importance of sleep and reveals his go-to solution for insomnia is a Nectar mattress.The 90-second hero spot accompanies 25 other assets for an "unhustle" campaign that will run through the holidays.While hyperbolic, the self-proclaimed "motivational sleeper" at the center of the effort embodies Nectar's goal of countering social norms that reward sacrificing sleep to work and achieve more.

"We live in a self-help culture. Everybody's trying to give everybody tips on how to do more and take on more and be their best selves. I think that oftentimes comes at a sacrifice," Nick Guastaferro, VP and head of brand, creative and communications at Nectar's parent company Resident, told Marketing Dive. "We have to fit more hours into the day to have the 'hustle' mindset that, decidedly, we believe is an indicator of success."

Marketers often produce one longer-form video that's spliced into shorter cuts to fit a variety of advertising formats for simplicity's sake. Nectar and Brooklyn-based agency Mustacheworked in reverse and began with the Yawnsonconcept. They then selected ad placements and produced more than two dozen assets tailored to each platform where the campaign is running,working with YouTube and Facebook to translate the idea into custom content that matches the context where users view the ads.

"The story began to tell itself,"Guastaferro said. "We were almost at a place where we had an embarrassment of riches, where there was so much creative around the central idea that we actually didn't have the challenge of coming up with content."

The bigger challenge surrounded prioritizing the assets and delivering them to consumers in a particular order, based on whether they have seen the campaign's hero video and where they fall in the purchasing funnel.

Much of Nectar's marketing is powered by data-driven insights and targeting to ensure a person is delivered a shorter cut a 15-second spot or Facebook ad, for example only after having viewed a longer video that more clearly introduces them to the campaign messaging. Guastaferro said the company's investments in data help to provide contextual relevance and optimize ad placements.

With Yawnson, Nectar appears to be drawing inspiration from other brands' spokespeople, such as Progressive's Flo or Geico's gecko. Adding a face to Nectar humanizes the brand and could deepen consumers' connections with its "unhustle" messaging.

Yawnson will continue to develop a personality through marketing content, including a Q&A-style interview on Nectar's website. His role in Nectar's marketing helps to differentiate the brand from competitors in the crowded mattress space, Guastaferro said. Around 175 companies pack the market, according to GoodBed.com data cited in CNBC, meaning brands need to get progressively more creative as they vie for top-of-mind positioning.

The category is filled with "a sea of sameness," according to Guastaferro, where mattress brands talk over one another without educating consumers on the value of a restful night's sleep. This opportunity pushed Nectar to fill the gap and position itself as a brand working to address a cultural issue around consumers sacrificing sleep at the expense of health and wellness.

"It was all very zen, sleepy marketing, and as a sleep brand we thought there was an opportunity to add some energy to it with the 'motivational sleeper,'" he said.

"What we've seen is that [Yawnson] really became the hype man in a tongue-in-cheek parody way that almost holds a mirror to consumers of the challenges and the sacrifices we make at the expense of sleep."

Nick Guastaferro

VP and head of brand, creative and communications at Resident

A second phase of the campaign extends into February, when Nectar will work with influencers ahead of Daylight Saving Time to bring to life relatable moments around losing an hour of sleep. The mattress brand will then drop another 25 pieces of marketing content, Guastaferro said.

"Awaken Great Sleep"aligns with Nectar's broader creative strategy of delivering playful, cheeky marketing to attract potential buyers and build brand buzz online. The mattress company last year debuted a three-minute video that riffed on the old "this is your brain on" adage to highlight how people develop "grumpy brain" from a lack of sleep.

What made the video, titled "Make America Sleep Again," particularly compelling was that it starred animated versions of world leaders President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. The humorous campaign, along with others that featured grown adult heads superimposed onto babies' bodies or mattresses being delivered by a team of butterflies, illustrate Nectar's goofy, memorable take on the world.

"With Yawn, this campaign really takes a hyperbolic approach and sort of breaks from the category conventions by forcing consumers to step back and reappraise what's really important to them via the motivational sleeper," Guastaferro said. "What we've seen is that he really became the hype man in a tongue-in-cheek parody way that almost holds a mirror to consumers of the challenges and sacrifices we make at the expense of sleep."

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Campaign Trail: Nectar cuts through snoozy mattress marketing with 'motivational sleeper' - Marketing Dive

DUBLIN, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The US Postsecondary Online Education Market: Size, Trends and Forecasts (2019-2023)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The US postsecondary online education market has increased at a significant growth during the year 2018 and projections are made that the market would rise in the next four years at a significant CAGR i.e. 2019-2023, tremendously.

The online postsecondary education market in the US is expected to increase due to the increasing adoption of microlearning, rising urbanization rate, higher spending on education, growing penetration of IoT devices, increase in educational attainment, etc.

Yet the market faces some challenges such as limited access to the internet in remote areas, growing not-for-profit competitors, availability of free online content, etc. The postsecondary online education market also follows some market trends, which include the growth of smart education and learning, artificial intelligence, learning management systems, etc.

Company Coverage

Scope of the Report

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the postsecondary online education market of the US by value and by volume. The report provides a detailed analysis of the US postsecondary online education market by institution type.

The report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the US postsecondary online education market has also been forecasted for the period 2019-2023, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends.

American Public Education, Grand Canyon Education, Adtalem Global Education and Apollo Global Management (Apollo Education Group) are some of the key players operating in the US postsecondary online education market, whose company profiling has been done in the report. In this segment of the report, a business overview, financial overview and business strategies of the companies are provided.

Key Topics Covered

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction2.1 Postsecondary Online Education: An Overview2.1.1 Introduction2.1.2 Online Program Management (OPM)2.1.3 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)2.2 Postsecondary Online Education Segmentation2.2.1 Postsecondary Online Education Segmentation by Education Type2.2.2 Postsecondary Online Education Segmentation by School Type2.2.3 Postsecondary Online Education Segmentation by End User2.3 Postsecondary Online Education: Advantages and Disadvantages2.3.1 Postsecondary Online Education Advantages2.3.2 Postsecondary Online Education Disadvantages

3. The US Market Analysis3.1 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market: An Analysis3.1.1 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market by Value3.1.2 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market by Volume3.1.3 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market Volume by Institution Type3.1.4 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market Value by Segments (Undergraduate and Graduate)3.1.5 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market Volume by Segments (Undergraduate and Graduate)3.2 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market: Segment Analysis3.2.1 The US Undergraduate Online Education Market by Value3.2.2 The US Undergraduate Online Education Market by Degree Programs3.2.3 The US Undergraduate Online Education Market by Volume3.2.4 The US Graduate Online Education Market by Value3.2.5 The US Graduate Online Education Market by Degree Programs3.2.6 The US Graduate Online Education Market by Volume

4. Market Dynamics4.1 Growth Drivers4.1.1 Rise in Educational Attainment Rate4.1.2 Increase in Disposable Income4.1.3 Growing Penetration of IoT Devices4.1.4 Growth in Adoption of Microlearning4.1.5 Increasing Urbanization Rate4.1.6 Rising Education Spending4.2 Challenges4.2.1 Limited Access to the Internet in Remote Areas4.2.2 Online Availability of Free Content4.2.3 Rising Not-for-Profit Competitors4.3 Market Trends4.3.1 Artificial Intelligence4.3.2 Smart Education and Learning4.3.3 Learning Management System

5. Competitive Landscape5.1 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market: A Financial Comparison 5.2 The US Postsecondary Online Education Market Volume by Players

6. Company Profiles6.1 American Public Education Inc.6.1.1 Business Overview6.1.2 Financial Overview6.1.3 Business Strategy6.2 Grand Canyon Education Inc.6.3 Adtalem Global Education Inc.6.4 Apollo Global Management (Apollo Education Group)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/awoh42

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com

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United States Postsecondary Online Education Market, Forecast to 2023 - AI, Smart Education & Learning, and Learning Management Systems are...

More than 5,400 public school students in Alabama today get their education entirely through a computer connection. Parents of students enrolled in virtual schools say its working better for their children: no more worrying about keeping up with the Joneses and no more bullying because their children dont fit in with the in crowd.

"My children are not nearly as consumed with what others are doing or meeting the demands of peer pressure," said Brooke Veazey, mother of two who are attending a public high school online. "Both of my children are more confident in what they are learning, both are getting better rest since their start time is my choice, and both children are learning to appreciate themselves as individuals."

But, the growing practice raises new questions. While many parents seem happy with the home setup and flexible schedule, there are questions about how well students are learning.

In Alabama, both statewide virtual schools on the books in 2017-18---Limestone Countys Virtual School and Conecuh Countys Genesis Innovative School---earned Fs on the state report card.

And there are questions about money. There is no tuition or fee. So why would a small handful of school boards in rural Alabama suddenly hire private contractors to help take on the education of children from other counties?

Eufaula, a small city in south Alabama, has drawn so many online students it doubled its enrollment and substantially grew its state tax support. It grew so much that the system jumped up in athletic class. Yet all that without having to add more desks and all that without seeing any new faces in the hall.

Growing nationwide

Veazeys children attend Alabama Connections Academy, a K-12 online school powered by Pearson, one of two for-profit education giants leading the growing virtual school industry nationwide.

Across the country, there are 501 full-time virtual schools in 35 states. They enrolled just under 300,000 students during the 2017-18 school year, according to research by the National Education Policy Center in Colorado, shown in the chart below.

Enrollment is growing in the nation's virtual schools.

For Veazey's family, this is the second year attending school virtually.

Veazey, an education technology specialist working in public schools in the central Alabama area, said it took a little getting used to, but once a schedule was in place, things ran smoothly. She serves as her children's "learning coach," a must for parents overseeing their children's education in the virtual school world.

The learning coach is also supposed to make sure students dont cheat on tests or other coursework.

"The biggest hurdle, in the beginning," she said, "was getting used to the learning environment, how to access lessons, how to communicate with teachers, and how to guide my children when they were in need of assistance."

The coursework is rigorous, she said, and the experience her children are gaining by being in charge of their learning is invaluable. The expectations are higher due to the nature of the learning environment.

I feel my children will be better prepared for the responsibilities that come with college courses and workforce environments more so than I was when I was their age.

Alabama's big three plus two

Alabama now has five virtual schools, where all schoolwork is done online. Unlike brick-and-mortar schools, these virtual schools have no zone lines. They can and do accept students from other school districts around the state.

The main three are: Eufaulas Alabama Virtual Academy---the first of its kind in the state; Limestone Countys Virtual School also known as Alabama Connections Academy; and Conecuh Countys Genesis Innovative School.

A fourth program, Athens Citys Renaissance School, has scaled back on virtual schooling. It previously accepted a large number of virtual students statewide. But school officials found that the blended online experience, where students take some of their classes online, but also at times show up at a traditional school, is more productive, according to Superintendent Trey Holladay.

Renaissance now has about 125 virtual students statewide, Holladay said, with about 600 blended online students in the Tennessee Valley area.

A fifth statewide virtual school, Alabama Destination Career Academy, just opened in August for kindergarten through ninth-graders with plans to expand to 12th grade, and is being offered through Chickasaw City Schools in Mobile County.

These are the locations of Alabama's virtual schools at the start of the 2019-20 school year.

Incentive for school districts

It stands to reason that virtual school costs less than operating a brick-and-mortar building. In virtual school, building-related, transportation and school meal costs---which can add up to more than 30% of the total cost to educate a student in a school building---are avoided.

But the differences are sizeable, if recent spending numbers are to be believed.

According to recent numbers, Limestone County spent just $969 per virtual student and Conecuh County spent just $726 during the 2017-18 school year. That compares to an annual average of $9,425 per student for all schools in Alabama during the same time period. That suggests Conecuh could educate about 13 virtual students for the average cost of sending a single student to a neighborhood school.

State officials weren't sure whether the virtual school spending numbers were tallied correctly, though, and are working to ensure the 2018-19 spending data, due out Oct. 18, will reflect the total cost associated with the cost of virtual schooling.

The NEPC, in their 2019 annual report, found that virtual schooling costs less than what states are actually paying.

"Social anxiety"

Mary Ann Danford spent more than 20 years in traditional brick-and-mortar public schools before becoming the full-time principal of Genesis Innovative School last year.

"I did not think I would fall in love and embrace it the way that I have," she said.

Don't let Conecuh County's 'F' on the 2017-18 report card lead you to believe students aren't doing well, Danford said. The 600 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade at Genesis are bright and dedicated, she said, and the 2018-19 report card will show improvement.

"We're going to show huge growth this year," Danford said, referring to the academic growth measure on the state's report card, due out Oct. 18.

Virtual school isn't for everyone, she said. Students need to be organized, independent, and self-motivated, she said. Families must provide the laptop or desktop, she said, and the internet connection must be high-speed and reliable.

"A large majority of our children are affected by social anxiety," she said, and many have been victims of cyber-bullying.

Danford said distance isn't a barrier to forming relationships with students and their families. "I feel like I know my virtual kids a lot better than my brick-and-mortar kids," she said. "Parents are so good to work with," she added.

Offsetting declining enrollment

For Brandy Dumas-Harris, Alabama Virtual Academy was just what her family needed. Dumas-Harris, a Huntsville resident, enrolled her oldest daughter in her kindergarten year, the first year the school opened. "She was being picked on by other students," she said. "She didn't want to go to school. She would not pay attention in class and fell behind."

"I saw the commercial for K12 and enrolled her," Dumas-Harris said. "We have been at Alabama Virtual Academy ever since."

In August, her oldest daughter started fifth grade and her youngest daughter started first grade. Both live in North Alabama. Both count toward the enrollment 250 miles away in Eufaula City Schools in the Black Belt.

With student enrollment declining in most districts across the state, enrolling online students from other districts presents an opportunity for a rural system to bolster the budget. That's because each student, whether online or in person, brings the local school board the same state tax dollars.

Some systems have expanded the program rapidly. In 2016-17, Eufaulathe first to open enrollment statewidehad 15 virtual students. By 2017-18, that number grew to 1,004, according to internal audit documents. By 2018-19, when the virtual school established itself as separate from other schools in the district, official enrollment numbers show 2,698 virtual students were enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. That's more than half of the total student body in the district as a whole.

The Eufaula City School district as a whole jumped from 2,691 students in 2015-16, to 5,293 students last school year.

That sudden increase pushed Eufaula High School up from being one of the largest schools in the Alabama High School Athletic Association's 5A classification, to one of the smaller schools in class 6A.

Our (enrollment) numbers are inflated because of virtual kids, Eufaula's then-football coach Bryan Moore said when the AHSAA moved the team to 6A. Because the virtual school is now separate from Eufaula High School, the school could be reclassified as a 5A school when those changes are made in January 2020.

Adding virtual students means adding state money to a district budget.

Around Alabama, school boards saw state funding increases ranging from 9% to more than 50% after they started enrolling virtual students. That amounts to millions and millions of dollars in state funding.

In 2015-16, Eufaula received $15.8 million in state funding. By 2017-18, state funding jumped to $24.3 million, a 53% increase. State funding for local schools increased by only 7% during the same time period.

Questions over outcomes

Nationally student outcomes at virtual schools are not up to par, according to NEPC. But, NEPC noted, virtual schools operated by school districtsas opposed to virtual charter schools, which are prohibited by law in Alabamahad better outcomes.

The graduation rate for virtual schools nationwide is just 50%, while the average rate for all schools was 84%, according to NEPC. (Graduation rates for Alabama's virtual schools have not yet been calculated because the schools are still new.)

Given that the two Alabama virtual schools that were graded on the 2017-18 report card earned F's, Alabama's virtual students don't appear to have much better results than virtual schools nationwide.

However, test scores so far appear mixed.

In Limestone County, 43% of the virtual school students reached proficiency in reading, 31% in math, and 35% in science. That's similar to the outcomes in brick-and-mortar schools in the Limestone district for reading (45%). Math and science proficiency are lower in the virtual schools.

In Conecuh County's Genesis Innovative School, test scores for 2017-18 show 54% of Genesis students are proficient in reading. That is higher than in other Conecuh County schools. Math and science proficiency levels are lower, at 22% and 21%, but that's roughly in line with other schools in the district.

However, fewer than half of Conecuh virtual students were tested. Participation rates in Limestone's virtual school were better but did not meet the 95% requirement in federal law.

For her part, Dumas-Harris is pleased with the rigor and test results her older daughter has received. On (the state) math (test), she made above benchmark and on English she made well above benchmark, she said. Her younger daughter will take the state tests in the spring for the first time.

Private contractors benefit

Alabama's virtual schools are still public schools. Students don't pay any tuition. The curriculum meets Alabama's standards. Online classes are taught by Alabama-certified teachers.

But unlike neighborhood schools, Alabama's statewide virtual schools rely on a private company.

And what the local school board pays to their virtual provider differs greatly. AL.com obtained contracts for three of Alabamas statewide virtual schools. Each is being supported by one of two giants of virtual school---K12 and Pearsons Connections Academy. They provide the curriculum and the learning platform.

Limestone Countythe only district contracting with Pearson's Connections Academy--did not respond to repeated requests for a copy of the contract. The Limestone County Virtual School, also known as Alabama Connections Academy, enrolled more than 2,000 studentsthe second-largest virtual school in Alabama--during the 2018-19 school year.

Eufaula City Schools, holds a contract with K12 for the Alabama Virtual Academy, known also as ALVA. Their contract, first approved in 2015, requires all state funding, except for a 3% "Administrative Oversight Fee" to be forwarded to K12 for all virtual students.

That means K12 received around $5,300 of the $5,500 that Eufaula received from the state for each student for the 2017-18 school year.

Conecuh County in south Alabama operated a virtual school for a couple of years before establishing Genesis Innovative School as a statewide virtual school during the 2017-18 school year.

According to contracts the district provided, they pay K12 on a monthly basis and the cost of providing the curriculumwhich includes the cost for Alabama-certified teachers---is between $340 and $399 per month, differing by the student's grade level. In a regular nine-month school year, that means K12 was paid around $3,600 of the $5,500 per student in state funds provided during the 2017-18 school year.

That means K12 received about $1,700 less per student for Genesis' students than ALVA's. Some of that variance could be due to the cost of the administrator of each school: at ALVA, K12 covers the cost of the principal, but at Genesis, cost for school administrators are covered by the district.

Attracting more white students

Danford, the principal of Genesis Innovative School, said the curriculum, purchased from and administered by K12's Fuel Education, is rigorous. The school was one of seven nationwide to win Fuel Education's Transformation Award, which recognizes schools that create innovative programs and individualize student learning.

Student enrollment is growing at Genesis, Danford said, and the majority of students they serve actually live in other school districts. She said about 60% to 70% of their students left a brick-and-mortar school.

With students spreading across the state from Huntsville to Baldwin County, she said, she spends a good bit of time traveling to meet students and also to give them the required state tests. Danford said she wants families to know she and her team are here supporting the students.

Genesis has attracted a large number of white students, which is the opposite of statewide trends in brick-and-mortar schools.

Virtual school tripled the Conecuh County districts white student enrollment, from 218 in 2015-16 to 594 in 2018-19. That means the proportion of white students rose from 15% to 32%. Meanwhile, the number of African American students stayed constant, rising from 1,163 to 1,190 during the same time frame.

Statewide, white students are becoming a smaller proportion of the student population. The Alabama data is consistent with national enrollment trends showing a higher proportion of white students are enrolled in virtual schools than in all schools nationwide.

Danford said the student population at the school is growing more diverse. This year's enrollment looks to be 60% white and 40% African American, she said, which is much different than last year's 80/20 split.

The percentage of students in poverty at Genesis was 96% during the 2017-18 school year, much higher than the state average of 53% during the same time period.

Statewide, students in poverty are enrolled in Alabamas virtual schools in higher proportions than their wealthy peerswhile nationwide, the proportion of students in poverty is about the same among the two types of schools, according to NEPC.

Virtual students have to show up at a centralized location for the same standardized tests students in brick-and-mortar schools take.

Over the next few weeks, Danford said, she'll start her "road show," traveling to Huntsville, Jacksonville, Birmingham, and south Alabama to test students on the 9th-grade pre-ACT and the 12th-grade WorkKeys. "I feel like I need to be there," she said, "because I am the face of this school."

No virtual charters

Many states allow virtual charter schools, but Alabama law prohibits them.

Instead, Alabama law requires virtual school providers, like giants K12 and Pearsons Connections Academy, to go through existing public schools.

Alabama lawmakers passed a law in 2015 requiring all school districts to offer students in 9th through 12th grade a way to earn a diploma online by the start of the 2016-17 school year. Schools can use the state's online distance-learning program, called ACCESS, or they can contract with other districts.

Districts are also free to contract with private providers, like K12, Inc. and Pearson's Connections Academy.

There was no mention of statewide virtual schools in that 2015 law. But the idea at the time was for students to enroll in the school district where they live to force the local district to be responsible for the quality of the students education, according to groups working to pass the law at the time.

Alabama Association of School Boards Executive Director Sally Smith said her organization worked hard on that law to ensure local schools remain accountable for student outcomes. Smith said tighter accountability exists if local school officials oversee testing and special education services. So if a student begins to struggle in the online learning environment, the student can go back to attending the local brick-and-mortar school.

More recently, questions have come up about whether school districts can enroll students from other districts.

A 2018 memo from then-interim state Superintendent Ed Richardson stated that virtual students must be enrolled in their local school system and be counted as such. That means virtual students should be counted in the enrollment of the school district where they live.

However, no regulations or penalties for enrolling students living in other districts have been issued by the Department, so districts are free to enroll whomever they wish, no matter where they live.

Still, some districts have decided to keep it local.

Baldwin County's blended model

Baldwin County was one of the first school districts to dive into the virtual school world seven years ago. Today, like Athens, they are using a blended model, meaning students take some classes online, but have to take tests in a brick-and-mortar school.

Because students have to travel to one of four satellite campuses, they've limited their enrollment to Baldwin County students. Baldwin County teachers teach online and regularly interact with students, Principal Holly Resmondo said.

"Our teachers love our kids and make sure they get everything they need," she said. Virtual students can participate in extracurricular and sports activities at their zoned school, she said. Many do.

"A lot of other systems want to immediately offer a virtual school with all of these programs by using an outside vendor to do it," Chief Finance Officer John Wilson said. "It took us years to build up this program to the level that it is today. I think that's a big part of success."

Baldwin County Virtual School enrolled just over 300 students in sixth through 12th grade and earned a 'B' on the 2017-18 report card.

Wilson has concerns about the fully virtual model.

"Student enrollment is about dollars," he said, but bringing in students isn't something Baldwin County, the fastest growing school district in Alabama, has to worry about. "We're focusing on the kids, not trying to make a profit."

But for Dumas-Harris, the parent of two ALVA students, virtual school is working well.

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Virtual school: Is the future of Alabama public education online? - AL.com

With a whole plethora of ways to learn online, more of us than ever before will be turning to online assessment tests as a way to show off our skills and propel ourselves into better and more suitable roles. ( Pixabay )

In recent years, those of us who are studying or taking assessment tests have moved from libraries, physical books and test centers, to laptops, tablets, and the web in general. Convenience is obviously a major factor here, but there is also the added bonus of being able to take courses and tests that would otherwise have been out of reach for some people, depending on their geographical location. Couple these two factors with the other added bonus of allowing prospective or current employers to see how well trained or suited a potential employee might be to a certain role, and it is obvious that training and testing is going to be done in the virtual space more and more as time goes on.

Attainable assessments

For employers, this new trend can be extremely useful when you consider how much time and money is spent on sending staff away to train for a new role, or to test centers to gain the needed qualifications. Websites such as iPrep can allow a company to see whether a staff member is suitable for a role before they take a test, by putting them through their paces in similar industry-standard assessments. Not only does this give the employer an insight into the competency of the employee, but it also gives nervous employees invaluable experience in taking tests that are extremely similar to the ones they will be taking in the near future. This sort of practice has only been possible since the emergence of websites such as iPrep, whereas staff members of 'yesteryear' would have to study and then take expensive tests without access to such tools to prepare them. For employees who would be great in a certain role, but find themselves choking when it comes to actual assessments, the importance of this sort of practice cannot be overstated, and is a major reason why more people are actually taking these tests than ever before.

Learning at your own pace

In the busy modern world, the convenience factor of learning online has been a major reason we have seen an increase in post-school education and work-based training. Many of us are working longer hours than we probably imagined we would, leaving little time for furthering ourselves through education. In the past, if you wished to take a course in a given subject, you first had to find a local center that was open during your free time (which was troublesome if you worked normal hours), and secondly, had to hope that the particular education center you could get to would provide the course you desired. If either your availability or choice of course didn't match that of the education center, you were simply out of luck (and options). With courses now available from anywhere in the world that can get an internet connection, and courses that you can do in your own time, learning new skills has never been easier.

Countless options

The fact these courses and practice assessments can simply be distributed over the web also tends to keep costs down for the course and test providers, which has an effect that is two-fold. Prospective students save money, and in turn can take more courses than if they were to study at a 'bricks and mortar' education center, and the number of students that find this way of learning financially viable also increases exponentially (something that has become especially obvious in countries like India). With the practice tests in particular, having them available in large numbers, on diverse topics, and at reasonable prices, also encourages those who are looking to either progress up their career ladder or change direction completely, that it is possible to do so. While other reasons have been cited as to why people change career much more readily these days than in the past, the huge boom in online education is surely something that aids and encourages this approach too.

With a whole plethora of ways to learn online, more of us than ever before will be turning to online assessment tests as a way to show off our skills and propel ourselves into better and more suitable roles. In days gone by, studying would have been expensive, as would taking the test itself (especially so if you fail multiple times). Now, with online courses readily available, and practice tests also a mouse-click or two away, a new level playing field in education has emerged that allows those of us with a yearning to get our careers back on track to look no further than the devices at our fingertips. Your phone, tablet, or laptop is a wonderful tool to watch a Netflix marathon on, but equally, it could be the key to helping you achieve a much more fulfilling work life. You can learn, practice, and achieve the skills you need from the comfort of your own home, the only thing you need to provide is the enthusiasm.

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As of Oct. 1, college-bound students can apply for their share of $150 billion in federal student aid, including grants, loans and work-study. To apply, they need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA.

FAFSA funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sallie Mae recently polled 2,000 undergraduate students and parents and asked if they submitted the FAFSA. According to Sallie Mae's analysis, during the 2018-2019 school year, only 25% of undergraduate students completed the FAFSA the first month it was open, and just 77% of undergraduate students completed it at all.

By not filling out the FAFSA, American college students are missing out. Federal grants do not need to be repaid, federal student loans have low interest rates, and work-study programs can be a convenient way to simultaneously fund an education and build a resume.

Because FAFSA funds are distributed as applications come in, families who plan ahead can gain an upper hand. Sallie Mae reported that 80% of students from families that make between $35,000 and $100,000 filled out the FAFSA, but 75% of students from families making less did so.

NerdWallet estimates that students who are Pell Grant-eligible missed out on $2.6 billion in free FAFSA college aid in 2018 simply because they did not submit the FAFSA.

In Sallie Mae's poll, the company asked the students and parents about their reasons for not submitting the FAFSA.

Here's what they said:

Among the almost quarter of college students who did not apply, nearly 40% said their reason was they didn't think they would qualify. But there is no income cut-off to apply for federal student aid.

Charlie Javice, founder and CEO of Frank, an online FAFSA platform, told CNBC Make It, "It's really important as FAFSA season comes up that people don't forget that there is no such thing as being too rich to file FAFSA."

Javice said families who make more than $250,000 do not typically qualify for grants or subsidized loans but pointed out that a vast majority of Americans make less than $250,000. Being too rich "only applies to less than 5% of the U.S. population. Everyone should be doing it."

The second most common reason students gave for not completing the FAFSA was they missed the deadline, with 15% of those who did not complete the form giving this reason.

Each year, there is a nine-month period during which students can submit applications for both the current year and the future year. To avoid confusion, students should be sure to apply for aid for their upcoming school year as soon as possible.

Most students complete the FAFSA online, but students who choose to complete the application on paper should submit their documents so that a federal processor reviews them by June 30. According to Edvisors, if a FAFSA is received after the June 30 deadline, it will not be processed.

For those looking to avoid this challenge, here are the deadlines:

Students should also make sure they are aware of the deadlines for applying for financial aid from their schools, states and local governments. The Department of Education and Edvisors provide resources for students to check their local deadlines.

Of those who didn't complete the FAFSA, 8% said it was because the application was too complicated, 9% said they didn't have time, and 10% said they didn't have the necessary information they needed to complete the form.

In order to complete the FAFSA, students will need their tax returns, information about their family's bank accounts and assets, and the names of the schools they are interested in attending.

Over the past decade, the Department of Education has taken steps to make the form simpler and more intuitive, including redesigning the application website adding automatic error notifications if a field has been filled incorrectly. As of 2019, the FAFSA can even be completed on your phone.

To test these improvements, I filled out the revamped FAFSA form myself. It took about five and a half minutes. The IRS data retrieval tool makes it easy for students to automatically transfer their tax return information, so I didn't need to go searching for my returns. The banking information required was limited, so I didn't need to go searching through bank statements.

"I think [the Department of Education] has definitely made some strides," Sallie Mae spokesperson Rick Castellano told CNBC Make It. "The IRS data retrieval tool is a game-changer, and the ability to use your prior year tax return is huge."

Castellano said that though it can take closer to 30 minutes for some students to complete the FAFSA, "it's well worth it, given what you're getting in line for."

Finally, 14% of those who did not submit an application for free federal aid said they did not because they didn't know about the FAFSA.

If you need help filling out the form, be sure to check out CNBC Make It's step-by-step guide to completing the FAFSA.

The Department of Education says that online FAFSA applications are typically processed within three to five days, and that paper applications are typically processed within seven to 10 days. After an application is processed, students should receive a copy of their Student Aid Report, which includes their Expected Family Contribution and determines their eligibility for Pell Grants. An applicant's aid report will be shared with the colleges they listed on their FAFSA application.

Finally, students and families can appeal their results if their financial situation has changed.

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Students who don't fill out FAFSA are missing out on their share of billions in financial aid - CNBC

Philanthropist Denny Sanford made one of the largest gifts in the history of higher education Tuesday, giving $350 million to San Diegos National University to transform the school into a dominant force among institutions that cater to working adults, especially online.

The nearly half-century old university helped pioneer online education and specializes in serving older learners, many who study digitally and at small campuses. But some of Nationals degree programs have received low rankings from U.S. News and World Report.

The school which will be renamed Sanford National University next year is trying to fix the problem and break out of the shadow of competitors who are growing by investing in digital technology, lower-priced classes and compelling marketing.

National, which has about 28,000 students, hopes to at least double (in size) within a few years. How could I not support that?, said Sanford, an 83-year-old billionaire who divides his time between homes in La Jolla and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Adult learners are so in need in education, and theyre often neglected.

National hopes to bolster enrollment, in part, by reducing its annual tuition from $12,000 to $15,000 for full-time students, down to the $7,000 to $10,000 range over time something that will only be possible with Sanfords new gift. About 70-percent of its students take classes online.

The school also will try to triple the size of its annual graduating class to roughly 15,000 over the next three to five years.

We know that affordability and student success are the primary areas we want to focus on, said David Andrews, Nationals president. We have military students that cap out at four courses a year with assistance funding they get from the federal government. We want to cover the rest of their four courses that year.

Well endow, or invest, a good bit of this (gift) to throw off enough return to truly reduce the cost of tuition. Our aspiration is to cut our tuition in half.

Sanford who has a long record of donating to education, health, science and the welfare of children announced his latest gift on Tuesday during a ceremony that attracted some of the countys most influential figures, including philanthropists Irwin Jacobs and Malin Burnham.

The $350 million is the largest individual or family donation ever made in San Diego County, breaking the old record by $75 million. According to its 2016 IRS forms 990, National University had a budget of about $745 million.

The new gift raises Sanfords total public giving in the county to at least $809 million, and it comes less than three months after he donated $100 million to UC San Diego for the study of empathy and compassion.

The $350 million is among the 15 largest donations that have been publicly announced by U.S. colleges and universities since 1967, according to data in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

You dont see institutions (like National) getting nine figure gifts, let alone beyond $100 million, said Maria Di Mento, a donations expert at the Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington D.C.

The biggest donations have gone to more traditional universities that have expanded into online adult education, creating additional competition for hybrid systems like National, which delivers courses digitally and at about 20 campuses, most which are in California.

National has benefited from a friendship that evolved over the past six years between Sanford and Michael Cunningham, the chancellor of the National University System, which is composed of National and three other small universities.

Sanford, Cunningham and others developed a global education program called Sanford Harmony, which teaches Pre-K to sixth-grade students to treat each other with civility and compassion. Sanford has regularly said that education and children are my biggest priority.

National also helped Sanford develop Sanford Inspire, which improves the skills of school teachers. And the university created the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy, which helps non-profits and their fundraisers to be more effective.

Sanford donated $150 million to these and related programs prior to announcing Tuesdays record $350 million gift, which is unrestricted, giving National the flexibility to invest in many educational initiatives.

Theres no mistaking the schools gratitude. Cunningham keeps a full-size cardboard cutout photo of Sanford in his office.

The new donation raises Sanfords global giving to at least $1.3 billion. Forbes estimates his fortune at $2.6 billion and Sanford said he plans to give away all of his money by the time he dies..

Denny has had such an impact, not only on National University and the system but society at large, Cunningham told the Union-Tribune.

But the path ahead wont be easy. Universities that focus on older, working adults are still trying to prove their worth.

More than a decade after Congress allowed online colleges full access to federal student aid programs, and despite a subsequent explosion in their enrollment, a growing and powerful body of evidence suggests that online learning is far from the hoped-for silver bullet, according to a study released in January by George Mason University and Skidmore College.

Online education has failed to reduce costs and improve outcomes for students. Faculty, academic leaders, the public, and employers continue to perceive online degrees less favorably than traditional degrees.

Cunningham agrees that the courses offered by schools like National have to be more affordable and sharply focused on giving students the skills they need to thrive in the work place.

Sanford has faith in Nationals ability to evolve, saying that the school has proven itself to me over a six-, seven-year period of time, not only with the programs I brought to them but the programs they have developed, which have been very, very successful, particularly those for adult learners.

National has expressed deep gratitude to Sanford, who has lived a rags-to-riches life, building a fortune in the financial services industry, largely by serving customers with bad credit.

He was born in St. Paul, Minn. during the Great Depression to a family that had little money. His mother died of cancer when he was only four. His father operated a clothing warehouse, and put Sanford to work at age eight.

He emerged from a troubled childhood to earn a degree in psychology at the University of Minnesota. Sanford then pursued work as a salesman and eventually earned enough money to buy a bank in South Dakota. He renamed the bank First Premier and was soon lending money to customers who found it hard or impossible to qualify for credit at other banks.

Sanford began making significant private donations in the late 1990s, first by focusing on the care and education of children. He later broadened his interests something that has been apparent in San Diego County, where Sanford has donated money for everything from stem cell research at UC San Diego to improving the San Diego Zoo and revitalizing National.

Denny has had such an impact, not only on National University and the system but society at large, said Cunningham in announcing that Nationals name will be changed next July to more fully reflect Sanfords contributions.

Sanford downplayed the publicity, telling the Union-Tribune, I am not donating to put my name on a building, he said about his latest gift. Ive got my name on a lot of stuff. Im just honored that (National) would consider the university to be named after me.

Original post:
Denny Sanford makes historic $350 million gift to expand, invigorate National University - The San Diego Union-Tribune

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elite Healthcare, a comprehensive online learning destination for healthcare professionals, and Medicare Rights Center, the largest and most reliable independent source of Medicare information in the nation, today announced the introduction of a Medicare online curriculum and continuing education program for nurses. Available for hospital and other healthcare employers to provide for their nursing staff, Medicare Interactive (MI) Pro is an online curriculum designed to empower nursing professionals to help clients, patients and their families navigate Medicare questions.

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Elite Healthcare and the Medicare Rights Center Offer Hospitals, Healthcare Organizations a Medicare Online Curriculum and Continuing Education for...