Remote Learning’s Essential Questions

The experiences of an established virtual school point to the guideposts for student-teacher relations, use of time, supervision and consistent practices

During the 2019-20 school year, the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School served more than 12,500 students, and we are on course to double the enrollment this year to meet the needs of students and schools during the coronavirus pandemic.

With most school districts in New Hampshire, where we’re based, operating with remote instruction during the past fall, the demand has been intense for virtual placements in the elementary grades and subject courses on the secondary level. We’ve worked diligently to add instructors and new sections of high-demand classes during this uncertain time. By mid-December, we had created open seats in a large percentage of the school’s 230 high school and 37 middle school courses, as well as elementary subject slots.

To meet the demands of the fall’s unprecedented enrollment surge, our school hired two full-time school counselors and 125 new instructors and extended our searches nationally in anticipation of hiring another 50 instructors to meet the needs.

During our 12-year history, we have developed a skill set and knowledge base for working with teachers and learners in remote settings that could be helpful to school administrators who are faced with the reality of implementing remote learning programs from scratch. Perhaps the best way to share what we know is by sharing the essential questions we asked ourselves as we built and expanded our school and now look forward to a post-pandemic future.