XplanaZine

Wis. Lawmakers Strike Deal on Schools
MADISON, Wis. — Virtual schools would remain open under new regulations meant to ensure quality in a compromise announced by Wisconsin lawmakers on Thursday. The breakthrough potentially resolves an emotional debate over online education that has been watched closely in national education circles. — Houston Chronicle

Corporate Partner Supports Students’ Online Test Preparation Needs
Michigan high school students will benefit as a result of unexpected support from a corporate partner. Since 2001, the Michigan Virtual University (MVU) has provided no-cost test preparation materials for the state assessment examinations, the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and its predecessor the MEAP, and, to date, has served over 150,000 students. — South Mississippi Sun Herald

Gazette Opinion: Let state’s students learn online
Members of a special online-learning task force finally are making progress in balancing assurances of teacher quality with the need to provide distance learning opportunities to Montana K-12 students. The task force, representing a wide spectrum of Montanans concerned with public education, reached a consensus that would allow students to take online classes taught by instructors licensed in other states. This is an important issue as more and more students want and need instruction that isn’t available in their local districts. — Billings Gazette