A VIP Solution for All Children!

By Brian L. Baker

President John F. Kennedy once said, “We stand today on the edge of a new frontier…a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes…The frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises – it is a set of challenges.”

President Kennedy understood that importance of innovation and progress based on positive leadership that united our nation. This call to arms drove us forward to the moon and beyond. Today, we face a new challenge…providing our children with a 21st century education.

We must look forward to new frontiers. We must not let the seven last words of our educational-institutions and leaders be “We never did it that way before!” The time has come for us to embrace innovation and progress in education – not through brick-and-mortar, but through technology.

Missouri is taking a lead in our nation to provide one of the most innovative and progressive educational opportunities ever afforded to children through the MoVIP School (Missouri Virtual Instructional Program). The VIP school introduces a virtual-technology alternative to enhance traditional classroom learning for thousands of Missouri students. The program is “state of the art” and is operated by the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education with certified
teachers and meets our rigorous state standards.

Today, the VIP school offers on-line education to kindergarten through 5th grade AND 9th grade through 12th grade, with middle school being added next year. The program is set to serve over 4,000 full-time and part-time students. Over 700 state-certified teachers have applied to teach in the program. This is your chance to provide your child one of the most innovative and “state of the art” educational opportunities available. Space is available and enrollment is open until June 13.

How does it work?

This program does not entail students sitting around looking at a computer screen. Textbooks, hands-on lab work and actual paperwork are required by the curriculum that will be offered. What gives the program such promise is that it accents the current system by offering new technology to public education, providing another way to teach. The global world has entered our lives. We must begin true education reform that helps the classroom catch up to the rest of the world.

Imagine…being able to listen to Albert Einstein during a science lesson. Imagine, as you read about World War II being able to hear President Roosevelt give a speech. Imagine as you learn about our ever-changing environment being able to watch actual tsunami footage – ALL at the push of a button. Imagine combining text-book work, hands-on science experiments, and live-communication with other students from around the state. Imagine your student in a live on-line discussion with the Governor of Missouri.

Students will receive one-on-one attention from a certified teacher, learn at their own pace, and receive an accredited education from their home. The opportunities are nearly endless.

MoVIP offers education access that is nearly unprecedented.

Many of our rural districts are struggling to hire qualified and state-certified science and math teachers. Your student can enroll in the VIP school part-time. From a community library or school library a student in a small rural district could receive a physics class or a calculus class. The VIP technology allows our small rural school districts to offer student more opportunities to learn and grow.

Further, it is a tool for our struggling inner-city schools.

St. Louis and Kansas City have struggled for years to maintain accreditation and reach their children with a quality education. Today, St. Louis schools are being over-taken by the state. MoVIP is available to serve our inner-city students. MoVIP allows us to conquer the class-room size issues facing our big inner-city schools. It allows students to avoid violence and pressures facing our inner-city neighborhoods. Students can learn safely from home, at their own pace, and receive that special attention that will give them a true head-start to success.

MoVIP classes serve a wide range of needs including:

• Students who are home-bound because of injuries or medical conditions
• Students who are lagging in credits or need remedial help
• Students who want access to Advanced Placement and other upper-level courses that are not available in their schools
• Public schools that want to offer an upper-level class but cannot afford to hire their own teachers to serve a few students

All children should have access to a first class education. Embracing this program and the technology it utilizes will open new doors for many of Missouri’s students.

MoVIP gives our students the chance to be first in achievement and success. As Missourians we are proudly the “Show Me” state, but when it comes to education we can and should be the “Show You” state.

While there are some critics of MoVIP, I would ask them to remember one more thought of President Kennedy, “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.” Welcome to the Missouri VIP School!

Visit www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/movip and enroll your child in the VIP school today!