Beginning this spring, Dayton Public high school students will be able to complete their studies online. The new Dayton Innovation Virtual Academy e-school is aimed at students who have already dropped out of school, or are at-risk of dropping out. DPS officials this week began a series of meetings to educate parents about the program and explain how to enroll their children.
DPS officials say 150 former students have so far been contacted, in hopes of encouraging them to return to the district.
Spokesperson Jill Drury says the idea for a virtual academy is to give students who struggle with traditional classroom learning a new option for completing their education.
“What’s on our mind is trying to retain and bring back students who have left Dayton Public Schools and this can be a great alternative to get these students back at Dayton Public Schools and learning,” she says.
With district graduation rates at nearly 70 percent, Drury says officials hope the Dayton Innovation Virtual Academy’s go-at-your-own-pace concept will be a draw for at-risk students.
The program opens in a soft-launch on March 15. It’s set to begin with 50 students, preferably students who have already abandoned DPS. The next family information meeting is planned for Tuesday at 4pm at DPS headquarters.
