by Connie Cherba
Online learning began in the fall of 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when all education took place virtually – now online learning is officially an option with the Dubuque Online School.
By early July 2022, 110 students had enrolled in the online school, including some 25 middle schoolers. Of the high school students enrolled, the majority are juniors and seniors.
“We can have many more than 110 students,” said Valerie Otto Loewenberg, the new Dubuque Online School principal. “I would guess we would have close to 150-200 by the time school starts this year. We can provide for 200-250 with the staff that’s already hired. We’ve only grabbed kids from the Dubuque Community School District right how. We’ve had a few apply from outside the district, but we’re waiting to see what our enrollment inside the district is first. We can only take kids from Iowa.”
The online school will use Edgenuity for the curriculum. According to their website, Edgenuity uses “on-screen teachers who explain concepts, model strategies, provide examples, and make real-world connections. Students stop to complete tasks that check for understanding.” Each year more than four million students are being educated through Edgenuity to “excel, catch up, and graduate on time.”
To read this and other featured articles in their entirety, pickup the August 2022 issue of Julien’s Journal magazine. Click to subscribe for convenient delivery by mail, or call (563) 557-1914. Single issues are also available in print at area newsstands and digitally via the Issuu platform.
