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The Toledo Education Center
Toledo, OH

"We often have students who come to us having experienced little success in the traditional high school who thrive with the individualized NovaNET curriculum. They also benefit from the personal one-on-one relationships with teachers while building creative confidence in their own abilities."
     — Carol Schwab, Lead Teacher, Phoenix Academy

Profile

The Toledo Education Center was created in an effort to support the needs of the growing population of at-risk and dropout students in the city of Toledo. The Toledo Education Center encompasses three charter schools that serve the needs of more than 800 at-risk and dropout students.

The Polly Fox Academy offers teen mothers the opportunity to stay on track and earn their diplomas. It also offers parenting skills, career education and job mentoring, as well as academic instruction. More than 100 pregnant or parenting teens in grades 7-12 are enrolled at the academy.

The Phoenix Academy serves students who have dropped out or who are at risk of dropping out of high school. The academy was especially developed for students who wish to pursue a high school diploma, but require a more flexible schedule to accommodate work and other responsibilities that might hinder a student's success at other campuses. More than 500 students, ages 16-21, are enrolled at the academy.

The Brigadoon Academy offers short term services for students who have been chronically truant, expelled, suspended or who have court ordered placements.The academy offers a smooth transition back to mainstream schools. More than 200 secondary students are enrolled at the academy.

Challenge

The Toledo Education Center needed to find a program that would address their large population of at-risk and dropout students. The program had to be flexible and have the ability to meet the individual needs of their diverse population of non-traditional students, while at the same time providing a quality educational curriculum.

Solution

In an effort to address the challenges they faced, the Toledo Education Center created a technology committee tasked with finding the online curriculum that would best meet their needs. After a comprehensive review, the committee chose NovaNET from Pearson Digital Learning to help their secondary students earn credits toward their diplomas and graduate. NovaNET was implemented in September of 2003.

The Toledo Education Center offers its students flexible access to the NovaNET system through both on-site and distance learning opportunities. The academies are open Monday-Thursday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm and Friday's from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Additionally the students have access at home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The center also uses the NovaNET system to offer distance learning opportunities to students enrolled in high schools throughout the district and to home schooled families.

Toledo Public Schools, the sponsor of the chartered community schools, may realize a return on its investment in NovaNET thanks to the average daily attendance (ADA) dollars generated for recovered full-time equivalent (FTE) students, according to Earl Apgar, Principal of the Toledo Education Center.  He goes on to say, "With increased enrollment, the district may realize a profit of up to a million dollars this year," said Apgar. "It's a nice bonus on top of the real reward of helping so many students succeed."

Results

During the 2003-2004 school year, the first year that the Toledo Education Center was in existence, the center had an enrollment of just under 100 students and more than 20 of them were able to graduate thanks to the credits they earned using NovaNET. Within two years, the center has increased its enrollment to over 800 students. Apgar anticipates that over 75 of those students will graduate during the 2004-2005 school year.

According to Katlin Crenshaw, a student at the Toledo Education Center, "I'm very thankful to have NovaNET. Without it, I would have dropped out of school. But because of this opportunity presented to me, I will be able to graduate and go on with my plans to be a nurse. NovaNET is a great tool to be able to have and I'm grateful for it."

With the use of NovaNET, the Toledo Education Center is able to provide a flexible schedule for non-traditional students with credit deficiencies, poor attendance and behavior problems. They are providing a safe haven and an individualized program for hundreds of students. Some have earned credits to graduate; for others it will be a long process. Nonetheless, the center is filling a real void in the Toledo community.

As one parent, Denise Alvarado-Haack stated, "My son enjoys the independent study that the Phoenix Academy has to offer through the NovaNET curriculum. He is completing the modules with 90 and above scores. When I was beginning to lose hope in my son's educational advancement, the Phoenix Academy and NovaNET helped to put this family back on track and bring focus back to working toward graduation."

Contact us for additional information on how Pearson Digital Learning can help you achieve results with NovaNET.