Running Online Middle And High Schools: Caprice Young, CEO of KC Distance Learning (Part 3)

SM: Do you provide the teachers and the curriculum?

CY: We do provide both; however, the curriculum is our primary focus. Our curriculum consists of online courses that students log into. Each course has a series of units. Each unit requires reading, which can include e-books or articles, as well as projects that students do throughout the course. The curriculum itself is very media-rich. Students watch videos, play games online, and do various interactive tools to engage a variety of learning styles. They build their skills and knowledge base through a variety of methods.

SM: Do you have textbooks as well?

CY: Advanced Placement courses require textbooks. We use the textbooks that the College Board requires for each course, and our curriculum is built to complement the textbooks. Additionally, our curriculum includes English and Spanish.

SM: Can you give me an example of what this student experience is like for a particular content unit?

CY: If a student is taking a government class, when she gets to the section on the powers of the three branches of government, she will first read about the powers of the branches of government and then watch a video that includes an avatar. The avatar is the teacher, who introduces the student to four other avatars. One avatar is a policy adviser to the White House for the president, another is an FBI agent, another is a clerk of the Supreme Court, and the final one is a congressional aide. The teacher then asks the student a question. The avatars tell the student what their opinion is. The student selects one adviser to help answer the question that the teacher posed.

Students are engaged in is making thoughtful decisions all the way through. They listen to the class video in either English or Spanish. If they click on a button, they can also see the script in English or Spanish. If they roll their cursor over key words, the key words are defined for them in either English or Spanish. It is not a course for Spanish speakers; is a course for English speakers who need to develop content mastery. The Spanish is enough to be an enabler but not to replace the English.

SM: Did you develop the curriculum yourself, or is it licensed from another company?

CY: We develop the curriculum that other schools license. We do all of our own curriculum.

SM: How many students are enrolled in your private school?

CY: At Keystone, which is our private school, we have 12,000 students.

SM: How does that split up into international and domestic students?

CY: There 2,000 international students and the rest are domestic.

SM: What degree do these students earn upon completion? Is it a high school diploma?

CY: Yes, a U.S. high school diploma. If a student in Great Britain were taking our course, it would not be for A levels. It would still be a U.S. high school diploma.

SM: Do your high school diplomas qualify these students for whichever colleges they want to go to?

CY: Absolutely. We are fully accredited. Our students go on to great colleges.

SM: What is the process of accreditation? How did you get that accreditation?

CY: It is a standard process that all schools go through to become accredited. All public schools are required to undergo the process, while private schools are not required. Our basic licensure is from the state of Pennsylvania.

This segment is part 3 in the series : Running Online Middle And High Schools: Caprice Young, CEO of KC Distance Learning
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