Senate Bill 34 would allow students to participate in these activities provided they live in the school’s attendance zone and the school principal approves.

Supporters said the bill benefits children who attend charter or virtual schools where these programs aren’t offered. Others, such as the Georgia High School Association, opposed the bill, saying athletic programs are a benefit reserved for students who attend the school full-time.

The bill passed out of the Senate last year and now moves to the full House for a vote.

For the rest of the article, go to Bill opens school clubs to charter school students

GEORGIA’S UNIVERSITY system is one of the state’s biggest assets. The same goes for some local school systems.

Unfortunately, not every Georgian has access to quality educational offerings. Some are poor or disadvantaged. Others live far away from a campus. Still others may not have flexible schedules that allow them to work a job and take a class that would open the door to more opportunities.

That’s why Georgia must do a better job of harnessing technology to educate all its citizens, regardless of income, age or location. That means turning the entire state into a classroom and offering classes online — and doing it for free.

In other words, let’s create more virtual schools.

Some of the nation’s finest universities, such as Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are already going down this path. Last year, Stanford offered a free online course on artificial intelligence, which two leading experts from Silicon Valley taught. According to The New York Times, about 58,000 students from around the world were attracted. That’s four times the size of Stanford’s student body.

For the rest of the article, go to Improve education: Let’s go ‘virtual’

One solution is to create a statewide clearinghouse where students from anywhere could sign up for online classes from multiple providers and taught by certified teachers.

The exciting part about this solution is that several of Georgia’s most accomplished school districts, including Gwinnett and Forsyth counties, already have virtual schools to provide online classes to their own students. A state clearinghouse would allow their courses to be offered seamlessly to students across the state.

Imagine the impact if every Georgia student had access to a Gwinnett County quality of education. Even better, visualize the ability to leverage the skills of our most effective teachers. This would provide an opportunity to expand these teachers’ circle of impact and compensate them commensurately.

For the rest of the article, go to Education Policy: Time to Put Students First

One reader made a rationale for tax breaks for private school scholarships, a scheme I dislike and one that I don’t think our state can afford in these difficult economic times.

However, I told him I would support private school scholarships, private school vouchers, virtual schools, charter schools and, if necessary, even schools of fish if somebody in the legislature, the governor’s office or the Department of Education will tell me how all of this fits together into a grand plan for educating our young people to compete and prosper in the global marketplace in which they will find themselves as adults.

I told him the people of Georgia would like to know, too. He said he would get right back to me with someone who would do just that. I am still waiting for him, too.

For the rest of the article, go to Yarbrough: Dear teachers — I appreciate what you go through