Virginia Capitol Connections Winter 2019

Virtual Education: A Path of a Level Playing Field By Delegate Richard “Dickie” P. Bell The Commonwealth has always taken

pride in its system of education, and rightfully so. We have a good product! What we don’t have are equitable resources across the school districts that provide the same opportunities for every student. The playing field is not level, and while we can’t guarantee equal outcomes for every student, we should be able to provide equal opportunities. Virtual education provides a path to level that playing field and to make certain

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that students in places such as rural Lee County are given the same learning opportunities as the students in well funded Fairfax County. The internet has created opportunities in education that we never dreamed existed and we have only scratched the surface. With virtual education we can eliminate lost instructional time brought on by “snow days” and we can provide instruction to the child too ill to attend school. Virtual education can be a blessing to the child who is being bullied at school and no longer wants to be there, and it can be the alternative means of educating the child suspended from school for any number of reasons. Special needs students whose behavior patterns make life in the classroom difficult for them and others often flourish in the virtual environment. In addition, the resources available on the internet that can be brought into the traditional classroom in a blended virtual program far exceed those of any school library in the Commonwealth. The fact that many schools today provide students with Chrome Books instead of textbooks is a testimony to the power and influence of the virtual classroom. Thanks to virtual learning a young person’s education is no longer limited to their zip code; they no longer need to be trapped in failing schools; the learning opportunities that were once out of reach are now as close as the computer. Education in the 21st Century demands that we explore new ways to provide that free and appropriate quality education that is guaranteed in the Virginia Constitution. Virtual education helps prepare our students for life in a world where technology is moving at an incredible pace. Simply adding virtual education to our educational “tool box” and providing students with a set of technological skills that allows them the freedom to research and learn in an environment that goes well beyond anything previously possible is too great an opportunity to pass up. Delegate Richard “Dickie” P. Bell is a Republican representing the 20th District, which includes Highland, Staunton, and Waynesboro, and Part of August and Nelson Counties.

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , W inter 2019

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