Learning, a nonprofit empowering schools with the industry’s best online learning programs, is celebrating its 25th year helping schools expand curriculum and provide engaging learning experiences for students. Over the past quarter century, the online learning provider has developed a variety of school partnerships, and currently partners with more than 700 schools around the world. The nonprofit serves middle and high school students in 66 countries.
“VHS Learning collaborates with educators and educational organizations to help schools maximize their resources,” said Carol DeFuria, President & CEO of VHS Learning. “We’re very pleased to help provide students with educational options that would otherwise be unavailable to them and help them experience learning with their peers in a diverse global online classroom environment.”
Below are some noteworthy examples of the partnerships that VHS Learning has forged over the years:
National and International Partnerships Through its partnership with VHS Learning, the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) provides schools throughout the continent with access to professional development. The association also leverages VHS Learning’s professional development programs to partner with more member schools.
The Concord Consortium collaborates with VHS Learning to provide innovative science and sustainable engineering education, especially to underserved students. Through this partnership VHS Learning created an online summer course on Solar Energy Design and offered students the opportunity to participate in a Solar Energy Design challenge.
As part of VHS Learning’s ongoing commitment to the CSforALL movement, the nonprofit partnered with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) in 2020. Together, they offer free enrollments in VHS Learning’s Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course to high school students in rural areas.
VHS Learning is also a contributing member of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance (VLLA). The VLLA member organizations consist largely of leading state virtual schools and several outstanding consortia. They serve more than a quarter of a million online course enrollments
annually, provide districts and students with over 2,200 highly qualified teachers trained in online instruction, supply blended learning services to their constituents, and conduct research on quality online learning.
Statewide Partnerships In 2021, VHS Learning received a $1.4 million, three-year grant from The Manton Foundation. The foundation supports New England organizations serving in the areas of education, arts and culture, medical research, historic preservation and conservation, and more. In addition to updating infrastructure and courses, VHS Learning will use the grant to provide supplemental curriculum and instruction services to schools in rural and high-needs areas.
At the state level, VHS Learning has partnered with Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (MA DESE) to create the STEM Advanced Placement Access Expansion Opportunity (SAPAO). Funded by a five-year federal grant totaling $9,127,691, SAPAO is a statewide initiative designed to increase underrepresented students’ participation in advanced coursework.
Partnerships with Religious Organizations
VHS Learning has proudly partnered with the Catholic Independent Schools Consortium for 19 years. Most recently, the consortium renewed its VHS Learning membership with 213 enrollments for the 2020-21 academic year. The consortium’s students were enrolled in 97 different VHS Learning courses in the fall 2020 semester.
VHS Learning also offers engaging Online Judaic Studies Courses made possible through a grant from AVI Chai Foundation. As part of this five-year program more than twenty online Judaic studies courses were developed and delivered by experts in the field.
About VHS Learning
VHS Learning is a nonprofit organization with 25 years of experience providing world-class online programs to students and schools everywhere. Offering more than 250 unique online courses, including 24 AP® courses, credit recovery and enrichment courses, and a selection of dual-credit options, VHS Learning is accredited by Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), and Cognia. Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information about VHS Learning please visit https://www.vhslearning.org/ and follow on Twitter at @VHSLearning.
