I was at the Aspen Institute's Education Innovation Forum and Exposition in Washington DC. It was an invitation-only event that brought together over 500 education innovators, for-profit and philanthropic investors, and the country's most creative public and private sector leaders to address the challenges facing American education. The following link provides details of the event and participants (http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/edinno/index.html).
Riverside Virtual School's validation-level Investing in Innovation (i3) proposal was featured as one of the most highly rated, but unfunded, applications received by the Department of Education. The Department of Education received over 1,700 i3 applications in total, from which they funded 49 projects. At this event, the department highlighted 80 applications that they determined worthy of funding via private and public investors and philanthropists. Speakers included Arne Duncan, Alan Greenspan, and leading thinkers in the K12 education and communication technology sectors. At our project booth, I was able to meet with members of the White House Domestic Policy Council staff, the Department of Education's Education Technology Director and staff, and individuals from the Ford, Stupski, Hewlett, and Gates educational foundations.
Our proposal, called The California Open Campus Initiative (CAOCI), was designed to provide access to innovative tools and resources designed to meet the unique learning needs of students, including students with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency in 16 California school districts. This consortium of school districts, in partnership with businesses, non-profits, and researchers from the University of Southern California, proposes to leverage time, resources, and opportunity to expand access to online learning opportunities, through the Riverside Virtual School, for students and teachers with the overarching goals to increase student achievement in math and science and to enhance college readiness. Federal funds would expand access to rigorous, evidence-based, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) resources via virtual learning environments accessible from the classroom, from home, or from any location with access to the Internet.
