K12 Welcomes California Virtual Academy As Newest Partner School; Chairman William Bennett Praises New Educational Option For Families

5/16/2002

From: Jeff Kwitowski of K12, 202-669-1777

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- K12, the nation's leader in online elementary programs, is pleased to note partnerships with Independent Study charter schools Santa Cruz, Kern, Fresno, and San Diego counties to open in the fall of 2002. Supported by local parents and educators, these schools, which will be called California Virtual Academies, are now hosting informational Open Houses throughout central and southern California.

According to K12's chairman William J. Bennett, "These new schools will broaden access to an excellent education and foster greater parental involvement in education. The California Virtual Academies will feature a self-paced, customized curriculum that benefits students of all abilities, support and guidance from certified teachers, and-not least-a safe learning environment where character education can be an essential part of the academic program. We congratulate the Santa Cruz, Kern, Fresno, and San Diego counties for their leadership in creating these 21st-century public schools that combine the best of modern technology, an exceptional curriculum, and research-based teaching methods."

William J. Bennett is scheduled to appear at upcoming Open Houses in Orange County (June 4) and San Diego (June 5).

These five new independent schools of choice will open this September for children in grades kindergarten through five (higher grades will be available in future years.) It will provide any California family that lives in the sponsoring counties or counties contiguous to the sponsor counties, with everything needed to provide a world-class education, including books and hands-on instructional materials, teacher support, a computer, an Internet connection and printer, and high-quality learning and assessment programs. The schools will eventually serve children in grades kindergarten through twelve.

Students are eligible to attend one of the California Virtual Academies based on their county of residence:

CAVA at Santa Cruz: Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Mateo, San Benito CAVA at Kern: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Kings, Inyo CAVA at Fresno: Fresno, Tulare, Mono, Merced, Madera, Kings, Inyo CAVA at San Diego: San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Imperial

The California Virtual Academies are hosting free informational Open Houses from June 3-6 at 16 locations throughout the state. At these 90-minute sessions, parents can learn about the schools, see the K12 curriculum and materials in action, and learn about the requirements for enrolling for this coming fall. The Open Houses are the ideal opportunity for parents to get their questions answered and to find out if the California Virtual Academies are the right choice for their family.

--- Open House information follows:

Two separate Open Houses will be held at each location at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Monday June 3

Ventura Facility: Clarion Hotel - Ventura Beach Address: 2055 E. Harbor Blvd. Telephone: 805-643-6000

San Bernardino Facility: Hilton - San Bernardino Address: 285 E. Hospitality Lane Telephone: 909-889-0133

Oceanside Facility: Hampton Inn - Oceanside Address: 1680 Oceanside Blvd. Telephone: 760-722-1821

South San Francisco Facility: Ramada Inn - South Address: 245 S. Airport Blvd. Telephone: 650-589-7297

Pasadena Facility: Doubletree Hotel at Plaza Address: 191 N. Los Robles Ave. Telephone: 626-792-2727

Tuesday June 4

Santa Barbara / Lompoc Facility: Embassy Suites - Lompoc Address: 1117 North H. Street Telephone: 805-735-8311

Covina Facility: Embassy Suites - Covina Address: 1211 East Harvey/1-10 Telephone: 626-915-3441

Irvine (1) (7 p.m. only) Facility: Hilton - Irvine Address: 17900 Jamboree Road Telephone: 949-833-9999

San Jose Facility: Hilton Garden Inn - Cupertino Address: 10741 N. Wolfe Road Telephone: 408-777-8787

Thousand Oaks Facility: Pasada Royale - Simi Valley Address: 1775 Madera Road Telephone: 805-584-6300

Wednesday June 5

Bakersfield Facility: Doubletree Hotel Address: 3100 Camino del Rio Ct. Telephone: 661-323-7111

Riverside Facility: Comfort Inn - Riverside Address: 1590 University Ave. Telephone: 909-683-6000

San Diego (1) Facility: Hilton - San Diego Mission Valley Address: 901 Camino Del Rio S. Telephone: 619-543-9000

Fresno Facility: Ramada Inn - Fresno Address: 324 E. Shaw Avenue Telephone: 559-224-4040

Long Beach Facility: Courtyard by Marriott - Long Beach Address: 500 E. 1st Street Telephone: 310-337-8075

Thursday June 6

San Luis Obispo Facility: Embassy Suites Address: 333 Madonna Road Telephone: 805-549-0800

Santa Clarita Facility: Residence Hampton Inn Address: 25259 The Old Road Telephone: 661-253-2400

El Segundo Facility: Embassy Suites - El Segundo Address: 1440 Imperial Drive Telephone: 310-640-3600

Santa Cruz Facility: USCS Inns & Conference Center Address: 611 Ocean Street Telephone: 831-426-7100

Burbank Facility: Ramada Inn - Burbank Airport Address: 2900 S. Fernando Blvd. Telephone: 818-843-5955

(1) William J. Bennett scheduled to appear at these events.

The schools' unique "team-teaching" approach involves a powerful partnership between parents and teachers in which children receive individual attention and a personalized course of instruction. In the California Virtual Academies, students will complete their daily coursework using the K12 curriculum. Most student work will be completed away from the computer using books, workbooks, science and art supplies, and manipulatives.

Ron Packard, K12's Chief Executive Officer, said: "Our hope is to use technology, where appropriate, to provide families with a world-class curriculum. These schools will offer top-quality academic content to students in central and southern California. Our program combines high academic standards and compelling content, and offers a self-paced learning program that allows gifted students to excel and helps students having difficulty to spend more time where needed. This is a powerful new option for families.

------ About K12

In development since 1999, K12 is led by the former U.S. Secretary of Education, William J. Bennett, and an experienced team of learning and technology experts who share the belief that a challenging, enriching education should be readily available to all children. K12's programs include a complete learning program for children as well as an array of supplementary learning and assessment tools. A recent independent study from KPMG found that K12 features "a rigorous assessment plan," provides "flexible accommodations for various learning styles," and is "systematically designed, clearly written, research-based." Programs for grades K-5 will be available in 2002. For more information, visit www.K12.com or call 1-888-968-7512 (toll free).

For more information about the California Virtual Academy visit www.caliva.org or call toll-free 1-866-512-2273.