Options For Youth

Public Charter Schools

Avoid Summer Learning Loss – Here Are 5 Reasons Why

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Ah, summer. The smell of freedom, chlorine, freshly cut grass, and…dropping math and reading levels? While students may enjoy the long break from school, research shows that their educational progress does not. The two to three month learning hiatus can lead to major setbacks for already struggling students, resulting in lower standardized test scores, unhealthy eating habits, and higher dropout rates, especially among at-risk groups. OnlineCollege.org has put together research highlighting the dangers of summer learning loss. Below are just a few of those dangers:

5 Major Benefits of Summer School

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Summer school offers a great opportunity to retake a class for a better grade, catch up on credits, or take a fun elective. However, many students are averse to the idea of losing opportunities to travel, work a summer job, or play on with a sports team. Options For Youth’s FREE summer school program offers all of the above opportunities without sacrificing the freedoms of summer. Below are just a few of the benefits OFY offers.

Advantages of a Blended Learning Classroom

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What is “blended learning” and why is it important? The phrase “blended learning” was coined in the 1960s but gained popularity in the early 2000s when progressive schools began to lean into technology as a keystone learning tool. Today, “blended learning” is primarily used to describe educational programs that use more than one method for […]

Charter School Pros & Myths

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  Charter School Pros & Myths Though charter schools have been common in California for decades, there are still some misunderstandings about what exactly they are and how they benefit families and communities. For more information on how charter schools began and how they’re governed, take a look at this important article called What is […]

STEM Spells Success in Careers

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, also known as ‘STEM’, make up the fastest growing occupations in the United States. Currently, STEM job openings are growing by a staggering 17%! Compare that to all other non-STEM occupations which are growing at 9.8%.  Therefore it’s clear that STEM Spell’s Success in Careers. Future Jobs Require STEM While […]

What is a Charter School?

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  Today, 45 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, have adopted legislation that allows charter schools to operate under state-specific guidelines. The first of such laws was passed in Minnesota in 1991. Since then, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the number of charter schools in operation has grown […]

California Parents Want Options – and so do California Students. Here’s My Story

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This week, OFY alum, Braxton Turner, shares his struggle with finding a high school that was the right fit for him, and how it happened in a totally unexpected way. As a true advocate for educational choice, Braxton believes (and we agree!) that every student has a unique story, and every student deserves a quality […]

Five Major Benefits of Social/Emotional Learning

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Five Undeniable Benefits of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Until fairly recently, academic and social-emotional development were considered separate in most institutional circles: schools are generally perceived to be responsible for the former, and parents and social services the latter. A significant amount of research has shown, however, that working through social-emotional issues within an academic framework […]

OFY Launches Social Media Engagement Campaign: #CAWantsOptions

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OFY recently announced the launch of #CAWantsOptions, a California-focused social media campaign highlighting greater educational options for California’s youth. It’s all part of a statewide effort by OFY to give parents and students in California schools direct access to critical information on their academic needs. Why did we decide on #CAWantsOptions? Well, for starters, California […]