Having served as many as 900 students per year, BlueSky Online School is one of the largest online charter school in Minnesota. As a 100% online school, it has pioneered quality online education tailored to students' unique needs. BlueSky is attractive to students whose needs have not been met at traditional schools. They include young parents, students with physical or mental health issues, students who have been bullied, and students returning after dropping out of high school. Online schooling allows students to find a safe and nurturing environment or the flexibility of working at their own pace.
Most students come to BlueSky through word-of-mouth referrals as satisfied students and parents publicize the flexibility, personal attention, and individualized academic support that enables student success says Board Chair Jlayne Torma.
According to Executive Director Don Hainlen, the core of the BlueSky model is the three-person team, which creates a caring school "home" for each student. Each student is assigned a home base teacher, counselor, and social worker all of whom are licensed. Parents comments include statements such as "I have never met a more caring group of teachers" and "amazing amount of communication and concern."
This three-person team remains in constant communication with students, supporting them academically and personally, helping them overcome any challenges on their path to success in school and in life. This degree of care for students at an individual level is one of the secrets of the BlueSky success. "I like when the instructors call. It keeps my kids accountable. They did not have that same kind of accountability at their old school", said a parent recently.
BlueSky participates in the Hope Study which measures student perceptions, engagement and optimism. Student perceptions are measured upon entry into BlueSky and again after one semester. Students consistently show significant gains in engagement and optimism. This is not surprising given that some students enroll into BlueSky with anxiety so severe that they could not bring themselves to enter a classroom.
Perhaps the following parent comment best summarizes what BlueSky is all about: "The fact my daughter received such individualized attention is amazing. Much more so than had she been in a traditional classroom setting."
