The Navajo Nation Welcomes Online Education
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (PRWEB) July 27, 2018 -- Shonto Preparatory School (SPS) and Proximity Learning Inc. (PLI) are pleased to disclose a partnership, implementing a top tier online education program in a district serving a Navajo Indian student population. This partnership will empower SPS to provide virtual chemistry, earth science and biology classes in Shonto’s remote high school community. Through PLI, students will receive education from master teachers streamed live into their classrooms from around the country.
SPS lost a teacher in the middle of the school year, and given Shonto’s location on a plateau 6,500 feet above sea level, finding qualified teachers willing to come onto the reservation was nearly impossible. The district was in need of teachers willing to adapt to a community in which over 90% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced lunch programs. While searching for a long term solution, The Arizona Charter School association director, Damon Harris, discovered PLI and admired their commitment to ensuring all students receive access to certified teachers no matter their location or financial situation. PLI’s executive staff established a personal connection with SPS by traveling to Shonto and engaging with the district’s principal, teachers and students. Sympathetic to PLI’s devotion to the well being of their students, the district solidified their partnership with a program recognized for improving individual student outcomes.
In line with PLI’s vision, “The mission of Shonto Preparatory School is to nurture positive character in a safe, engaging, caring and creative environment with high academic expectations.” Over the past eight years, PLI has developed into the quintessential virtual provider of progressive education.
The Navajo Nation supplied Shonto’s school with the necessary hardware and connectivity to ensure success. The school currently serves children from rural Shonto communities, Inscription House, Black Mesa, Tonalea, Kailbeto, Pinon, Kayenta and Navajo Mountain. According to the district, children are bussed from as far as forty miles to attend school, and SPS currently serves a student population that is 99.6 percent Native American.
“In America all students deserve a quality education no matter where they live,” said Evan Erdberg, CEO of PLI. “We are excited to partner with the Navajo Nation to bring 21st century learning to their students.”
The Navajo nation can rest assured that the country’s best educators, who understand the importance of flexibility, are being placed in front of their students. Virtual k-12 staffing, delivered via live instruction, is the future of education and over 100 districts have made live instruction a viable solution to their students needs.
Shonto Preparatory School: Shonto Preparatory School is a k-12 school district serving a Navajo Indian student population in a remote community in Navajo County of northeast Arizona. The SPS district is comprised of a K-8 Bureau of Indian Education funded Grant School and a 9-12 State of Arizona Charter School. Currently, SPS has a total enrollment of 618 students; of that number, 99.6 percent are Native American.
Learn more: http://shontoprepschool.schoolinsites.com/
Proximity Learning Inc.: Proximity Learning Inc. is a Virtual K-12 Staffing company focused on ensuring every student has access to a master teacher to lead instruction no matter their location or financial situation. Proximity Learning services over 30,000 students annually boasting the highest quality teachers, most innovative virtual classrooms, and the reputation as a flexible learning solution to both public and private school districts. Learn more: http://proxlearn.com/.
By Rimsha Syed
Shelly Smith, Proximity Learning, https://www.proxlearn.com/, 800-524-8570, [email protected]
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