Minnesota families invited to learn more about full-time online school

(ST PAUL, MN) – The faculty and staff at Minnesota Connections Academy, a statewide, tuition-free, online public school, are looking forward to welcoming new and returning students on Tuesday, September 6th. As many parents continue to consider different academic options for their children, Minnesota Connections Academy is offering opportunities for families to get more information about learning in a virtual classroom.

Families are invited to attend an upcoming online information session, Thursday, September 22nd at 6 p.m. Families who are interested in learning if a full-time online school is the right fit for their child are encouraged to attend. They will have the opportunity to speak to staff members, learn how the online classroom works and how teachers engage and support the students.

“Finding the school environment that is the right fit for your student is an important decision so I invite families to join us and see how learning in a true virtual classroom setting might make a difference,” said Minnesota Connections Academy Executive Director Brad Swanson. “This is a critical decision, and we are here to help families determine what would be the best learning environment for their student this fall.”

Virtual school is a great fit for a variety of students and each student is unique. Those who attend Minnesota Connections Academy come from different backgrounds and choose full-time online school for various reasons. Some students prefer to take ownership of their education and benefit from the flexibility that virtual school offers, while others are looking for a consistent, safe learning environment.

Kym Schmidt, of Carlton, enrolled her daughter Abrianna in Minnesota Connections Academy in 2017. After researching several different academic settings, they chose Minnesota Connections Academy because they liked the curriculum and the schedule flexibility that enabled Abrianna to balance her academic responsibilities with her very busy theater, singing and dance schedule.

“Minnesota Connections Academy has been a perfect fit for our family, the variety of classes offered and the Postsecondary Enrollment Options that are available make it a great choice for us,” Kym said. “Abrianna appreciates that she is able to manage her school schedule around her rehearsals with the outstanding support of her teachers who also challenge her to be the best she can be.”

Minnesota Connections Academy recently received very high marks and is considered a high-quality academic option according to its 2021-2022 Parent Satisfaction Survey, an annual third-party survey that provides families with the opportunity to review their experience with the full-time online public school.

Ninety-four percent of the parents who responded said they would recommend Minnesota Connections Academy to parents whose children are not enrolled in the program. Ninety-six percent of families also agree their children are satisfied with the program and 94 percent agree the technology tools the online school uses improve their child’s learning experience.

Ninety-three percent of the parents agreed the teachers improve the learning experience and 92 percent say their children are making good progress and 94 percent of families also agreed that the curriculum is high quality.

Enrollment for Minnesota Connections Academy for the 2022-2023 school year is open. A complete schedule of events as well as more information about Minnesota Connections Academy is available at visit https://www.MinnesotaConnectionsAcademy.com or by calling 1-(800) 382-6010.

Survey methodology

Connections Academy conducts the annual Parent Satisfaction Survey to find out how parents, guardians and Learning Coaches grade the program in several key areas. The 2021 survey was conducted from January 19 to February 26, 2022, by Shapiro + Raj, an independent market research company that created the questionnaire, collected the data and tabulated the results. Parents of all students enrolled at the time of the survey were invited to complete the survey online. A WebMail invitation was sent to each parent, and one response per household was submitted.