Last week, The Optimist Daily took an in-depth look at how our education systems will be transformed post-coronavirus. Today, we are checking out The Anacapa School, a school in Southern California that is achieving high success rates with their approach to online learning. 

At a time where parents are becoming more frustrated with the way online learning is being handled by schools, the Anacapa School in Santa Barbara is finding success by allowing students to explore their passions with guidance from dedicated teachers. For virtual learning, this involves real-time group collaboration in math class and science projects such as documenting ecosystems around their homes. Elective courses even include preparing for the regional entrepreneurship competition which will be held online this year. 

One factor in the school’s successful and engaging online curriculum is the low 5-to-1 student to teacher ratio. The head of school, Dylan Minor, says the success is in large part due to the students’ positive attitudes and resilience spirit about their education. Even facing the possibility of meeting via Google Hangout until next fall, the students are still enthusiastic about coming to class each day. 

There is a multitude of ways to adapt online learning to work for different age groups. Looking at schools that are managing to successfully run virtual classrooms is a great way to gain insights and inspiration for how we can all be better online teachers and administrators.