The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky’s first and only free-market think tank, joins with hundreds of groups nationwide to celebrate the fifth annual National School Choice Week (Jan. 25-31). Since its beginning more than 11 years ago, the Bluegrass Institute has been the leading voice to give Kentucky parents effective alternatives to ensure that each child receives a quality education. As part of National School Choice Week, the Bluegrass Institute will publish a series of blogs offering information on different types of school choice. This series will be one of 6,000 events nationwide taking place as part of this year’s National School Choice Week. Today, we offer this snapshot of digital learning, which offers great potential for:  o   lowering education costso   tailoring instruction to specific students’ needso   closing achievement gapso   lifting high school graduation rateso   lowering dropout rates The Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded Learning (BAVEL):o   focuses on the students to provide a meaningful and challenging learning environment for all BAVEL students outside the walls of a traditional public school.o   serves grades 6-12 from public, private and home schoolso   contains all levels of students – from gifted and talented children to at-risk kidso   accredited by the National Collegiate Athletic Associationo   offers Dual Credit partnerships with Kentucky colleges and universitieso   accepts students from anywhere in the stateo   allows students to either take classes their traditional public school doesn’t offer, including Advanced Placement courseso   allows students to achieve their degree entirely onlineo   is flexible, allowing students to customize their schedules by registering for one or more courses from a menu of core content, AP, college dual credit or foreign languages courseso   allows students to accelerate their learningo   meet the diverse needs of the students and families it serves, regardless of where they live or their scheduleso   no buses to catch, no bells to follow, no after-school meetings for parents and no fundraisers to sello   no bullying, uniforms or lunchroom fees, only teachers and students.o   certified master teachers who care about the students they serve.o   many of BAVEL’s students were previously at risk of dropping out, but now attend and graduate from collegeo   graduated 95 percent of its eligible students in one recent school yearo   its 11^th-graders scored 19.0 on the ACT during a recent year – much higher than the state’s average among at-risk students. More about BAVEL here and here. “Online learning could address main discrepancies in American education – the disparate access to high-quality teachers and instruction caused by socioeconomic and geographic differences. A child’s chances of attending a school with high-quality teachers largely depend on where she lives, which is shaped by her parents’ financial means. Online learning could give all students, regardless of where they live, access to the best instructors.” –Dan Lips, The Heritage Foundation