Online charter school to open

As a teacher for more than 20 years, Jim Driscoll felt helpless as he watched students become discouraged and drop out.

"There are thousands of kids that, for whatever reason, can't handle the regular school setting," he said.

He thinks he's found a way to reach them.

Driscoll is helping to launch Nevada's first state-funded charter high school, which will open Aug. 25 -- on the Internet.

"This opens the door to a lot of kids who haven't been successful in a traditional high school," he said. "It's not everybody's solution, but it's a viable option."

Team Academy Nevada will be a virtual high school offering classes online with teachers available for support.

Along with Judy Kroshus, who developed Gateways Charter School in Fallon, organizers began with the idea of appealing to students on the verge of dropping out.

Now the target has expanded to include gifted students, those who have to travel long distances to school and students who need to make up credits in time for graduation.

It will also be available as a guide for home-schooled students and a resource for students in foster homes or in a detention center.

Driscoll said the school, at www.team-a.com, will appeal to a wide array of students.

"If a kid doesn't like to study in the morning, they can do their work from midnight to 6 if they'd like," he said.

Each teacher will mentor a group of 25 to 30 students.

"The accountability will be there. No online program is going to be effective at the high-school level without it," Driscoll said. "If teachers see a drop in performance, then we'll take appropriate measures. Every two to three weeks, we intend to consult with parents on how their child is doing."

About 30 students have signed up for the school and enrollment is going on throughout the state.

The school's headquarters is in Reno, but Driscoll said the goal is to establish teachers within 50 to 100 miles of any students.

On the Web:

www.team-a.com