Appeal Tribune Wednesday, January 25, 2017 3B
CANYON VIEWS
Oregon families explore school choice
ERIN WOOTEN
Every January, educa-
tors, parents and others
across the country join to-
gether to shine a positive
spotlight on the variety of
education options avail-
able for children during
National School Choice Week. Jan. 22-28
marks the sixth annual National School
Choice Week which started in 2011 to
raise awareness of the many types of
education alternatives available for stu-
dents.
In Oregon, parents are fortunate to
have several schooling choices avail-
able for their child -- bricks-and-mortar
public and private schools, public char-
ter schools, homeschooling, online pub-
lic charter schools, and blended schools
which combine online and face-to-face
instruction.
Support for school choice nationwide
has remained strong. According to a
new survey out this month by the Amer-
ican Federation for Children, 68 per-
cent of adults polled indicated support
for the concept, and that number
climbed to 80 percent among millenni-
als.
When it comes to virtual public
schools, an independent survey of U.S.
households, conducted last year by Con-
nections Education, found a majority
(76 percent) of Americans and 92 per-
cent of millennial parents felt that K-12
public school students should be able to
choose tuition-free online learning op-
tions to meet a student’s learning needs.
Across the country, millions of stu-
dents in kindergarten through 12th
grade take online classes, and there are
an estimated 275,000 attending full-
time virtual public charter schools, ac-
cording to the most recent Keeping
Pace with K-12 Digital Learningreport.
There are 127 charter schools, including
13 full time virtual public charter
schools, available to students in Oregon.
I am honored to be a teacher at the
state’s largest virtual public charter
school, Oregon Connections Academy
(ORCA).
At ORCA, I see students come to us
for many different reasons. Some are
here for medical reasons and require a
flexible school schedule to make room
for their often intensive, ongoing treat-
ment; student athletes or actors who
want to take their school “on the road” to
a location for an extended time; high
achieving students whoneed the extra
rigor of advanced classes. Every family
who chooses Oregon Connections Acad-
emy has their own unique story. But
whatever the reason, my students and
families can feel confident they are get-
ting their individual academic, social
and emotional needs met at ORCA.
My students attend classes with their
peers using the internet, taught by Ore-
gon certified teachers in all of their sub-
jects. They can belong to many differ-
ent online clubs including the Sci Fi,
Book and Chess club. Students can also
sign up for a variety of elective courses
such as Spanish or Digital Arts. Our re-
cent addition of the ORCA Student Gov-
ernment has allowed “civic minded”
students to participate and experience
the democratic process in the comfort
of their own home. And for those stu-
dents who love to get out and meet their
peers, we have many field trips and oth-
er activities throughout the state during
the school year.
One of the main reasons I enjoy
teaching at Oregon Connections Acad-
emy is that this is truly a “school of
choice.” Students don’t attend our
school based on their address. Families
choose to enroll their students in this
virtual public school because, for one
reason or another, the traditional class-
room setting was not the best fit for
their child. Online school may not be the
best match for all students, but it can be
a good choice for many children.
Our families tell us they are happy
with the choice they’ve made to be a
part of ORCA. In the most recent Ore-
gon Connections Academy parent satis-
faction survey, 95 percent say their chil-
dren are satisfied with the ORCA pro-
gram, 92 percent agree the school is
flexible, 91 percent recommend ORCA
to other families and 90 percent of par-
ents gave the school an “A” or a “B”
grade. Families interested in learning
more about Oregon Connections Acad-
emy’s tuition-free school can go to
OregonConnectionsAcademy.com.
This time of year marks the start of a
new semester for many school districts,
and quite a few students do switch
schools during this time. Families think-
ing about making a change for their stu-
dents should conduct advanced plan-
ning; get the proper transcripts and
school paperwork in order and take oth-
er steps to ensure a smooth transition
for both academic and emotional suc-
cess.
Oregon parents can do their home-
work on the different education alterna-
tives around the state, and they can ex-
plore the many different programs of-
fered that might better meet their stu-
dent’s individual learning needs.
National School Choice Week only hap-
pens once a year, but we can all cele-
brate school choice year round.
Erin Wooten of Albany is a 7th grade
language arts and social studies teacher
at Oregon Connections Academy. She
can be reached through the academy at
www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com
or
by
calling
(800)
382-6010,
info@connectionseducation.com.
Trump, Interior pick differ on climate
MATTHEW DALY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump’s
choice to head the Interior Department
on Tuesday rejected the president-
elect’s claim that climate change is a
hoax, saying it is indisputable that envi-
ronmental changes are affecting the
world’s temperature and human activity
is a major reason.
“I don’t believe it’s a hoax,” Rep. Ryan
Zinke told the Senate Energy and Natu-
ral Resources Committee at his confir-
mation hearing.
“The climate is changing; man is an
influence,” the Montana Republican
said. “I think where there’s debate is
what that influence is and what can we do
about it.”
Trump has suggested in recent weeks
he’s keeping an open mind on the issue
and may reconsider a campaign pledge
to back away from a 2015 Paris agree-
ment that calls for global reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions.
In contradicting Trump, Zinke cited
Glacier National Park in his home state
as a prime example of the effects of cli-
mate change, noting that glaciers there
have receded in his lifetime and even
from one visit to the next.
Still, he told Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-
Vt., that there is debate about how much
humans have influenced the climate.
Likely to win Senate confirmation,
Zinke, 55, sketched out a variety of pur-
poses for the nation’s vast federal lands,
AP
Interior Secretary-designate Rep. Ryan Zinke,
right, R-Mont., says climate change is real.
from hiking, hunting, fishing and camp-
ing to harvesting timber and mining for
coal and other energy sources.
The Interior Department and other
U.S. agencies control almost a third of
land in the West and even more of the un-
derground “mineral estate” that holds
vast amounts of coal, oil and natural gas.
An admirer of President Theodore
Roosevelt, Zinke said management of
federal lands should be done under a
“multiple-use” model set forth by Gif-
ford Pinchot, a longtime Roosevelt asso-
ciate and the first chief of the U.S. Forest
Service.
Zinke also pledged to tackle an esti-
mated $12 billion backlog in mainte-
nance and repair at national parks, say-
ing parks and other public lands should
be a key part of Trump’s infrastructure
improvement plan. But the former Navy
SEAL said his most important task at In-
terior will be to “restore trust” between
the agency and the states and Indian
tribes it serves.
“One of the reasons why people want
to sell or transfer public land is there’s no
trust, because they feel like they don’t
have a voice,” Zinke said, referring to
elected officials and residents of many
Western states.
“They feel like they don’t matter.
Well, they should matter.”
Zinke has said he would never sell,
give away or transfer public lands — a
crucial stance in his home state of Mon-
tana and the rest of the West where ac-
cess to hunting and fishing is considered
sacrosanct. Zinke feels so strongly that
he resigned as a delegate to the Repub-
lican National Convention last summer
because of the GOP’s position in favor of
land transfers to state or private groups.
Even so, Zinke’s position on public
lands came under fire this month after
he voted in favor of a measure from
House Republicans that would allow fed-
eral land transfers to be considered cost-
free and budget-neutral, making it easi-
er for drilling and development.
The Interior nominee “says he’s
against transfer of federal lands, but
there’s a big gap between what he says
and what he does in that regard,” said Mi-
chael Brune, executive director of the Si-
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erra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest
environmental group.
Zinke told senators Tuesday that he
flatly opposes all sales or transfer of fed-
eral lands. Indeed, his support for public
lands was a crucial reason why Zinke
was chosen by Trump. The president-
elect and son Donald Trump Jr. both op-
pose sale of federal lands. The younger
Trump, an avid hunter, has taken a keen
interest in Interior Department issues
and played a key role in Zinke’s selec-
tion.
Zinke also reiterated his support for
coal production on federal lands as part
of an all-of-the above energy strategy
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington
state, the top Democrat on the energy
panel, asked Zinke about modernizing
the federal coal program, saying it was
important “to make sure American tax-
payers aren’t short-changed for the ben-
efit of corporate interests.”
Zinke promised to review the coal
program and said he thinks taxpayers
“should always get fair value,” whether
it’s coal, wind power or other energy
sources.
Zinke also pledged to work with mem-
bers of Congress on proposed national
monuments such as the Bears Ears mon-
ument recently designated in Utah. The
state’s Republican delegation fiercely
opposes the monument created by Presi-
dent Barack Obama.
“I think a monument, when it falls in a
state, I think the state should have a say
on it,” Zinke said.
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