Agora Cyber Charter School 2021

March 30, 2020

Courtesy of Agora Cyber Charter,

Agora Cyber Charter School, established in 2005, is an online public school for Pennsylvania students in kindergarten through 12th grade. With year-round enrollment, students are welcome to enroll with us any time during the school year. Once enrolled students are provided with a computer, a printer and the resources needed for success.

A rigorous curriculum taught in live sessions by PA-certified teachers trained to provide virtual instruction, Agora students attend classes throughout the school year, uninterrupted by the learning impediments faced by traditional brick and mortar schools such as snow days, adverse building conditions, and or any other societal situations. More than 87% of Agora students must be logged in, present and participating in live, virtual lessons each day. Live classroom instruction provides students with an engaging education, while going to public school in the safety and comfort of their homes. Agora also offer asynchronous instruction which is awarded to some students under special circumstances after a determined period of live instruction. Deciding which educational opportunity best fits a child’s needs is crucial, and Agora has spent over 15 years ensuring their online educational model allows each student’s needs to be met.

Equally important as Agora’s academic programs, are the extended services offered to students. Agora is classified as a trauma-informed school, the first virtual school given this designation in the U.S. Agora assists more than 1,000 students each year through the Student Assistance Program, which includes a virtual crisis room, crisis coordinator and social worker. Agora has found this online team approach to be quite successful, since students are more apt to share personal problems in an online environment. This, in turn, allows Agora staff to provide the students with the guidance they need in an environment they consider safe and nurturing, as they navigate through difficult times in their lives.

Agora’s provides additional layers of individualized attention and support from the cyber school team. For example, at Agora, each family is assigned a “family coach,” who serves as the liaison between the school and the student’s family. The regionally assigned family coach provide consistent one-on-one support throughout the school year, conducts home visits, and monitors the student’s attendance. Family coaches also work with the student’s teachers and family to ensure he or she is fully engaged and participating in all facets of learning.

Many prospective cyber charter parents fear that their children will not receive the same overall experiences offered by brick-and-mortar schools, but this could not be further from the truth. From Agora Days Out that bring students together at events across the state, to over 50 online club offerings and to “get up and dance” breaks that encourage movement throughout the day for the younger students, the experiences offered by Agora easily match and oftentimes exceed those offered at any other school.

No matter the circumstances, Agora prides itself on the ability to offer education to any child in Pennsylvania who needs it. Our job is to educate kids, and we will always do just that. As long as we recognize the need to both develop and accept viable alternatives for education, we will find ourselves living in a society built on the promising futures we make possible by prioritizing the education and well-being of every student above all else.