Letter from Executive Director

May 2013

Dear friend of eLearning Cafe,

Achieving Exceptional Student Outcomes through Individualized Learning. That, in seven words, is what we do.

This is our third year of bringing innovative educational practices to Northern Nevada.  To date we have provided area students 414 semesters of mastery-based, accredited courses representing approximately 28,980 hours of learning.

We take great pride in knowing that in our first year, over 10% of last year’s Incline High graduating class stated they could not have graduated on time – or perhaps at all – without academic support from the eLearning Café. This year we expect that percentage to approach 25%. Incline High School increased graduation rate slightly versus a district-wide decline of two percentage points.  We are proud to have contributed to student success. These are exactly the kind of educational achievements that inspire us to do more.

Having been able to achieve some significant successes, 2013 will be the Year of Outcomes. How do we best document these exceptional results using a blended approach to education, combining the best of face-to-face instruction and technology to individualize student learning? How can those results be quantified? How can “mass customization” of education be scaled to serve more students with better results? How do we identify instructors capable of effectively teaching in a blended environment? Stay tuned to learn how we will be setting measurable goals and raising the bar of expectations for improved student outcomes.