You may remember PDLCS by their old name, PDELA. But, they went out with the old & in with the new & greatly improved. They are now PA Distance Learning Charter School (PDLCS).
PDLCS hosts a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, such as field trips to the Lackawanna Coal Mine, a visit to historic Philadelphia, & the Harrisburg Farm Show, a kayak trip, & a golf outing, just to name a few. As you can see, they try cover as much of the state as they can & offer a variety of fun & educational trips to their students.
PA Distance recently added a school newspaper to their growing list of student activities. With the help of teachers, The Cyber Chronicles, flagship issue was launched April 3rd, 2009. It’s a pretty neat paper with spotlights on teachers & students, recipes, sports columns & the list goes on. As the school continues to grow, the school would like to add even more opportunities to its students.
When I asked David Pierce, Family Outreach Coordinator for PDLCS, about teacher availability, he explained that teachers are accessible to their students 5 days a week. They respond via phone or email, & do so within 24 hours of a question being posed; unless they’re away.
Like teachers, the technical support staff responds quickly. Mr. Pierce said that three days is usually the maximum length of time it normally takes to get an issue resolved. If you need to contact them immediately via phone, the usual wait time is normally less than 1-5 minutes. If you’re someone like me, the phone would have to be the means of contact – I’ve got the patience of a toddler.
As with other cyber schools, children are provided with their own computer. A concern that parents may have, especially with younger children, is safety while their children are using the internet. PDLCS has installed a security system that will keep children from accessing harmful sites - & prevent harmful sites from reaching your children.
However, sometimes the security measures can be too strict, especially when teens are doing research. Mr. Pierce assured me that their teachers & tech staff work closely with families to address any concerns on a one on one basis.
In regards to students who are advanced, PDLCS actually caters to them. They offer a wide variety of curriculum & honors classes. However, if your child needs a bit of help, they’ve got that covered, too. Teachers will give extra tutoring to help that child succeed & have a staff devoted to special education alone.
Something that PDLCS can’t stress enough is family & parental involvement. They feel strongly that parents play a major role in educating their children. In a climate where parents rights are being challenged (& in some cases, ignored) every day, this is a refreshing change.
Mr. Pierce made the following comments, which really struck a chord for me:
“We never give up on a family! There is always something we can do as a team to help a student reach their highest potential, even when they sometimes do not think it is possible. . . . . We never promise what we cannot provide, nor try to diminish the commitment needed by the family when choosing a cyber school.”
To reach David Pierce, call or email:
Phone: 724-683-7660
Fax: 1-866-977-3527
E-mail: david.pierce@padistance.com
To meet Mr. Pierce in person, or to ask any questions, come to Valley Homeschooler’s Cyber School Fair. PDLCS will be there to show you samples of their curriculum & answer any questions you may have. For details, see the article “Cyber School Fair”.
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