Kudos and Honors

The prestigious United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) has presented K12 with multiple awards for excellence in the field of distance learning.  The USDLA’s International Awards are presented annually to honor those who have achieved extraordinary results in distance learning programs.

K12 won three major awards:

• 21st Century Best Practices Award for our high quality, nationally-recognized online school programs for students in kindergarten through high school.  The award recognizes pioneering organizations that have changed distance learning and challenged existing practice by developing new and innovative solutions.

• Outstanding Leadership by an Individual in the Field of Distance Learning Award was awarded to Ron Packard, founder and CEO of K12.  This award is given for demonstrated leadership and innovation in a nationally recognized distance learning program.
  

• Best Practices in Distance Learning Programming Award (bronze medal) was awarded to K12’s Honors Earth Science program for its outstanding design and engaging, interactive delivery.
  

"As a premier organization for the entire distance learning profession, we are honoring K12 as a leader in the industry," said Dr. John G. Flores, CEO of USDLA. "K12 has raised the bar of excellence."

"Congratulations to K12 and Ron Packard," said Reggie Smith III, President of USDLA. "We are truly on the edge of something great and K12 has clearly demonstrated and confirmed the transformative powers of distance learning globally."

"All of us at K12 are proud that our high quality, innovative products and academic services are succeeding for tens of thousands of children in the U.S. and across the world," said Ron Packard.  "Online learning is rapidly changing education and its positive impact is evident.  Online schools create more parent choice in education, access to individualized learning programs for students, and new opportunities for teachers.  K12 is proud to be the national leader in such a dynamic and exciting field, and honored to be recognized by USDLA for our efforts."

To learn more about the United States Distance Learning Association: www.usdla.org

The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) has once again honored K¹² with its 2009 Distinguished Achievement Award for our High School Algebra textbook. We have previously won coveted AEP recognition in History, Science, and Art.

For over 100 years AEP has supported and promoted the education publishing industry. Their annual awards program honors the best materials and accomplishments in educational products. Judged by peers and experts, the awards provide an objective, authoritative evaluation of the applicant's work. The AEP awards are highly valued, precisely because they are a challenge to win. Any entry goes through two levels of rigorous screenings by experts in each field. A winning text must meet the highest standards in the following four criteria:

• Quality of writing, e.g. appropriate for audience, clear, tight, lively, and consistent
• Educational value
• Originality/Creativity
• Audience interest

While K¹² is well-known for the quality of our online learning curriculum, it is particularly gratifying to receive recognition for the quality of our offline materials as well. Quality that our students benefit from every day!

• 2009 Winner: Algebra I: A Reference Guide and Problem Sets (Grades 9-12)
• 2007 Winner: Earth Science: A Reference Guide (Grades 9-12)
• 2006 Finalist:  The Human Odyssey (Middle School History)
• 2006 Finalist: K¹² Grade 4 Art

Ohio Virtual Charter School (OHVA) and Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School (PAVCS) were named Parent’s Choice winners as the best high schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively by BusinessWeek Magazine in conjunction with GreatSchools.net.

ComputED's annual Education Software Review Awards target innovative and content-rich programs and websites that provide parents and teachers with the technology to foster education excellence, including augmenting classroom curriculum and improving teacher productivity. Winners are selected from titles submitted by software publishers around the world. Selection criteria include academic content, potential for broad classroom use, technical merit, and subject approach. K¹² is honored to have been recognized for its innovative program.

2007 Winner: Ron Packard, K¹² Chief Executive Officer
This year, the James P. Boyle Entrepreneurial Leadership Award was bestowed at the annual Education Industry Association (EIA) conference in Orlando. The award is given to individuals whose achievements in the for-profit education industry serve as guideposts for others starting and building entrepreneurial educational endeavors, and who exemplify the characteristics James P. Boyle represented, including courage and perseverance with an end to improving educational opportunities for children.