Nontraditional School Wins Big In Preparing For College

Idaho doesn’t do well when it comes to getting high school students to continue on to college, but a nontraditional school in Pocatello has won a prize for turning that trend around.

The Idaho Distance Education Academy won a $100,000 prize from the Albertson’s Go-On Challenge.

I-DEA won for having more kids taking college entrance exams, enrolling in advanced placement and dual credit classes, and getting interested in math and science.

“They have a lower dropout rate, they have higher GPAs, they pick challenging majors when they get to college and they’re better prepared when they go to college. So it says that what we’ve been trying to do here with kids has better prepared them for what they’re going to receive at college,? I-DEA Director Jason Bransford said.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Idaho is one of the ten worst states when it comes to getting students to go to college.

For many parents, having their kids prepared to succeed in life, and in higher education, is a concern.

“I worry about it. I worry that they won’t want to go to college. School in general is very important, and both my husband and I have graduated from college and we want to see our kids to succeed as well,? said Karen Bartlett, who has two children at I-DEA.

I-DEA isn’t a traditional school, but it beat out plenty of normal public schools to win recognition.

Students at I-DEA don’t do their learning in a classroom, but at home.

“What it’s showing is these kids are just as well, if not better, prepared than their counterparts who would go to a traditional school day in and day out. Our students attend school from home,? Bransford said.

Bartlett said this nontraditional way of going to school has made a big difference for her kids.

“We’ve been with I-DEA for 4 years, and I’ve already seen a huge difference in both of my children,? Bartlett said.