Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) is a public cyber
charter school
, approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education
and open to all students in grades K-12 who reside in the state of Pennsylvania
.
, PA Leadership provides educational content over the Internet. As a Pennsylvania public charter school
, any student residing in Pennsylvania can choose to enroll in the school. After a registration and orientation process students receive a desktop computer
system, textbooks and online resources.
Students "attend" school by logging on to the school website, a Moodle
-based learning management system
, every Monday - Friday during the school year and complete the assignments by a specified deadline, which is usually two weeks after the assignment is posted by the teacher. Students have access to their assignments 24/7 and can work from any Internet-connected computer.
Qualified teachers select materials from a variety of publishers and create their own lessons, which are posted on the school site for students to complete. Teachers also hold live multimedia chats weekly, where teachers can share an interactive whiteboard
with students using headphones
and/or a webcam
.
The main PALCS office is located on Enterprise Drive in West Chester, Pennsylvania
and the Western regional office is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
PALCS runs a Performing Arts
Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania
. Students take classes in Dance
, Theater, Photography
, Music
, Art
, etc. at the site while completing their normal coursework at home. Student art work can be seen on display in a storefront at the Exton Square Mall in Exton, Pennsylvania.
PALCS also runs the University Scholars
program in West Chester where gifted and/or highly motivated students receive on-site, personalized instruction from teachers. The University Scholars program moved to a new PALCS location in the 2011-2012 school year, located minutes away from the Enterprise Drive building.
Virtual school
A virtual school or cyberschool describes an institution that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods. Though there are tens of thousands of commercial and non-accredited courses available online, the term "virtual school" is generally reserved for accredited schools that teach...
charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...
and open to all students in grades K-12 who reside in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Education Process
As a cyber schoolVirtual school
A virtual school or cyberschool describes an institution that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods. Though there are tens of thousands of commercial and non-accredited courses available online, the term "virtual school" is generally reserved for accredited schools that teach...
, PA Leadership provides educational content over the Internet. As a Pennsylvania public charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, any student residing in Pennsylvania can choose to enroll in the school. After a registration and orientation process students receive a desktop computer
Desktop computer
A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
system, textbooks and online resources.
Students "attend" school by logging on to the school website, a Moodle
Moodle
Moodle is a free source e-learning software platform, also known as a Course Management System, Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment...
-based learning management system
Learning management system
A learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs, classroom and online events, e-learning programs, and training content...
, every Monday - Friday during the school year and complete the assignments by a specified deadline, which is usually two weeks after the assignment is posted by the teacher. Students have access to their assignments 24/7 and can work from any Internet-connected computer.
Qualified teachers select materials from a variety of publishers and create their own lessons, which are posted on the school site for students to complete. Teachers also hold live multimedia chats weekly, where teachers can share an interactive whiteboard
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard , is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device...
with students using headphones
Headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...
and/or a webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
.
Physical Locations
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
and the Western regional office is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
PALCS runs a Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
. Students take classes in Dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, Theater, Photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, etc. at the site while completing their normal coursework at home. Student art work can be seen on display in a storefront at the Exton Square Mall in Exton, Pennsylvania.
PALCS also runs the University Scholars
University Scholars
The University Scholars Program is an educational program for gifted students. It is part of the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, both located in West Chester, Pennsylvania...
program in West Chester where gifted and/or highly motivated students receive on-site, personalized instruction from teachers. The University Scholars program moved to a new PALCS location in the 2011-2012 school year, located minutes away from the Enterprise Drive building.