Oklahoma Virtual School Finds Nighttime Is The Right Time For Learning

Insight School of Oklahoma launched in 2016 as a statewide virtual charter school and alternative education program. 

The school has recently expanded their hours to make sure the sun doesn’t set on their students’ education.  

“We have a large number of our high school students that need to work, and we were finding that they were being forced to make the decision between attending school or going to work," said Jennifer Wilkinson, the head of Insight School of Oklahoma. 

For many, that meant work, especially in the last year. 

“That’s just not fair to them. We felt that we needed to be able to offer a schedule that worked around their needs," said Wilkinson. 

That’s how the sun rose on night school at Insight School of Oklahoma, which serves at-risk students across the state. 

The free virtual program that launched last fall allows high school students to work by day, and work towards their diploma at night. 

“We were really shocked at the number of students that signed up for this," Wilkinson said. "We were expecting to have about 25 in a school year, and we had about 40 in our first semester.” 

Some of those students are recovered high school dropouts, and Jennifer said it’s inspiring to see them step back into a virtual classroom and finish what they started. 

“They’re coming back, and just that resilience they have, to know that they need this diploma for their next step.” 

Jennifer also credits her staff for finding creative ways to engage with their students. 

The night school is currently in its second semester. 

If you'd like more information on how to enroll at the school, click here.