With the motto "Together, we make the difference," ursa aims to deliver a world-class education through collaborative efforts between parents, students, and educators. They are dedicated to offering home-based education for families seeking innovative instructional models, which is why ursa offers fully teacher-directed (ursa Distance), fully parent-directed (ursa Parent Directed), and Shared Responsibility programs. The school provides choices tailored to individual student success. Emphasizing flexibility, ursa enables education from home and is committed to building meaningful relationships between Home Education Managers (HEMs), Distance Online Teachers (DOTs), parents, and students. Students benefit from resources including online platforms and educational magazines. The school also offers additional community-building activities like park days, workshops, and meetups. Founded in 1997 and currently serving over 1,100 students, ursa is continually expanding its programs, including international options and specialized academic tracks like the STREAMS program, focused on science and technology.
We questioned the school administration
1. Who are you, as a school?
"Through ursa, discover educational freedom for your child in Kindergarten and Grades 1 through 12. We empower home-based learning for Alberta students and global learners. Our Alberta-certificated teachers lead engaging live online classes for all core subjects following the Alberta Program of Studies. Onsite courses are available in Calgary. We also support ‘traditional’ parent-directed home education, offering online teacher-directed courses as an option. Our vision: student success!"
2. What do you do differently and uniquely well?
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3. What tradeoffs has your school made to serve families in this way?
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4. What key junctures in your school's history have most shaped its present?
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5. What type of student is a good fit for your school?
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6. Under what conditions would you advise a family against choosing your school?
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7. To your knowledge, why do families choose your school over others?
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8. How would you characterize your school's image amongst the public?
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9. What aspect of your school is underappreciated?
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10. What might families find surprising about your school?
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11. What improvements or changes has your school made recently?
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12. How will your school change in the next 5 years?
