"In 2013 we received grant funding from The Manton Foundation, and we were pleased to recently reconnect with them to discuss how VHS Learning has grown over the years, and how we are supporting schools during the pandemic," said Carol DeFuria, President & CEO of VHS Learning. "We are very thankful for the support given to us by The Manton Foundation. This new award will help us to advance our mission and continue providing the very best online learning opportunities for students and schools, something that is especially important during these difficult times."

VHS Learning's will use a portion of the grant funding to help enhance its student information system (SIS). These enhancements will help VHS Learning better meet customer needs, streamline operations, and improve reporting capabilities. In addition, VHS Learning plans to use funding to redesign its website. The objective is to enhance both the site's visual appeal and ensure that site visitors have a clear understanding of all VHS Learning product and service offerings.

With support from The Manton Foundation, VHS Learning also plans to modularize its courses, which will improve the flexibility of their pacing and content. This will enable courses to adapt to more instructional delivery models and schedules. The nonprofit will also use the funding to clearly articulate how its core courses map to each state's standards, making it easier for schools in different states to take advantage of course offerings.

Finally, the grant will help VHS Learning provide services to schools with highly limited resources, especially those in rural areas that need curriculum and instruction support but have been unable to fully participate in its programs until now. "Schools are looking for ways to manage the many uncertainties of the current times," said DeFuria. "Our courses provide the flexibility and tools schools needed to provide high-quality instruction from home, in every discipline."

Because VHS Learning courses are asynchronous, they allow teachers and students to balance the demands of their day with other teaching and learning responsibilities. In addition, since VHS Learning courses are designed from the start to be conducted using online best practices, the courses feature interactive and robust online classroom communities, a critical instructional element during these times of social distancing.