Office of Distance Education
The Office of Distance Education (ODE) was founded in July of 1998 on the campus of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Conceived as a way to expand educational opportunities in Arkansas’ rural schools, the Office of Distance Education uses H.323-based video conferencing and asynchronous technologies to provide highly qualified, fully certified teachers to school districts unable to hire qualified faculty locally.
During its first year of operation, ODE enrolled 228 high school students from 23 school districts. More than 2,300 students from approximately eighty districts currently receive instruction from ODE.
ODE offers complete elementary, middle grades and high school curricula as well as College Board-approved Advanced Placement courses and Concurrent Enrollment courses that allow students to earn college credit. A founding member of the Mid-South Distance Education Partnership, ODE classes are now available to school districts throughout the United States. ODE’s programs are accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.