How SOAR Academic Institute Puts Relationships in Focus
Matt Daly is the Director at SOAR Academic Institute in South Redford, Michigan. SOAR serves students in grades 6 through 12 with a fully online curriculum and provides support to students through on-site mentoring and coaching. Enrollment for the 2017-18 school year is nearly 150 students, 60% of whom are behind in course credits and working to get back on track to graduate. SOAR has experienced rapid growth since coming into existence, nearly doubling enrollment over the span of two full school years. South Redford School District, where SOAR is located, has an enrollment of about 3,500 students.
The team at SOAR includes eight staff members, three of whom interact with students virtually. The staffing model at SOAR has evolved over time so that all of the team members who focus more on relationship building and coaching are interacting with students on-site. SOAR uses content from different vendors, including OdysseyWare, eDynamic Learning, and Rosetta Stone and, where possible, pairs district teachers with vendor content and aligns the curriculum directly to that used throughout the rest of the district.
When Michigan Virtual™ staff visited Matt and his team to record this interview, Matt talked at length about the importance of building relationships with students in this learning context. He has since kept in touch with Michigan Virtual staff to relay that his program is constantly evolving as it grows and that he and his team are adapting as they learn. Watch the videos below to hear directly from Matt about the ways that relationship building and student support are woven into the structure of the program.
How did the SOAR program come about?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=524muy5rZK8
What do school staff do to help build relationships with students?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CTzLFtcUuw
How do you encourage students to communicate openly with school staff?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjFPAKut9ho
Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute
The Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI) is a non-biased organization that exists to expand Michigan’s ability to support new learning models, engage in active research to inform new policies in online and blended learning, and strengthen the state’s infrastructures for sharing best practices. MVLRI works with all online learning environments to develop the best practices for the industry as a whole.
Related Posts
Out of Order, Still Out of Reach: Variations in Pacing among World Language Students
Cuccolo & Green’s (2025) report highlighted the relationship between students’ assignment submission patterns and final course scores. Given that pacing has important implications for student performance, knowing what assignment submission patterns look like across schools with varying demographics could help prompt early identification and intervention. As such, this blog explores students’ assignment submission patterns based on school-level demographic information.
From Curiosity to Career: Exploring Possibilities with VR
Explore how immersive VR simulations helped students step into real-world roles: from EMTs to chefs, all without leaving the classroom.
Out of Order, Still Out of Reach: An Interview with a Researcher
In this blog, MVLRI researchers synthesize the key findings from two research studies about student assignment submission patterns in Michigan Virtual online courses.
Understanding Teacher-Student Communication in Online Courses: An Interview with a Researcher
In this interview, MVLRI researchers discuss key findings from a report highlighting how personalized, consistent, and timely communication in online courses can help students feel more connected to their online teachers and may also impact their success in the course. This blog also explores practical strategies for communicating effectively and building relationships with online students.
Understanding What Motivates High School Students to Pursue Computer Science
As computer science (CS) continues to grow in importance in K-12 education, understanding what motivates students to pursue this field is...
Evaluating and Maximizing Professional Learning: An Interview with a Researcher
This blog digs into the key findings from two MVLRI research studies exploring educator engagement with professional learning (PL), their beliefs about implementing what they’ve learned, and insights into continuing to tailor PL to meet educators’ needs.