Education Matters: Going to a cyber charter is the equivalent of not going to school.

Education Matters: Going to a cyber charter is the equivalent of not going to school.:

Education Matters: Going to a cyber charter is the equivalent of not going to school.

From the league of women voters: Three studies are combined in a report about online charter school achievement (or lack thereof).  The result is sobering.  Interesting that these research institutes are funded by pro reform foundations.   They are concerned and we need to be vigilant.

The Mathematica Report describes online charter schools, their students and their practices.  Highlights include:

• 60% of online schools report that more than half of their courses are self paced.  One third of the schools offer only self paced courses.
• A large majority of schools grant credit based on mastery, not seat time.
• Schools typically have less teacher contact time in one week than traditional schools have in one day.
• Online schools place significant responsibilities on parents.
• Maintaining student engagement is the biggest challenge.

Policy Framework for Online Schools reviews policies and management improvement strategies.

• Two thirds of online charters contract with for-profit management firms.   These firms often have strong lobbying forces to fight regulation.  Companies often receive a percentage of revenue which can incentivize lower quality standards.
• Only 5 of 27 states fund charters based on course completion.
• Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, and Virginia require online courses in K12.
• Colorado, North Carolina, and Oklahoma have better regulation and accountability.  Online education should be taken out of charter framework.
• 27.7% of the online for profit company K12 Inc. students met 2010=11 annual yearly progress standard compared with 52% average for traditional public schools.
• In 2014, NCAA no longer accepts course credit from 24 K12 Inc. schools.

CREDO  Online Charter School Study acknowledges that online learning is a good option for some, but not most atypical students.  The study reviews the impact on academic progress of online studies, the relationship between  the type of online school and student achievement, and the relationship between state policies and academic achievement results.  The study compared ‘matched’ sets of students in Education Matters: Going to a cyber charter is the equivalent of not going to school.: