Virtual charter schools have countered the critics by saying that they meet families' desire for choice, and that's been even more true during the pandemic. provided NPR not with a number, but with a statement that read in part: "Ratios are determined based on content area, grade levels, and specific student needs, and the educator-to-student ratios in K12-powered schools is similar to levels at traditional brick and mortar schools." Connections Academy told NPR, "On average, 'class size' is typically between 30-50." When asked about their average teacher-student ratio, K12 Inc. You can't have that many - states regulate it.' And she said, 'Yep, and I'm quitting.' " And I just said, 'Hey, that's impossible. He says a special education teacher at one school "showed me a screenshot from her computer to show how many kids that she has. We've made some mistakes.įor example, Miron has documented ratios of as many as 100 students per teacher. He says they spend their money on marketing to parents and lobbying lawmakers, not on education. The persistent problems with the "corporate-model" virtual charters, as critics like Gary Miron see it, come down to their business model and incentives. We've made some mistakes," says Kevin Chavous, K12 Inc.'s president of academics, policy and schools. School records provided to WLRN in Miami show thousands of students left the district during that period. But there were so many technical glitches that the district fired K12 Inc. a $15.3 million no-bid contract to power its virtual learning platform this fall, before school buildings reopened there. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the nation's fourth largest district, awarded K12 Inc. Nobody told us we couldn't do that," he said at a recent school board meeting.Įpic isn't the only virtual charter company to stumble publicly this school year. Groups representing charter schools, like the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, have publicly questioned "whether virtual schools should be included in the charter school model at all," and called for stepped-up oversight and funding rules.Įpic Charter Schools in Oklahoma is what Miron calls "a wannabe big guy," and "one of the most scandal-ridden." Case in point: A recent investigation by Oklahoma's state auditor accused Epic of, among other things, funneling millions of public dollars into the pockets of its co-founders and misusing funds meant for student instruction. Low test scores, abysmal graduation rates and disputes about headcount have led these schools to be either shut down or placed at risk of closure in several states. He says, "Nothing changes - except that they continue to grow in the face of all the negative news, in the face of all the reports that demonstrate that they have terrible outcomes, and in the face of all the scandalous reports that investigative journalists continue to dig up."Īs Miron explains, corporate-run virtual schools have consistently been dogged by complaints about high student turnover, low student performance, fraud and waste. Gary Miron, at Western Michigan University, has been doing annual watchdog reports on the virtual charter sector since 2012. they continue to grow in the face of all the negative news, in the face of all the reports that demonstrate that they have terrible outcomes, and in the face of all the scandalous reports that investigative journalists continue to dig up. K12 Inc., one of the biggest in the business, has reported a 57% enrollment increase, taking it up to 195,000 students Connections Academy, another heavy hitter, has reported a 41% jump, and the list goes on. In fact, across the country, fully virtual K-12 charter schools have experienced a pandemic-induced "surge," as one sector observer put it. Since last spring, Epic enrollment has grown to be double the size of the state's largest public school district. She says Epic " it down pat, and they know how to help families."īrower wasn't the only parent to give the Oklahoma-based virtual school a try this year. For Brower, the difference has been night and day. So this fall, Brower enrolled her two daughters in Epic Charter Schools, a virtual program that allows students to study online, at their own pace, with prerecorded lessons and one-on-one teacher support. "I see my kids' education going that way." They never checked on things again." She says "school" consisted of just a few short daily assignments. Parent Mandii Brower vividly remembers what it was like when her kids' school in Yukon, Okla., switched to distance learning in the spring: "It was just like, we never learned with our teachers again. A mother works from home while her son attends school remotely in an arranged photograph taken in Miami in September.
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