Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/55384
FOR-PROFIT CYBER CHARTER MOVEMENT SPARKS CONCERNS Rapid proliferation of non-union, for-profit cyber charter schools is happening nation- wide. Several have been accused of fraud or providing a substandard education; some of these schools pay more for advertising than academic materials, according to Mother Jones magazine. "On measures widely used to judge all public schools, such as state test scores and graduation rates, virtual schools — often run as charter schools — tend to perform worse than their brick-and-mor tar counterparts," the Wash- ington Post reports. And class sizes at cyber char- ters tend to be larger than at traditional schools, with as many as 60 students in some classes. A new study published For-profit cyber charters are being used as an instrument of "creative destruction" against the public school system in an effort to privatize public schools, some education experts believe. "It siphons money from by the Center for Research in Education Outcomes at Stanford University finds "cyber charters" are much less successful than brick- and-mortar charter schools, and reports that in 100 cyber charters, students performed "significantly worse" in math and reading than students at traditional public schools. WHILE UNIONS ARE FIGHTING TO STAVE OFF ATTACKS, THE VIRTUAL CHARTER INDUSTRY STEADILY MOVES FORWARD, ALMOST UNNOTICED. Diane Ravitch public institutions into for- prof it companies, and it undercuts public employ- ees, their unions and the Democratic base," writes Stephanie Mencimer in a Mother Jones article, "Jeb Bush's Cyber Attack on Pub- lic Schools." Education author Diane Rav i t ch descr ibes the cyber charter movement as a "stealth campaign" to privatize public education in her Education Week blog. "While unions are fighting to stave off attacks, the virtual charter industry steadily moves forward, almost unnoticed," she says. VIRTUAL SCHOOLS BECOMING MAINSTREAM Fear of losing public school students to for-profit cyber charters influenced some school districts to open virtual schools of their own in Los Angeles, Riverside, Lodi, Elk Grove, Chino, Fresno and other com- munities. Some, including Fresno, Chino and Lodi, purchase curriculum from private companies, while teachers in Riverside write their own. "I don't think it would be prudent if we did not embrace new directions," says Tim Martin, president of Riverside City Teachers Association, whose district has the largest virtual public school in the state. "Not hav- ing online learning would impact us nega- tively in the long term. We would lose kids because people would turn to online char- ters. Online learning isn't for every kid, but it works well here." "We are trailblazers," says Mary Han- POSITIVES AND PITFALLS OF ONLINE LEARNING cock, a science teacher at Chino Valley Unified School District's Alterative Educa- tion Center. "Online learning has increased ADA collection for alternative education to double what it used to be. We have recov- ered kids from charters. Our district lost $3 million over the last few years, and with our virtual academy, we have reclaimed close to $2 million." When school districts operate virtual PROS: Lessens dropout rates for students who have trouble functioning in a tradi- tional classroom. Assists medically fragile or otherwise challenged students to integrate. Allows students to take courses that may not be available at their school (Arabic, Robotics, etc.). CONS: Diverts funds meant for schools to pay for online courses and laptops for students. Minimizes the amount of teacher input in the teaching process. Makes the teacher less a lecturer and more a "guide" helping students navi- gate online courses. learning programs, there is much more accountability, says Hancock, an Asso- ciated Chino Teachers member. Teachers from online for-prof it charters have applied to her school, complaining of huge class sizes, overwork and the inability to meet the needs of students. February 2012 / www.cta.org 15