The online charter students lost an average of about 72 days of learning in reading and 180 days of learning in math during the course of a 180-day school year, the study found. In other words, when it comes to math, it’s as if the students did not attend school at all. James Woodworth, a research analyst for CREDO, called the study’s overall findings “somber” in a statement.
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Researchers also found student-to-teacher ratios that averaged about 30:1 in online charters, compared to 20:1 for brick-and-mortar charters and 17:1 for traditional public schools.
The widest gaps were among Native American students, 216 fewer in math and 86 less in reading. Given that online charter schools are often “schools of last resort” that attract students who have struggled in traditional schools, the K12 Inc. statement said, the study could not accurately compare performances between groups of students.
The study found 88 percent of cyber charter schools had weaker academic growth than similar brick and mortar schools. Full-time online schools operated by states and districts were also not included in the CREDO, CPRE, and Mathematica studies.
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers, which represents sponsors, is alarmed by the findings.
“These results are deeply troubling”.
“There is a place for virtual schooling in our nation, but there is no place for results like these”, he said.
“Children in virtual schools deserve a high-quality education that prepares them for success in life, just like children everywhere”.
From funding to enrollment to oversight, states are failing to keep up with the unique policy challenges that online charters present.
Online charter schools, which enroll 200,000 students nationwide, have an “overwhelming negative impact” on the academic outcomes of students by nearly every measure, according to a series of sweeping national reports released today by three different policy and research centers.
A recent phenomenon, about 200 online charter schools exist in the country, with around 200,000 students enrolled, according to the report.
Researchers tested the data in multiple ways, he said – by tracking longitudinally an individual student’s academic growth or decline from 2007-08 through 2012-13, by tracking the academic performance of students who entered online charter schools and then later returned to traditional schools and students who did the opposite, and by comparing online charter school students with peers who attend traditional charter schools.
As a group, online charters are characterized by high student-to-teacher ratios, low student engagement, and high student mobility.
Other support staff are also scarce: Most of the online charters surveyed did not use tutors, teaching aides, or instructional assistants and had only one guidance counselor.
“Online charter schools do expect a lot of parents”, Gill of Mathematica told reporters.
Because online charter students learn over the Internet, often via self-paced courses, proponents have questioned the relevance of such figures. Parents, many in the middle to upper-income bracket said they wanted an ethnically and economically diverse school for their children that reflects the world they live in.
The study also suggested the elimination of for-profit companies running charter schools, but Fayfich said there are no for-profit companies in charge of charter cyber schools in Pennsylvania.
“It is possible, too, for political forces to impede effective regulatory structures for online charter schools”.
In Ohio’s two-year state budget that took effect July 1, 24 online charter schools are estimated to receive $554 million in state taxpayer dollars.
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On the 2014 report card, ECOT got one D and four F’s, while the Virtual Academy got one C, one D and three F’s. Hansen is the husband of Gov. John Kasich’s presidential campaign manager Beth Hansen.
