Public Charter Schools Doomed to Failure

By Mimi Rothschild

Although it doesn’t seem that the mainstream media is interested in reporting this, a Pennsylvania government-sponsored virtual school recently boasted the following statistic.

We have been notified by the Department of Education that we have once again made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). 21st Century Cyber was the only cyber school to make AYP last year, and is the only cyber school in PA that is not on the academic warning list. Congratulations to our students and staff!

Out of the twelve public cyber charter schools based in Pennsylvania, only one is meeting AYP standards set forth in the No Child Left Behind plan!What a track record! This news comes hot on the heels of the HSLDA‘s recent announcement that public virtual schools are performing worse than not only private schools and homeschools, but the very public schools for which they were designed to provide an alternative!

Parents who are considering enrolling their children in a public virtual charter school need to realize that these organizations survive using bait-and-switch offers like free computers and internet connections in order to entice families back into the public school. Students are given the same poor curriculum, the same perverse sense of morality, the same rigidity in teaching methods, and it appears, the same declining academic standards.

3 Responses to “Public Charter Schools Doomed to Failure”

1. BARBARA says:

   April 22, 2010 at 6:59 pm

   Very good indeed. Thanks!
2. Robin says:

   May 31, 2007 at 2:40 pm

   Although the web site blurb quoted above and attributable to the 21st Century Cyber School seems alarming at face value, consider that hosts of Pennsylvania’s public bricks and mortar schools also do not meet the standards of Pennsylvania. Please visit the Pa Dept of Education website linked here to review the statistics. http://www.pde.state.pa.us/a_and_t/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=121656

   As a Pennsylvania parent of a Special Education student I can tell you that my local school district has never made AYP since the program was instituted and this year, at the end of 8th grade, learned my otherwise bright (very bright) ADHD student is reading at a 4th grade level and spelling at a 3rd grade level. Thus I have chosen an alternative to the local bricks and mortar school.

   Home schooling a 9th grader with some special needs seems daunting to me when done totally independently. I am not sure I am up to that. So I have investigated each of the PA Cyber Charter Schools that offer High School. I am quite pleased with the school I have selected…and find their curriculum to be current, stimulating and sound. Moreover, the current Special Ed teacher in our local school has taken a look and finds it to be more than satisfactory. I am sure I will have less freedom than if I had chosen to homeschool independently but for this first year I think it is a comfortable decision for us.

   Consider that the virtual schools are getting the kids who have not been able to be successful in the local bricks and mortar schools for a variety of reasons and they are coming up from behind….their failure to make ayp may be a result of helping their students to play catchup from what has not been learned in the local schools.

   Incidentally, when I interviewed PA Virtual Schools, I spoke with the Special Ed coordinator at the school whose quote is referenced above. They were not entirely welcoming of a child who presented with the Special Education needs of the student I was presenting. Thus, either they don’t have the curriculum to support him…or they were wary of influencing their AYP scores by taking on kids who can’t pass the state exams (PSSA’s) in Reading and Math. The school I have chosen is hooking me up with a proven, and very sound Reading program that we will work on in conjunction with the normal Language Arts program. Additionally, they are looking at short remedial Math courses that we can use in tandem with normal 9th grade math course.

   I could be wrong…but I haven’t noticed the charter schools trying to lure anybody to their school with a computer and printer. It’s not a PC to keep. It cannot be used for other than school use (or is not to be). And it’s not a high end PC. We won’t even be taking one…we will use our existing personal equipment to that which is offered by the school since it is frankly superior.

   I think there is enough room for everybody in the educational arena…homeschoolers, public bricks and mortar schools and cyber charter schools. Each has their niche and they are not one size fits all. I am very grateful for the existence of the Cyber Charters in PA as we embark on this learning adventure in the Fall. I may change my mind for 10th grade and go to straight homeschooling…but right now I find the curriculum to meet my needs and the structure welcome and familiar for a child who is accustomed already to the structure of the public school system.
3. Kayla says:

   February 15, 2007 at 12:32 pm

   Parents should, indeed, be wary of anything that mixes their children’s education with novelty. It seems that these new ideas can, in theory, become extremely successful. However, new virtual charter schools such as these should be careful not to get swept up in the novelty of it all and should, instead, root itself in valid, challenging curriculum along with dedicated support and staff. To “meet” AYP standards is one thing. To exceed them is a different story! One must question whether a curriculum is truly cutting edge, or whether it is so far-fetched that standards are simply impossible to meet. My experience with Learning By Grace is that it strives for excellence at all points of contact. I believe that is where the difference lies (there’s no reliance on “novelty”).