Previously, the North Carolina state board of education rejected online virtual schools, which are eager to open up the “market” in that state. Now that the board is business-friendly, it appears that it may allow both K12, Inc. (launched by the Milken brothers and listed on the New York Stock Exchange) and Connections Education (owned by Pearson) to open. The issue will be decided at the next board meeting.
These corporations receive full tuition, while giving students a “free” computer and instructional materials. Their parents are their coaches. It is a profitable business since the “school” has no facilities, no custodians, no playgrounds, etc. Online teachers monitor large numbers of screens and are low-paid. Essentially, the state is paying for home schooling. Online virtual charters typically have high attrition rates, low test scores, and low graduation rates.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
December 18, 2014
I just read the following Guest Column in The Times of NW Indiana. Wanted Diane Ravitch to see this. Didn’t know how else to get it to her. I’m a retired teacher and am totally disgusted about what is happening in this state.
………………..
GUEST COMMENTARY: “Here’s how we will improve education in Indiana” by Gov. Mike Pence”
18 hours ago • Mike Pence
Indiana is on a roll. Unemployment in our state has declined from more than 8 percent when I was elected governor to 5.7 percent today. Since 2009, the drop in our unemployment rate is the fourth largest in the nation. We have added more than 83,000 private sector jobs in the past two years, and our real GDP growth led the Midwest last year.
To keep Indiana on a roll, we need to keep innovating and investing in our future. And investing in high quality education for our children is our top priority.
We’ve made great progress as a state in recent years. High school graduation rates are up, ISTEP scores have increased, and Indiana ranked second in the nation in total growth on NAEP — the nation’s report card.
Four years after its launch, Indiana’s school voucher program is the largest in America. Four out of five voucher students are enrolled in A or B schools, and the percentage of A and B public charter schools is increasing.
Despite our progress, we still have more than 100,000 students in D and F schools, and 170,000 in C schools. Only 3 percent of students in career and technical education earn an industry-recognized credential, and we still have too many kids dropping out of high school.
We must do better. The future prosperity and happiness of Hoosier children demands it.
That is why I propose we set goals to have 100,000 more students in A and B schools and five times the number of high school students receiving industry-recognized credential by 2020.
To accomplish these goals, we need to do three things: fund excellence, promote choices for families, and fix what is broken.
I have proposed a plan of action based on this vision.
First, traditional public schools need more freedom to innovate and pay good teachers more. That’s why I have proposed Freedom to Teach schools. Under my plan, schools can submit plans to the State Board of Education requesting waivers from a wide range of requirements to gain the freedom they need.
Second, because public charter schools have improved choices for families and helped raise the quality of traditional public schools through competition, I have proposed that we establish “fairness in funding” in our public school system. Charter schools operate at a significant per-pupil funding deficit. We need to fix this to see more high-quality charters open their doors in Indiana.
Third, we need to lift the dollar cap on vouchers and increase the amount of the tax credit available to people who provide private scholarships to disadvantaged kids. This will create more choices for more families and raise outcomes for kids.
Fourth, we need to change how we fund career and technical education courses so that more high school students choose to specialize in a course of study leading to high-wage career options, whether they want to get a job or go to college after graduation.
Fifth, for us to fund excellence and increase choices for families, we need to fix what is broken. I have proposed that we get politics out of education in Indiana and begin fixing the overly complicated way we oversee education policy in Indiana. I have chosen to dissolve the Center for Education and Career Innovation as a first step. I have also called on the General Assembly to allow the State Board of Education to elect its own chair, a common practice among state boards in Indiana.
We have the opportunity to take Indiana to an entirely new level. Our state is strong and growing stronger. Now is the time to promote excellence in education that matches the excellence of the people in our state.
Mike Pence is governor of Indiana. The opinions are the writer’s.
Copyright 2014 nwitimes.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Pence-one more guy who cherry-picks information. The effective use of bonuses for better performance, is very complicated. Out-of-the gate, unless substantial money, is available they don’t work in any situation. If the money condition is met, merit pay has to be perceived as fair, which is virtually impossible, in highly variable situations like educational impact on diverse populations. And, on and on…..
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“Get politics out of education” Now that’s rich, coming from Pence of all people.
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N.C. politicians might review the Knowyourcharter.com site, for performance results of on-line schools. But, only if quality education, is a factor in their decision.
The state’s forward-thinking politicians likely threw-in the towel, on education. Student test results, nationally compared and reported, won’t work in favor of southern states. If Gates-like standards are used, with their stated intent, businesses will pay higher salaries to attract better potential employees. Businesses will locate where there are more of those employees, available. Evidence indicates the pickings are and will be, better north of the Mason-Dixon line.
As usual, the states with less to offer in terms of skilled labor, will rely on cheap wages to attract business.
To repeat the refrain, the problem is poverty. Addressing it, will aid business and the economy, if the results of productivity are shared.
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maybe past forward-thinkers threw in the towel. But we have some new ones on board, and grassroots are poised to be pushing for good things for our schools come the legislative session.
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Please keep the blog posted on the progress. Positive change is heartening.
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“Vaporbeware”
Vaporschools with vaporteachers
Vaporrules and vaporbleachers
Vaporteams and vaporbands
Vaporschemes for vipermans
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NC may enact enabling legislation. Regardless, we must treat this ‘idea’? as what it it is: a harebrained intended to line some pockets with schekels and to harm students. It is as if some idiots sat around a table and thought about a finding a legal way to harm kids. Is there anything more one can say or discuss about this ‘plan’, without giving it the legitimacy that it is fit for cow pucks?
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John, I am not a fan of the idea, but I doubt people sit around and nefariously try to think of ways to harm kids—–not any more than parents set out to harm kids when they pull kids through divorce and upheaval. They are thinking of themselves. Period. And they are hoping that kids can figure it out down the road.
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We in Indiana are painfully aware of “wreck-em Pence”. He does have a way with words. Would that he had a way with intelligent understanding.
Regarding the N. C. virtual charters. We may soon have virtual living. How great will that be!!!!
Sad that people cannot differentiate between academic achievement and education but blessed are the ignorant for they shall inherit our political offices.
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I would even offer up challenges on what is the definition of achievement? Performance on tests may or may not be achievement, and if it is achievement (which is what it is perceived to be now by those in charge. . .also called “student advancement,” it is tenuous and within a specific range that predicts nothing about the child’s life in career or college, I think).
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“I would even offer up challenges on what is the definition of achievement?”
I’ll take you up on that one Joanna.
Achievement as used in education today = high test scores = excrement of a bovine origin.
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I am enjoying reading Anthony Cody’s book. I was up in the middle of the night reading it, and it has occurred to me that we are in the midst of the equivalent of a boxed and frozen food approach to education.
So if NC children were starving, and the only option we had was boxed and frozen food to hold us over, then clearly that would be the right thing to offer. But then at the same time there would need to be plans made for new agriculture projects, organic farming and food production that could be scaled up or measures taken in communities (coops etc) to be sure as many children as possible could be fed.
So, NC schools would have starved without RttT money. So they sent in the boxed and frozen food. Fine. We took it. We ate it. Here we are. So let’s get to figuring out how to “feed” children in healthier and more organic ways from here. Anything aside from that, in my opinion, is settling for boxed and frozen food. It might have been needed in the recession. . .but we’re beyond that now. We survived it. Now let’s figure out where to go from here without relying on boxed and frozen education.
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“Online virtual charters typically have high attrition rates, low test scores, and low graduation rates.”
The high attrition rates and low graduation rates are very problematic.
The low test scores will be easily managed, if you catch my drift.
Not that those test scores mean anything, they’re diddly squat.
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virtual characters in north carolina may be good
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