This is a refreshing development. Republican legislators in Indiana are asking whether it is time to pull the plug on failing virtual charter schools.
“As a group of state officials convene for the first time Tuesday to examine virtual charter schools, two prominent Indiana Republican lawmakers are calling for the state to intervene in the dismal performance of the schools.
““Whatever we’re doing is not working, because I don’t see where they’re improving,” said Ryan Mishler, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, adding, “With a virtual, if you’re failing so many years in a row, maybe we need to look at how long do we let them fail before we say you can’t operate.”
“Mishler and House education chair Bob Behning told Chalkbeat that the oversight of virtual charter schools needs to be addressed, whether through changes to state law or action by the Indiana State Board of Education.
“Indiana will have seven virtual charter schools at the start of the next school year, with three opening in the past year alone and one shutting down amid chronic bad grades. But their academic performance raises questions — four of the five schools graded by the state last year received F ratings.
“Even for students who need a more flexible alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar schools, Mishler said, “If they’re not doing well, if they’re not graduating, how good is it for them?””
Will wonders never cease?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’m not counting my Hoosier chickens before they’re hatched here….but I am thankful to the reporters at Chalkbeat and elsewhere who have raised awareness such that they are even looking at this horrific waste of tax dollars.
that may be the only message truly able to turn the masses into protestors: horrific WASTE of tax dollars
Indiana will continue to pursue virtual charters as long as the charter lobby keeps paying its tab to complicit representatives. When are the people of the state going to wake up and vote these compromised representatives out? If the public does not stand up for the state’s young people, the charter lobby is more than happy to keep paying for business as usual. Virtual charters are garbage in, garbage out. A 6% graduation rate is a waste of public money. Those tax dollars would be better spent to support quality public schools.
This is pure nonsense and it is put upon those students who need the most love and caring. They also need time to learn. Overdone suspensions do nothing for learning. Notice that this network is hard up for money. Good. Get rid of them.
Chalkbeat Indiana did not give a working URL for this article.
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Known for ‘no excuses’ discipline, Tindley charter network loosens policies to reduce suspensions
BY STEPHANIE WANG – 14 HOURS AGO
Earlier this year, La Wanda Girton’s son was facing a three-day suspension from Tindley Accelerated School for handing a pencil to another student…
The decision to relax the rules came in part from feedback from students and families concerned that some rules were unreasonable. The changes, Girton said, are “well overdue.”..
The relaxed rules could offer myriad benefits for Tindley, a cash-strapped network trying to stabilize after fast growth and troubled leadership while facing increasing competition from other charter schools — all during an educational moment that is embracing a gentler approach to discipline…
Tindley serves nearly all black students. Last year, roughly two out of every three students at Tindley’s high school were suspended from school at least once, according to state data. The school, which enrolled 273 students, reported 182 students receiving a total of 568 total suspensions.
None of the network’s six schools, including three elementary schools, recorded fewer than 100 suspensions. The highest rates were at the all-boys’ middle school…
If Ohio is the model, count on a loss of about $11 billion dollars thrown to the charter industry, with payola to legislators for allowing ECOT, the fraudulent online school, to pocket money with NO accountabilityt.
Since K-12, Inc. owns Fuel Ed online classes in CA and also Keystone Schools in PA.that are online too, I hope that the dominoes fall quickly.
The K-12, Inc. stock recently had an influx of private funds.
Wonder who? These online charters are prevalent in CA under Gov. Brown and his buddy Michael Kirst who worked for K-12, Inc. before becoming the Pres. of the CA Board of Ed.
I’m hoping that that a new gov. in the Fall will put a halt to this horror in the new year.
But I’m not hopeful. It’ll take parents to stop enrolling their children to bankrupt the company.
Or hopefully the CA budget will reveal the amount of public funds being dumped into the coffers of K-12, Inc.
&–a second thought: the aforementioned Indiana legislators could attend this “how to” keep ’em out & shut ’em down!