I have been writing for many years about the low quality “education” that virtual charter schools provide their students. They make fabulous promises in their marketing materials, but the results for their schools are awful. Their students have low test scores, low graduation rates, and high attrition rates. Their teachers often have huge classes. Study after study has demonstrated that those who attend these virtual charters get a very poor quality education. One CREDO study found that it was equivalent to not going to school at all. K12 Inc. is fabulously profitable, but not for its students.
A teacher responded to this post by writing the following comment on this blog:
Indeed, “It IS worth pondering why and how the Democratic Party abandoned its longstanding belief in equitable, well-resourced public schools as a common good.” As a newly credentialed secondary school teacher in California, my first (and, to date, last) full-time “public school” employment occurred at CA Virtual Academies, a subsidiary of K12, inc. (now a.k.a. Stride).
Little did I know when I began that the challenges of public school teaching would extend far beyond meeting with students and striving to my utmost ability to connect them with subject matter discipline in authentic and invigorating ways, especially via remote learning in the “virtual” world of computer technology. Most challenging and ultimately most responsible for my having to leave teaching (hopefully temporarily) was the for-profit, private publicly traded corporation’s administrators’ demands not only that I perform an inhuman amount of work but that I do it without thought for the quality of education my students received and for less money than my brick-and-mortar school teacher counterparts.
When my human system (body, heart, and mental health) broke under the strain of their inhuman work schedule, CAVA’s corporate policy to prohibit supervisors from writing professional letters of recommendation for their former teachers sounded the death knell for my up-until-then promising teaching career.
Now, heart-broken and soul-sick from losing a job I loved while I WAS able to perform it and a career I relied upon for survival, I am struggling to muster the strength and humility necessary to begin substitute or part-time teaching again, essentially starting my career all over again as no school will hire me without professional letters of recommendation written within the past one to three years.
I am incredulous, especially in light of COVID-19’s inevitable effect on public education, that the federal government allowed for-profit corporations K12, inc. and Pearson Education to develop and mass distribute their Virtual Academies and Connections Academies across the nation over the past decade or so primarily at the tax-payers’ expense without at least also developing a state-sponsored and US Education Department “owned” Virtual School program as well.
Though it seems nauseatingly naive in retrospect, I had hoped and at one time believed that “free and fair education for all” could and logically should include our nation’s public schools having efficient access to the technologies and mass deployment systems for online education which our tax dollars have paid for.
Instead, I now realize that an otherwise logical process of voting tax payers receiving the public education they deserve has been perhaps irrevocably hijacked and perverted by the “double-speak” of “school choice” proponents and the contemporary scourge of insatiably greedy corporations.
You have my profoundest albeit bitter-sweet Gratitude, Ms. Ravitch, for your having the courage, tenacity, and strong stomach to share the truth about public education in this nation: If I did not have you and a few others like you to read and learn from, I would be hopelessly lost in despair and disbelief. Thank you and please keep searching out the truth behind lies.
K12 , Inc is another scam from Michael Milken, the junk bond king, a former convicted felon, and his brother. These guys are sharks that know how to run a scam. The difference is that this public school heist is a legitimate way to fleece taxpayers. When they donate to politicians, they worm their way into states to peddle their cyber trash under the pretense of “education.” It is shocking that so many state representatives are on the payroll to promote expansion of this miseducation scam. Read the link and weep. The Milkens, that now want to be known as philanthropists, are shameless profiteers that exploit students, teachers and tax payers.https://weaponsofmassdeception.org/4-k12-inc-fake-schools
Interesting- business leaders in Arizona come out AGAINST the ed reform-backed voucher bill in Arizona:
“Greater Phoenix Leadership, Southern Arizona Leadership Council and Northern Arizona Leadership Alliance, representing more than 200 CEOs across Arizona, have made it clear that they are against the expansion of vouchers in Arizona and have voiced support for our public education systems, from early childhood to higher education. Business leaders and voters are like-minded – we have consistently come together for public education with a focus on equity and access. Instead of proposing unsustainable ways to make 70% of students eligible for private school vouchers, we need to make the public schools better, stronger and more successful.”
https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2021/02/10/voucher-bill-attempts-to-privatize-education/
There’s no debate at all in ed reform on vouchers- they’re all lockstep following the national agenda, as usual.
I wonder if there will be more be more pushback to this lurch to the far Right in ed reform. Their newest privatization lobbying is really radical. They intend to abolish public schools and replace “public education” with a low value voucher and a list of contractors.
They may be running into problems as companies find they cannot lure employees to states that have no public education option. It is highly unlikely that companies can afford to pay their employees enough to fund quality private choices for all their employees’ children.
That is certainly the Florida plan.
To the K12 Teacher who wrote the comment … I don’t know how long you have been teaching or how long it’s been since you left K12, but please don’t feel discouraged. Once you find a public school that is a good fit for you, and you start subbing (you don’t need K12’s recommendations to sub) you will have an “in.” Many public school districts have added a virtual teaching as an option during covid. Your experience could transition nicely to virtual teaching as well. There will be plenty of teaching jobs opening up in the near future.
Public education is the nation’s safeguard against untruths. Greedy privateers, aided by reelection-at-any-cost politicians to siphon off public funds, weaken that barrier of unity with each privateering success.
Private schools are subject to having curriculum influenced by local zealots who, as we have seen, do not always adhere to the truth, in effect, brainwashing students to believe something that introduces an element of national disunity.
We recently became aware how fragile our thought-to-be rock solid democracy can be when a demigod tapped into pools of voters preaching absurd interpretations of the truth, harnessing them with promises of a new life, a new country.
A strong, singly and fairly funded, public in person neighborhood school system must be
the goal of every thoughtful citizen of this country. If structure, curriculum, goals can be improved to meet needs, so be it.
I personally am greatly saddened by what I observe to be a falling apart of this country I thought I was helping to stay intact during the Korean Conflict.
Too, I was disappointed to hear the House’s lead manager tell us his daughter is a member of TFA, currently teaching in, he was quick to say, a public school.
Her stint in the TFA will be a brief one and then she will begin her ascension into the halls of power, like so many TFA’rs before her have. SMDH.
demagogue, not demigod; privatizer, not privateer: Jeez, I always learn when I take a chance,
My Apologies for the insult to this board.
Privateer works well also.
In 2014, I was contacted by a teacher at a K12 Inc school, who wanted to share her story.
“I became a teacher because I am an advocate for youth and social justice. However, this purpose was hard to fulfill working in a K12 Inc. school. With the kind of technology, systems and process management needed to keep the enrollment machine running (and the machine is priority), there is never much time to actually teach. In my former school, each class met for 30 minutes in an interactive-blackboard setting one day each week. Fewer than 10 percent of students actually attended these “classes.” Other than that time and any one-on-one sessions a teacher and student might set up (which, in my experience, almost never happened), there is no room for direct instruction.
Given the extensive needs of the students, this set up does not serve them well. Most of my contact with students was by email, through which I answered questions about everything from login issues and technology glitches to clarifying of assignments, and even that communication was only accessed by a very small percentage of students.
In addition, because students continuously enroll, no one was on the same assignment at the same time. I taught high school English. In a given day in mid-November I would grade introductory assignments, diagnostic essays and end-of-semester projects, and everything in between, for each course (this month I had 30 separate courses). I found it to be impossible to meet the learning needs of my students in that situation.”
More here:
http://www.livingindialogue.com/15-months-in-virtual-charter-hell-a-teachers-tale/
Hello Diane! Your chapter on virtual charters in Reign of Error has been instrumental to my writing and advocacy right now, as well as so much of your work. I’ve never posted, but I’m a big fan. I recently wrote a piece, discussing your findings and expressing my view on virtual charters. I am absolutely horrified that with bills like AB1505 in California, and the exceptions that keep getting made for ineffective charters especially in poorer communities, we will somehow make an exception for virtual charters to keep and even expand a niche post pandemic. Thanks for what you do on behalf of public schools like mine. Thomas Courtney
Thomas,
As you know, the state of California lost at least $50 million to a virtual charter chain. The perpetrators were indicted but thus far, no trial. Don’t the authorities ever learn?
To my mind, it seems like the people who run these chains would like as little learning about that, or anything else. I’m working on a larger work right now about how these chains impacted my school in southeast San Diego recently. Ever heard of Gompers Preparatory? They got national attention a few years back. PPE money issues, union busting. And everyone gets an A! Keep up the good fight. Glad I found your blog.
I thought it was very funny and jaw-dropping that the owners of Samuel Gompers Prep were fighting a union.
Obviously they don’t know who Gompers was and why he is famous.
Wow! And what a last paragraph.
Hang in there. The fact that you can write such an articulate, heartfelt and honest commentary is Exhibit A that you absolutely belong in a classroom helping students.
Your experience is yet another indictment against the machine-like yet at the same time oh-so-human-in-the-worst-way SYSTEM that has tried to despoil public education -and profit off our children.
Take care!
I posted this article yesterday and it went into moderation and this morning it has disappeared. I guess this means that sometime today you’ll get to read it TWICE. That has happened to me before.
Legislators are getting desperate to find people willing to teach in Indiana. The pay is rotten and working conditions are horrible. Who wouldn’t want to be a teacher in Indiana. APPLY NOW!!!
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Eligibility to Teach
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is responsible for issuing teaching certificates to potential teachers in the state. If you have not attended a college or university teacher preparation program, you will need to apply for a Transition to Teaching Permit. In order to be eligible for a Transition to Teaching Permit, you must first meet one of the IDOE-approved admission options:
Elementary Education Requirements (K-6)
You must meet one of the following requirements:
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale; or
Both a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a grade point average of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 point scale, and five (5) years of relevant professional experience; or
Both a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university, and proof of passing state approved content area examination(s) in the subject area.
P-12 Education Requirements (P-12)
You must meet one of the following requirements:
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale and the degree corresponds to the subject content area in which the applicant seeks to be licensed; or
Graduate degree from a regionally accredited university in the subject area or related field in which the person wants to teach; or
Both a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a grade point average of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 point scale and the degree corresponds to the subject content area in which the applicant seeks to be licensed, and five (5) years of relevant professional experience; or
Both a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university, and proof of passing state-approved content area examination(s) in the subject area.
Secondary Education Requirements (5-12)
You must meet one of the following requirements:
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale and the degree corresponds to the subject content area in which the applicant seeks to be licensed; or
Graduate degree from a regionally accredited university in the subject area or related field in which the person wants to teach; or
Both a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a grade point average of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 point scale and the degree corresponds to the subject content area in which the applicant seeks to be licensed, and five (5) years of relevant professional experience; or
Both a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university, and proof of passing state-approved content area examination(s) in the subject area.
You must then enroll in an IDOE approved Transition to Teaching teacher preparation program such as Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow.
Transition to Teaching
Program Admission
Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow
To be admitted to the program you must have the following.
A Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution with official transcripts
Completed Indiana Teachers application and completed interview
Meet one of the requirements listed above
Once you receive your official Indiana Teachers Letter of Acceptance
You can go get a teaching position – this is critical – start looking, talking, and working towards the teaching position you want. There are a lot of teacher shortages in Indiana, and if you get started right away you will have the best chance of getting hired. We have many resources to help you prepare for your interviews.
Work with your Indiana Teachers advisors to help you position yourself for success.
Begin Classroom Readiness Training and Field Based Experiences to make sure you have all the knowledge and skills to teach effectively in your own classroom.
Complete the CPR/AED/Heimlich certification and Suicide Prevention certificationand have evidence to show IDOE.
Apply for the Transition to Teaching Permit
Have offer letter from school district
Receive official Letter of Eligibility from Indiana Teachers
Provide your official transcripts
Log into your IDOE LVIS portal to apply for your Transition to Teaching Permit
Pay licensure fees: $35 evaluation fee of your application and a $35 license fee to issue your license
Start Your Teaching Career!
Once you have your Transition to Teaching Permit, you will begin working towards your Practitioner License. You will teach for two years on your T2T Permit. You will complete your remaining requirements during your Internship Year (your first-year teaching).
Complete all Phase II: Excellence in Teaching and Learning content from Indiana Teachers
Achieve a passing score of 220 on the required Indiana content assessments and Developmental (Pedagogy) Assessments for your specific grade level
Successfully teach for two years
Receive positive recommendation by Building Level Administrator and Field Supervisor at the end of your Internship Year
Present your Letter of Completion from Indiana Teachers as well as transcript of completed coursework to IDOE for recommendation for your Indiana Practitioner License
Apply Now
At Indiana Teachers, we understand that the journey to becoming a licensed teacher in Indiana can seem daunting. Our streamlined program offers you the most effective route to the classroom through its self-paced and affordable design. So get started and you will soon be inspiring the next generation of learners – become an Indiana Teacher today!
APPLY NOW
Dear Senator Niemeyer [R-IN] and Representative Slager {R-IN],
What is it with the GOP that never wants to fund public K-12 schools and raise teacher salaries but figures funding private charters and virtual schools matter more? WHY does a family earning $145,000 need taxpayer money to send their child to a private school? Parents who want to send their children to private schools should pay for it out of their own pocket. Full time virtual charter schools have proven to not work.
This state DOESN’T have enough taxpayer money to fund different types of educational systems. Fund public schools which educate most of our students! Hoosier teacher salaries are ninth in the Midwest. You should be ashamed of yourself. You come up with creative ways to get anyone with any college degree into a classroom because of admitted teacher shortages but don’t do anything to help existing public school teachers. The state should be hiring teachers who come through normal college accrediting programs. Hoosier families deserve the best educated teachers, not those barely qualified due to some quirky acts of our legislators.
[The proposed bill would give smaller funding for traditional public school districts and increase voucher money by $66 million to allow families of four with incomes up to $145,000 to get money. This is to expand the number of students getting vouchers by 18,000. Virtual charter schools would get $4 million more.]
The Republican funding plan is punitive and shortsighted.
Sincerely,
Carol Ring [Retired school teacher]
[Address and phone number]
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Indiana GOP budget plan boosts school vouchers, smoking tax
Tom Davies, Associated Press Updated 5:26 pm EST, Thursday, February 11, 2021
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nearly one-fifth of a proposed state funding hike for Indiana’s schools would go toward expanding private school voucher and virtual school programs under a budget plan Republican legislators released Thursday.
The plan prepared by Republicans who dominate the Indiana House also includes a 50 cents-per-pack cigarette tax increase and would impose a new state tax on vaping liquids.
The proposal would increase the base funding for K-12 schools by 1.25% during the first year and 2.5% in the second year of the budget that would start in July. That would mean about $378 million more for school funding over the two years, virtually the same as proposed last month by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.
But House Republicans would direct $66 million toward raising the family income eligibility for the private school voucher program and about $4 million to boosting per-student payments for those attending online-only charter schools.
The additional money for those programs would mean smaller funding boosts for traditional school districts as they face pressure to improve the state’s lagging teacher pay after a Holcomb-appointed commission found it could cost more than $600 million a year to increase Indiana’s average teacher salary ranking from ninth-highest to third-highest in the Midwest….
https://www.lakecountystar.com/news/article/Indiana-GOP-budget-plan-boosts-school-vouchers-15943912.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Desktop)&utm_source=share-by-email&utm_medium=email
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