Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Another E-School Investigation

A great expose on K-12 in California.  From The Mercury News:
http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_29780959/k12-inc-california-virtual-academies-operator-exploits-charter


This the playbook for the Ohio E-Schools




Some key findings:
  • Teachers employed by K12 Inc.'s charter schools may be asked to inflate attendance and enrollment records used to determine taxpayer funding.

  • Ohio E-School Charters are fighting this accountability issue right now.

  • Fewer than half of the students who start the online high schools earn diplomas, and almost none of them are qualified to attend the state's public universities.


  • Check out the report cards for the Ohio E-Schools.  Dismal at best.


  • K12's heavily marketed online model has helped the company reap more than $310 million in state funding over the past 12 years.


  • Market! market! market! Where do they get the money for the radio and TV ads?  SOme interesting accounting.  Make sure the school never makes a profit and write off the loss.


  • Students who spend as little as one minute during a school day logged in to K12's school software may be counted as present in records used to calculate the amount of funding the schools get from the state.
  • About half of the schools' students are not proficient in reading, and only a third are proficient in math -- levels that fall far below statewide averages.
  • School districts that are supposed to oversee the company's schools have a strong financial incentive to turn a blind eye to problems: They get a cut of the academies' revenue, which largely comes from state coffers.


  • Also note the governance issue.  K-12 sets up and loads the boards.  Same as they do in Ohio


    I like pictures







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