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Since 2011, school choice has been thriving in North Carolina. It’s time to use this momentum to expand educational options even further. It’s time to embrace virtual school alternatives.
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CommenTerry
In November, the NC Office of the State Auditor released a critical audit of the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS). The audit revealed serious problems with the administration and oversight of North Carolina’s sole online education program. I believe that the audit signals the need for virtual school alternatives in North Carolina.
There were three main findings in the auditor’s report. First, auditors discovered that NCVPS "does not have adequate controls in place to prevent or detect errors in student enrollment numbers." Enrollment numbers form the basis of teacher compensation for the virtual school. As such, enrollment tracking mistakes lead to errors in teacher pay.
Second, the State Auditor’s office found multiple inaccuracies in the NCVPS Annual Report, which is mandated by state statute. The district, charter, and total enrollment figures in the report overstated the actual virtual school enrollment by approximately 850 students. The NCVPS administrative office has 25 employees and ample resources, so one wonders how such blatant errors occurred in the first place.
The most startling finding was the third one. NCVPS’s "instructional leaders" did not follow teacher evaluation procedures. Auditors reviewed evaluations for 60 NCVPS teachers and found multiple discrepancies. Some teachers were not evaluated. Others did not receive adequate or complete evaluations. One instructional leader evaluated herself.
Unfortunately, virtual school entities will encounter multiple barriers to entry into North Carolina’s educational market. The NCVPS is designed to complement, not compete with, the district school system. As a result, districts have offered very little resistance to NCVPS.
On the other hand, for- and non-profit virtual schools compete with districts for students and the dollars attached to them. According to an Education Week report, competition from virtual schools has forced school districts in Pennsylvania and Illinois to find ways of attracting students back to the district. Because districts and public school advocacy organizations prefer the monopoly system, they will vigorously oppose any educational entity that steps on "their turf." Make no mistake about it. School district employees’ opposition to virtual schools is formidable and keeps a number of legislators from considering legislation that would expand virtual school alternatives.
In addition, the charter school route has been a difficult one. The Charter School Advisory Board and the courts have not been kind to charter school applications from private online school providers. In fact, virtual school providers K12, Inc. and Connections Academy have tried to negotiate the charter school approval process, but neither has been successful.
State education officials have worries, some legitimate, about the operation of multiple virtual school providers in North Carolina. But if states like Pennsylvania and Illinois can do it, why can’t we?
Perhaps a "baby step" approach is the best way to go. The NC State Board of Education or the NC General Assembly should initiate a pilot program operated by one or more virtual school providers. The pilot program should limit the number of students initially enrolled but make generous allowances for enrollment increases as the program(s) become more popular with families. On the other hand, there should be no geographic, grade, or course restrictions imposed on enrollees. The entity that authorizes the pilot program could require an independent organization to submit a written evaluation and present its findings to the NC State Board of Education and/or legislative committees.
Of course, I would have preferred the state to take a bolder approach to expanding school choice options — virtual and otherwise — for families throughout the state. The demand for these options appears to be stronger than ever. Nevertheless, multiple, entrenched interests continue to use their considerable resources to thwart this effort. Their goal is to force families into a system of education that corresponds to their vision of the world, rather than cultivate educational options that are responsive to the diverse needs of families.
Facts and Stats
According to the 2013 edition of "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online & Blended Learning: An Annual Review of Policy and Practice" by the Evergreen Education Group,
- At least 24 states and Washington DC have blended schools, many of which are charters.
- Multi-district fully online schools served an estimated 310,000 students in 30 states in School Year (SY) 2012-13.
- In SY 2013-14 there are 20 states operating multi-district fully online schools without restrictions, and nine states operating them with restrictions such as available grade levels and caps on the number of students per class/school/district/state.
- At least 75 consortium programs operate across the country. These programs link districts across counties and local education agencies to offer locally facilitated online options to students.
- State virtual schools operated in 26 states in SY 2012-13, serving 740,000 course enrollments.
- Course choice programs, which expand the number of students who have access to state-supported supplemental online courses, are operating in seven states in SY 2013-14.
- Eight states allow private students to take courses from state-supported supplemental programs while maintaining their status as private students.
Education Acronym of the Week
NCVPS — North Carolina Virtual Public School
Quote of the Week
"Across the country, the rise of virtual education is influencing how school districts use their money and other resources and what programs they develop. They’re responding both to cyber charter schools that can provide students with an online-only education and to state-sponsored virtual schools that offer students either full-time online learning or the ability to choose from online courses to supplement their schools’ traditional offerings."
— Michelle R. Davis, "Online Schools Prove Tough Rivals in Quest for Students, Funds," Education Week, January 3, 2014
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