Trying times
Most schools across the country remain closed in order to combat the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a patchwork of efforts to continue some semblance of normal schooling for kids staying at home…on top of everything else clamoring for priority these days. While the emphasis of policymakers and journalists is largely on district schools, here’s a look at three charter school networks in Indianapolis who were quickly up and running with virtual learning for their students in short order following closure.
Fear of online learning
One would think that e-schools would be a godsend in the event of a sudden shutdown of brick-and-mortar schools for whatever reason. Those students’ learning would be uninterrupted. So why would the governor of Oregon order e-schools shut down along with all the others? The stated reason is “fairness”—making sure that the order was a universal, blanket one—but the unstated reason seems to be fear that lots of parents with students at home either doing “supplemental work” or simply idling would enroll their kids into the online charters. Perhaps never to return…?
In Ohio…
Schooling continue apace here in Ohio both in online charter schools and independent STEM schools, long engineered for such “virtual days”. Districts and individual district schools who already had one foot in cyberspace have also ramped up to full-time virtual education fairly quickly. But that concern for “fairness” is really on the minds of most Ohio legislators. Thus, the rapid and unanimous passage of HB 197, the state’s COVID relief bill. Among the education provisions of specific note for charter schools is a similar, wide-ranging umbrella of safe harbor given to district schools. For example: “The bill eliminates academic performance data from 2019-20 charter school sponsor ratings and prohibits the state from finding a sponsor out of compliance for any action that should have occurred while schools were closed.”
The view from (a screen in) Lorain
Concern over the loss of the social aspects of in-person school also loomed large this week. Teachers and school leaders stepped up across the state. Here’s a nice look at Summit Academy in Lorain, which hosted a virtual spirit week right on schedule.
Meanwhile, in another universe…
It is somewhat jarring these days to read news, analysis, or editorials that were either written before the coronavirus pandemic hit or that choose to address topics as if the pandemic were not happening at all. But these are still important to pay attention to because someday we will be on the other side of this. The first such example is a recent research report which digs into data on KIPP middle schools’ ability to impact college enrollment and persistence. The second is an editorial from the Columbus Dispatch which supports a legislative effort to eliminate for-profit charter school operators.
