Online charter schools (virtual/cyber charters)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Online charter schools are defined in the brief as "publicly funded schools of choice that deliver student instruction via telecommunications," also known as virtual charters or cyber charters. They operate at elementary, middle, and high school grade levels, with about 200 schools serving about 200,000 students in the United States at the time of the study. The National Study of Online Charter Schools examined their operations and instructional approaches.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Public funding and charter authorization, per the definition as publicly funded schools of choice.

Constraints¶

• Instruction is delivered via telecommunications, distinguishing these schools from brick-and-mortar settings.

Target Learners¶

• Elementary, middle, and high school students enrolled in online charter schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Delivery of student instruction through online telecommunications-based schooling

Claims¶

• The National Study of Online Charter Schools provides the first nationwide data and analysis of online charter schools' operations and instructional approaches, based on a survey of 127 principals [+W]
• About 200 online charter schools operate in the United States, serving about 200,000 students across elementary, middle, and high school grades [+W]
• Student-driven, independent study is the dominant mode of learning in online charter schools, with 33 percent offering only self-paced instruction [+W]
• Online charter school students receive less live teacher contact time in a week than conventional-school students receive in a day [+W]
• Online charter schools place significant expectations on parents, with 43, 56, and 78 percent at high school, middle, and elementary levels expecting active parental participation in instruction [+W]

Related Elements¶

• National Study of Online Charter Schools principal survey
• National Study of Online Charter Schools principal survey and administrative data resource

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Mathematica Policy Research. (2015). Online Charter Schools' Operational and Instructional Practices: Highlights of Findings (In Focus Brief). Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/online-charter-schools-operational-and-instructional-practices-highlights-of-findings