DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
Over the past decade, enrollment in virtual schools has exploded, with for-profit online charter schools driving the growth. Research shows that outcomes for students in these schools are shockingly bad, and attending a school managed by K12 Inc.—the largest for-profit virtual charter operator—is comparable to missing 151 days of learning in math.
One contributor to these troubling outcomes is K12 Inc.’s executive compensation structure. Instead of spending public money on improving learning, too many for-profit virtual charter schools spend lavishly on executive salaries, advertising, lobbying, and pure profit.
Critics of charters and many charter supporters agree that policymakers need to take action to rein in virtual for-profit charter schools. Yet, Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education and an early investor in K12 Inc., has repeatedly embraced the virtual for-profit sector and ignored the troubling media reports and overwhelming research demonstrating poor performance among its students. In lieu of federal leadership, states must step up.
Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund to explore policy ideas to halt the troubling practices of virtual for-profit charter schools and protect students and public dollars.
Welcoming remarks:
Jacob Leibenluft, Executive Vice President of Policy, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Keynote:
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Panelists:
Amanda Aragon, Executive Director, NewMexicoKidsCAN
Halley Potter, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation
Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President for State Advocacy and Support, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Moderator:
Neil Campbell, Director of Innovation, Center for American Progress Action Fund