Opinion
School Choice & Charters Letter to the Editor

Online Education Is Only Option That Works for Some Families

April 04, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

I write in response to the Digital Education blog post about the New York University and RAND Corp. study on online education in Ohio (“Online Charter Students in Ohio Perform Far Worse Than Peers, Study Finds,” Feb. 16, 2017).

While we at the Ohio Connections Academy support the need for research to determine what works best for students, we are disappointed by studies that fail to recognize areas of success.

The education outcomes reported in the study focus on student-achievement assessments and the Ohio Graduation Test, or OGT, from 2009 to 2013. During that time, the Ohio Department of Education rated our academy “excellent” for the 2009-10 school year, and “effective” for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years. We met state averages or indicators for the OGT for school years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

More recently, during the 2014-15 school year, there were some bright spots in Ohio Connections Academy’s report card. The academy’s K-3 literacy score was a B, and it met state proficiency reading averages in the 4th through 8th grades. The academy also met state standards for most OGTs, and received an A in each broad category measuring student progress.

As policymakers and opinion leaders seek to bring accountability to online schools, they first should understand how these schools work. This is why we invite legislators and reporters to visit our learning centers to see how our students are engaged and how their progress is monitored as they work through the curriculum.

As discussions continue about making online education more accountable, I would argue that lawmakers are also accountable for maintaining school choice in Ohio. This choice should include online education, if for no other reason than this is the only option that works for some families. That choice should not be taken away from parents just because some schools fail or some measures obscure the accomplishments of students who are doing well. That’s true of traditional schools, too.

We should all be focused on doing a more thoughtful job of measuring results, so we all can be truly accountable.

Marie Hanna

Superintendent

Ohio Connections Academy

Mason, Ohio

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the April 05, 2017 edition of Education Week as Online Education Is Only Option That Works for Some Families

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Choice & Charters Spotlight Spotlight on The Landscape of Charter Schools
This Spotlight explores the dynamic and evolving world of school choice, focusing on charter schools and private school choice programs.
School Choice & Charters Opinion The School Choice Landscape Is Shifting
What could two Supreme Court rulings—one recent and one impending—mean for educators and parents?
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters What the Research Says How School Choice Complicates District Bond Elections
Families who transfer children out of their residential districts may be less likely to vote in bond elections, researchers find.
3 min read
Photograph of a person in jeans walking on a sidewalk and passing a yellow and black voting place sign in the grass.
E+
School Choice & Charters What to Know About the Private School Choice Program Moving Through Congress
A new federal program would offer up to $5 billion in tax credits a year to fuel private school attendance nationwide.
10 min read
Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. While a number of states, including Tennessee, have passed new programs funding private school tuition in recent years, the first major federal foray into private school choice is now making its way through Congress.
George Walker IV/AP