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Little research addresses the schooling experiences of non-binary students; no prior work explores their experiences in cyber schools. Using unique data from a US multi-state cyber charter school, we compare the factors parents of non-binary students and parents of other students stated as reasons for leaving their prior schools to attend a cyber charter school in fall 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic). Despite a small sample size, we found statistically significant differences, with parents of non-binary students two to three times more likely to indicate mental health, safety, and bullying related concerns as motivating their choice of cyber schooling. There were no significant differences regarding physical health, and few involving academic concerns. We also note implications, and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber charter schools may increase access to a range of educational offerings, but they substantially underperform traditional public schools on measured academic performance, as demonstrated in a range of studies with distinct samples and methods. Artificial testing conditions offer a possible explanation. In contrast to face-to-face students, for cyber charter students standardized testing occurs in unfamiliar locations, often hours from the location of instruction (home), possibly leading to fatigue and lesser performance. Geocoding home locations and testing sites for 2015–18 mathematics, ELA, and science test scores from 5,493 cyber school students in a northern state, we test whether drive times affect performance, controlling for student characteristics. Save for marginal statistical impacts on mathematics tests, we find no evidence that drive times affect cyber student measured academic performance. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) analyses find that cyber charter schools in seventeen states show consistently low reading and mathematics value-added test scores compared to traditional public schools serving comparable students. This generally accords with prior research. We hypothesize that the relatively poor measured academic value-added of cyber charters reflects artificial testing conditions for students in those schools. Accordingly, we have collected testing information from the seventeen CREDO states. State-level analyses find that cyber student persistence, which likely indicates school quality, correlates moderately and significantly with the cyber student academic value-added as measured by CREDO. Further, we find evidence of lower cyber school value-added in states which permit cybers to use narrow testing windows, perhaps reflecting testing fatigue on the part of test-takers. We discuss implications, and suggest next steps for research exploring whether testing conditions affect measured cyber charter performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online education has grown over the last ten years and with it has been an increase in diverse learners. In an effort to understand how online teachers meet the needs of diverse learners, researchers surveyed teachers in two cyber schools. 118 participants were asked their definition of differentiation and how differentiation is seen in their practice. After the survey was collected, NVivo qualitative software was used to continually reduce the data through constant comparison. The results from the survey data revealed that online teachers defined differentiation from two distinct perspectives: a) why a student needs differentiation, and b) what a student needs differentiated. Online teachers stated learning styles as their primary reason for differentiation. This result was not only different from findings in face-to-face classrooms, but does not support research on what impacts student achievement. Online teachers also cited when they differentiate, they adjust content, product, and process (63% coverage). Finally, noticeably absent from the data were references to using assessments in the classroom to inform differentiation. Future research should consider how online teachers differentiate in their learning environments and how they make day-to-day decisions as they adjust instruction to meet the needs of their learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that traditional public schools are less effective in serving Latino students. Yet latino students, but not their parents, exhibit greater school satisfaction than do their counterparts. The purpose of this study was to examine Latino student and parent satisfaction with their cyber school and prior traditional public school using results from surveys of students (53.7% response; n-269) and parents (n-2 3 2 ; response - 48.7%). ANOVA indicate that Latino parents rated their cyber school and prior traditional public schools more positively than other parents. Ixitino students rated the cyber school but not their prior traditional public schools more positively. We discuss implications and directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that homework has moderately positive impacts on student learning in brick-and-mortar schools (Marzano & Pickering, 2007), but no prior research has explored such relationships in cyber schools. We surveyed parents (n = 232) and students (n = 269) at an American cyber school, and collected student achievement data. For students and parents, findings indicate modest direct relationships between homework and grades and retention. For parents we also find evidence of direct relationships between homework and perceived school quality. Stronger relationships are found for the students’ prior traditional school than for the cyber school, suggesting the inchoate nature of homework in a setting where the home is the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-schooling offers potentially greater benefits for rural than urban students, by providing a broader range of courses, ending long commutes, and offering more developed special education services than typically found in rural public schools. We survey students (n=269, 53.7% response rate) and parents (232, 48.7%) at a cyber-charter school dubbed SunTech, to test whether rural subjects choose cyber schooling for distinct reasons. Factor analyses and OLS regressions indicate that rural parents are more apt to choose SunTech for structural reasons such as its broader range of classes and to avoid long commutes to school. In contrast, students were more likely to rank curricular reasons as driving their decision to choose SunTech. Rural status did not affect how either students or parents graded the school (A-F). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As cyberschooling options expand, it is vital that we understand the nuances of these particular learning opportunities. Because little research exists on leaders of K-12 cyberschools, this exploratory case study had two purposes. We first examined how 18 cyberschool leaders in the United States obtained their position. Second, we explored the perceptions of cyberschool leaders regarding the differences between their job and that of a traditional brick-and-mortar school leader. We found that cyberschool leaders tend to be predominantly new, technology savvy administrators who have some background in online learning. Main differences between cyberschool leadership and brick-and-mortar school leadership included interactions with students, teacher supervision, provision of professional development, and management of the day-to-day operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: While critics offer concerns that cyber charter schools under-enroll special education students, such schools may offer advantages for these students, and some cyber schools have identified this market niche. Little is known about such schools. We surveyed parents (n =232; 48.7% response rate) and students (n =269; 53.7% response rate) at a cyber charter school that we will call SunTech, where special education students account for 26% of the student body. Findings indicate that special education students and their parents were more likely than general education peers to mention behavioral issues as influencing their decision to choose SunTech. Compared to general education counterparts, special education students and parents reported somewhat higher levels of satisfaction in the school and somewhat lower levels of satisfaction in their prior schools. Implications are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]