Virtual School Case Study

23. According to Ravitch, have virtual schools delivered on the promise personalized learning to every student? Discuss the issues presented by Ravitch regarding virtual schools?

No, virtual schools have not provided students their promise of personalized learning. According to Ravitch, virtual schools are cash cows for their owners, but very little goes toward curricula or teacher’s pay. Many teachers that teach for virtual schools can oversee as many 250 students and feel pressured to pass students. Throughout the chapter, Ravitch discussed many issues regarding virtual schools.

The first issue discussed is money. Virtual schools are for-profit. The schools receive money based on the number of students enrolled in their program. Many states

According to Klein and Rhee, the single most important factor determining whether students succeed in school is the quality of the teacher. They state that teacher credentials, experience, and education are irrelevant in judging their quality. Klein and Rhee go on to say that a highly effective teacher generates about 50% more learning than an average teacher while an ineffective teacher generates 50% less learning than an average teacher? What does Ravitch have to say about this interpretation?

Yes. More effective teachers can produce more learning than a less than average teacher. According to Ravitch, the interpretation is one-sided. Teachers do not work in factories where everything is the same each and every day. They do not have the same students with the same abilities year after year. A teacher could be very effective and increase their test scores one year, but not the next.

According to Ravitch, what Klein and Rhee failed to recognize is that teachers improve with experience and that children do not lead static life’s. Children experience ups and downs that effect their abilities on any giving day. As teachers, we know many different things can affect a student’s academic abilities. Klein and Rhee felt that the best way to improve schools is to fire “bad” teachers and principals. However, what we are finding is that it impossible to improve schools with constant firing and hiring on new teachers, management, or using different curricula each

What are the solutions that Ravitch proposes for making the schools more effective?

According to Ravitch, the solutions for making schools more effective is to start at the beginning addressing poverty and prenatal care. In order to make schools more effective is to address the issue of poverty. Although, there are many success stories of a teacher or school changing and motivating students to get out of the life of poverty, they are not typical. According to Ravitch, society will stay the same, if we do not address the issue of poverty.

Along with addressing the issue of poverty, Ravitch opinion is that we need to start at the beginning with prenatal care for all parents. According to the studies throughout the chapter, the United States has the highest rate of premature babies born every year. Premature babies are more likely to develop health issues and experience developmental