Jan Resseger fills in some of the blanks left by the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s uncritical publishing of cyber charter PR. Reposted with permission.
I was dumbfounded on December 27th, when the Cleveland Plain Dealer published an opinion piece in the newspaper’s Forum Section that was in essence an advertisement for an online, digital charter school. The piece was authored by Brian Powderly, the Ohio Digital Learning School’s head of school.
Powderly’s column celebrates “personalized learning,” Mark Zuckerberg’s favorite descriptor for learning from a computer instead of a teacher: “Every child deserves the chance to thrive and succeed academically, yet traditional school models often feel like a one-size-fits-all approach… Many students find academic success when their education is personalized, meets them where they are, and is tailored to their needs. Online learning models are uniquely positioned to do just that. Virtual platforms can adapt in real time to each student’s progress and individual needs, creating a more tailored, accessible, and inclusive learning experience.”
Powderly continues: “As interest and enrollment in virtual schools grow, students can often feel empowered when they have access to virtual learning opportunities specifically when those opportunities integrate technology with a high-quality curriculum and state-certified educators trained in teaching in an online environment.”
The Ohio Digital Learning School is relatively new compared to two established online Ohio digital academies; the school’s annual report declares that the 2023-2024 school year was the school’s fifth year of operation. The Ohio Virtual Academy, Ohio’s largest and considerably older online charter school is managed for-profit by Stride Learning, “the nation’s biggest for-profit operator of charters.” Until 2020, Stride Learning was known as K-12 Inc. Another older online charter school, the Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (OHDELA), is managed by Ron Packard’s for-profit ACCEL
Each charter school in Ohio is required to be a nonprofit, and Powderly describes the Ohio Digital Learning School as though it is a nonprofit, public service: “Our students often come to us as a last resort. Our focus is helping students recover credits and overcome obstacles.”
But there are hints that something more is going on here. The logo on the Ohio Digital Learning School’s website declares, “Powered by K-12,” just as the logo on the Ohio Virtual Academy’s website declares “Powered by K-12.” Clearly Powderly’s Ohio Digital Learning School, like the Ohio Virtual Academy, is managed by for-profit Stride Learning, the giant charter management company. And in September of 2023, when Brian Powderly was hired, Stride Learning’s own website announced: “Ohio Digital Learning School Welcomes Dr. Brian Powderly as New Head of School.”
We learn from Stride Learning’s announcement that, like all other Ohio charter schools, the Ohio Digital Learning School itself is technically a nonprofit enterprise, authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools. (Ohio uses the term “community school” to mean “charter school.”) But in Ohio, nonprofit charter schools, sponsored by nonprofits and approved by state-approved authorizers, can be managed by for-profit management companies. Like the Ohio Digital Academy and OHDELA, the nonprofit Ohio Digital Learning School is managed by a for-profit charter management company. And the school uses Stride Learning’s online curriculum.
From the school’s annual report, we learn that, like all Ohio charter schools, the Ohio Digital Learning School is free for its students who do not pay tuition. It is managed, however, for-profit, with state funding of $7,231,442.90, and a federal grant of $625,168.00.
I wonder if the Plain Dealer‘s editors were on Christmas vacation when somebody published Powderly’s advertisement as a column in the opinion section of the paper.
