Despite major problems and concerns with two of Indiana’s virtual charter schools, the President of a national school choice organization cautions against painting all virtual schools with a broad brush.
Daleville Community Schools voted earlier this month to revoke the charters of the Indiana Virtual School and the Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy, citing their performance, including the fact that hundreds of students at the schools had gone semesters without to completing any coursework or earning credits.
Tilly Elvrum of the National Coalition for Public School Options tells Indy Politics that school choice is very popular with parents and families across the country and virtual schools provide a valuable service for children, particularly those with disabilities and a traditional classroom setting isn’t a viable option.
Elvrum says she supports holding schools accountable, but the best form of accountability is parents because if the school isn’t meeting their needs, they will leave and choose another setting.
You can hear Elvrum in the Leon-Tailored audio above. It runs about 12 minutes.
