The digital learning space is growing, and it is also fluid, which means that there are many new schools and programs opening—and that some schools and programs are closing as well. That’s not necessarily a bad thing overall, although it can be negatively disruptive for the students and families involved. It can also cause some apparent confusion, as from time to time I hear from someone saying, “I heard XYZ online school closed, does that mean that online learning is not doing well?” That’s about the same as saying “my town’s Domino’s closed, I guess people don’t like pizza now.” Still, closures can also sometimes tell us something about the larger field. Let’s take a closer look at one example.
Oregon district school board votes to close online academy
In Oregon, the Medford school district board recently voted to close the district’s online academy. From that article:
“Declining enrollment prompted a shift in which the school only served grades 4-8, district officials said.
In the first year, over 1,000 students were served in K-12 while, most recently, the district had 181 total students being served in full-time online learning with 94 in grades 4-8 and 87 in high school.
‘Closing MOA allows us to reduce operating costs while still providing online learning options through students’ neighborhood schools, where they’ll stay more connected to peers, staff, and extracurricular activities,’ district officials said in an email to the Rogue Valley Times.”
I haven’t spoken with anyone in Medford, but this school opening, and closure, seems to follow a predictable pattern.
- The timing, numbers, and this article all suggest that the academy was started in response to the pandemic. The “declining enrollment” therefore is likely due primarily to students and families first shifting to online learning due to COVID and then later reverting to their pre-pandemic norms.
- When online schools’ enrollment surged during the pandemic, there was lots of talk about how many families would shift to online learning permanently. And there has, indeed, been a bump up in online and hybrid school enrollments. But it’s also been clear that only a small percentage of students and families would select a fully online school. For these students and families, a fully online school is their best option, however DLAC’s data going back twenty years shows the percentage to be in the low single digits. The initial enrollment of over 1,000 students in the Medford school likely set unrealistic expectations.
- A more realistic analysis would have suggested that the Medford School District, which serves 14,000 students, might expect to enroll 250 – 300 or so fully online students, assuming that the online school was marketed extensively and well-run. That equals about 25 students per grade level. That is obviously a very small school, and would present major challenges to provide a wide range of courses, SPED services, support, etc. unless the district put in far more funding than the school was generating via enrollments.
- The bottom line is that this school closure was at least somewhat predictable from the start.
The district says these students will have online learning options through their neighborhood schools. I have no specific knowledge of this situation, but I find that statement highly doubtful. It’s hard to run a very small district-level online school, and it’s even harder for neighborhood schools to provide a truly flexible online learning option. But on the positive side, Oregon has plenty of online schools that serve students statewide. Families that are seeking an online school have options to choose from.
There are also some larger implications to be explored here. The educational landscape is clearly shifting towards more options for students and families. At the same time, it seems like some observers and advocates feel that traditional public school districts should be—legally or ethically—serving all students in their boundaries. Online schools are a test of this assumption. Should a small public school district be expected to serve students who want an online school? Should they even try?
The last line in the quote above shows district officials saying they are serving those students, and as mentioned above, I’m doubtful. But I also recognize that there would likely be blowback if those officials said “as a small district, we can’t run an online school to the standards we set and that students deserve. We support their selection of other options that are available.”
Finally, it’s worth noting that there’s no indication that the district considered a hybrid school, which might have drawn more students. We know that the data suggest that the percentage of students/families who want a fully online school is low. We have no indication, however, of how many students would select a hybrid school, which would have the potential to provide much of what the online students and families are seeking, along with the onsite connections to peers and staff, and access to onsite extracurricular activities, that many students want.
Digital learning exists on a continuum. It’s not—and shouldn’t be—just either fully online or fully onsite. It’s also not clear that every district should be trying to provide every type of option. In a world of increasing alternatives, we should see traditional public school districts, charter schools, private schools, and other types of schooling as complementary, to ensure that every student and family has an option that is a good fit.