AI charter proposal invigorates school choice debate

(The Center Square) – The Department of Education is seeing renewed interest – and skepticism – in the state’s charter school programs following the rejected application of a cyber school that would enlist teachers as “guides” assisting with AI-driven learning.

The incident has underscored the ongoing battle over charter schools across the commonwealth. Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Pittsburgh, minority chair of the Education Committee, responded to the application by calling for a moratorium on new cyber charter schools.

“Pennsylvania families currently have 14 cyber charter schools to choose from, with unlimited seats, and all of them are failing students academically. We do not need another statewide cyber charter to siphon money away from local school districts and taxpayers,” said Williams.

The state’s existing cyber charters, which are run by private corporations but receive about a billion dollars annually in public funds for tuition, have received intense scrutiny as a result of their income and spending habits.

A recent report from Education Voters of Pennsylvania highlighted hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending on entertainment and luxuries at the state’s largest cyber charter.

Williams noted that the schools are estimated to spend about $17 million in marketing and promotions while maintaining massive cash reserves.

In a bid to join their ranks, Unbound Academic Institute proposed an educational model its founders have already begun to disseminate in Texas, Florida, and California known as 2 Hour Learning.

The department rejected the application based on deficiencies in each of its five required criteria, noting first that the proposal had not received a single letter or phone call of support from parents, indicating no real demand for the concept in the state.

2 Hour Learning markets itself as a model that, like its name suggests, provides a full education in a mere two hours, leaving students the rest of their day to “pursue the things they want during afternoons and develop life skills.”

It has caught public attention due to its heavy reliance on AI for evaluating student needs, designing curriculum and educating students. Licensed teachers are required to serve as guides and coaches to students along the way.

The model was developed by MacKenzie Price, a mother from Texas who says she “knew that the time for a change was now” after her daughters described their traditional school experiences as “boring.” Her company’s website emphasizes its students’ capacity to “crush academics.”

Williams says companies like Price’s “perceive our state as ripe for profiteering off of Pennsylvania’s children and taxpayers and apply to open new cyber charter schools,” and the result is worse educational standards for students.

A study conducted by Price’s alma mater, Stanford University, found that cyber schools were significantly underperforming nationally. “To conceptualize this shortfall, it would equate to a student losing 72 days of learning in reading and 180 days of learning in math, based on a 180-day school year,” wrote its Center for Research on Education Outcomes.

Still, Pennsylvanians are seeking alternatives to a struggling school system that has failed many of its students, and parents are seeking education that has grown to meet both the potentials and challenges of the 21st century.

Charter school advocates see Unbound’s rejection as an indicator that it is in fact possible to discern between effective and ineffective models.

“The advantage of charter schools and cyber charter schools is that students get to choose, and that no school gets funding unless parents choose that as the best option for their kids,” said Elizabeth Stelle, Vice President of Policy at the Commonwealth Foundation, in a statement to The Center Square.

“Poorly performing charter schools can and do get shut down, but successful charters should be able to grow and build on their models. A moratorium against new charters protects existing charters from competition,” Stelle continued.

The foundation has proposed an independent authorizer for charter schools. Such an agency would be responsible for reviewing applications like Unbound’s. Stelle says it would also address flaws in the brick-and-mortar charter authorization process, which asks district schools to weigh in on what some view as their competitors.