Racial and Economic Diversity Trends in Cyber Charter Schools: An Analysis of National Enrollment Data, 2015–2016

• In Event: 47.061 - Geographic School Choice Research Across the Local-Global Scale

Abstract

The current U.S. Department of Education supports cyber charter schools, though research on these programs is developing. One emerging research area about cyber charters relates to enrollment demographics. As these schools grow, and as they show difficulties in academic performance (e.g. CREDO, 2015), researchers need to understand the equitability of enrollment. This study advances this research by examining a variety of state contexts, advancing the theme of the symposium because it shows how particular contexts differ in enrollment patterns.

Research has examined enrollment in K-12 virtual schools both nationally and at state locations (e.g. Author, 2016a; Barbour, Miron, & Huerta, 2017). These show students in K-12 virtual schools are more likely to be White compared to national demographics and less likely eligible for free and reduced lunch, but variations occur across states (e.g. Author, 2016b; Ahn, & McEachin, 2017). The differences establish a need to investigate across individual states and schools. Therefore, the study presented here answers the following questions: Are cyber charter schools more or less racially and economically diverse than other schools in their states? Do cyber charter diversity patterns differ across states? If so, how?

The limited face-to-face interaction between students in cyber charters may not encapsulate full advantages of school diversity in face-to-face setting, but this does not suggest diversity in online settings is unnecessary. Peer interactions occur in online spaces. Enhancing diverse interactions in online settings may lead to transformational relationships and greater achievement. In traditional environments, segregated minority schools are academically harmful (Linn & Welner, 2007). Diverse schools provide academic and social benefit to white students and students of color (Mickelson & Nkomo, 2012; Wells & Crain, 1994).

The data for this study come from the National Center for Education Statistics and reflect enrollments for 2015-16. Using this data, the researcher analyzed cyber charter schools in 22 states by using descriptive statistics to determine racial differences and the prevalence of Title 1 cyber charter schools compared to state averages. Then, the researcher used the Exposure Index to determine the diversity of the average student experience in cyber charter schools within each state (U.S Census Bureau, 2002).

The findings reiterate that more white students attend cyber charter schools and these schools have more economically advantaged students. However, as shown in Figure 1, while enrollment distributions show cyber charter schools are not diverse, patterns vary widely across states. In particular, larger cyber charter sectors like Ohio and Pennsylvania have higher numbers of minority students and Title 1 cyber charters.

This study provides a deeper understanding of school enrollments into cyber charter schools. It shows the necessity of understanding nuances in state contexts. Since cyber charter schools enroll students from a range of geographic locations, they have a potential to serve a more diverse set of students than traditional schools. If this opportunity reflects enrollment, there is the potential to foster integrated student interactions. However, in many cases they do not, showing a need to consider causes of these differences in enrollment distributions.

Author

• Bryan Mann, University of Kansas