Categories: NewsEducation

Corporate online schools “a terrible idea”

International expert on virtual and charter schools, Professor Gary Miron says it would be a terrible mistake for New Zealand to allow private entities to own and run online schools.

“Online learning is an important education tool for students. I’m not against online schools at all, but years of research and evaluation show that students achieve better results when that learning takes place in a public school setting,” Professor Miron says.

“Full-time virtual schools are the fastest growing form of school choice in the USA. Research on online schools has revealed that they have serious problems, such as extremely high student attrition and very poor results.”

“When private entities and corporations are invited into the education sector they do what they are built to do; make profits for themselves. Privately owned online schools are akin to invasive species. They are introduced into a new setting where they thrive because they have no predators and no checks and balances.”

“New Zealand already has high quality and innovative online education within the state school system; growing and developing those resources may be the best way forward.”

School News

School News is not affiliated with any government agency, body or political party. We are an independently owned, family-operated magazine.

Recent Posts

English curriculum draft out for consultation

The much-delayed English draft curriculum is now out for consultation, generating discussion from teachers.

2 weeks ago

Arts, culture and recreation positive for the wellbeing of rangatahi

Research from AUT demonstrates arts, culture and recreation have positive impacts on all aspects of…

2 weeks ago

School phone ban one year on: our student survey reveals mixed feelings about its success

How effective has the school phone ban been in achieving its aims? Researchers from the…

2 weeks ago

Learning growing and exploring with school camps and excursions

School camps and excursions deliver hands on learning experiences, helping to consolidate classroom learning.

2 weeks ago

Could an AV system improve learning outcomes and student engagement?

Innovations in AV technologies present new opportunities to engage with students. We look at how…

2 weeks ago

What makes a good teacher?

A new report from the University of Auckland’s Our Voices Project asks young people what…

4 weeks ago