Professional Learning Network (PLN) for Cyber School?

I am discouraged today as I write this BLOG post. The wrongs of some of the more charismatic leaders in the cyber charter school movement have caused some legislators to question the value of cyber Education.These incidents all have one thing in common. A charismatic leader chose to take advantage of their position in way that brought public scrutiny. This public scrutiny is reaching a harmful point now that legislation pending could cut our school funding by as much as 20%. This post is about the teachers, parents and students who sacrificed, risked money and stability to achieve innovative teaching practices in The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

  

I am a cyber teacher and administrator at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. I started at the school in 2004. I had worked in the Philadelphia School District briefly, and was one of the first teachers hired at this school. I am grateful for the opportunity that Philadelphia and PA Leadership gave me to start my third career in education.  In my experience I have found all teachers to be mission minded. I am one of thousands of people who are working behind the scenes to provide a valuable alternative to students in cyber education.  Our 2500 students chose our school because of our unique blend of teacher inspired lessons, and independent learning. Many of these people would receive relatively low rankings on the charisma scale. However, they form a professional learning network that can change education. 

Technology is the great equalizer in education. Many students are receiving the equivalent of a preparatory school education when they choose alternative education models. Our University Scholars Program within PA Leadership Charter School prepared my son well for Drexel University. He is not struggling to keep up with his classmates, and is ahead of most of them. Many of our students benefit from the flexible assessment grading where they are able to work at their own pace. When we consider cutting education costs, we should also consider that we are discarding the capitol investment of technology before we have realized its benefits.  This is a bad business practice. 

Like most educators, cyber teachers have embraced the mission of education. In cyber education the parent and learner are in the driver seat. They have chosen an alternative form of education. The teachers, parents and students in cyber education are willing to take a risk for students to have better educational outcomes. They are the true unsung heroes of education.  When these unlikely heroes are cut from the system because of funding cuts, are we really stripping the sustainable forces of stability from the school?

One example of legislation pending to cut teachers is House Bill 618. This bill will cut pension funding for cyber schools. If this happens, then we will likely cut the funding of new employees pensions. This will likely create a dual system of pensions and another class of teachers. Most teachers will not like this. This kind of unrest can lead to the creation of teachers unions in cyber schools. If you have read any of my past posts you will know that this is not something I am in favor of. Unions will bring stability, but they will also slow innovation. In my opinion we need to increase innovation, and not slow it down. Our students are feeling the pressure of competing in a global market place, and it our duty to equip them with the best technology possible to help them. Cyber education is just one example of using technology in a way where we can give our students a competitive advantage.

Parent and student choice is at the center of the cyber school model. When we empower parents and students to choose, only then can we give feet to educational change. Parent and student choice should be the center of education reform. The professional learning network Of parents, teachers and students are in the best position to see the outcomes of the educational process. The world is changing rapidly around us. We need to move our students with the change. Maximizing parent and student choice is very much like the following story. A parent and their student is waiting patiently for their train to come on the station platform. The train arrives and the student notices that he has the wrong ticket. It is a local train instead of a express train. Fortunately, he still has time to rush over to the ticket window and exchange his ticket. If we were to put this story into today's educational system the student would miss his train. He would would have to call his guidance counselor, to change that ticket. He would miss the express career train, and perhaps an opportunity for a better educational choice, that could lead to better job. Cyber school teachers work with software learning programs that represent the cutting edge of education. They can connect students with more resources to keep up with the changing world. We are training our students for jobs that do not exist yet. We must empower students to make the choices that come at the speed of technology, or they may end up in the wrong job. Cyber School puts students back on track.