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Feds Include Florida’s Largest Charter School Management Firm in Audit

UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Education audit is a broad review of charter schools across the country and not limited to Academica or the Mater Academy network it manages, a fact confirmed by the federal agency. Academica disputes the U.S. Department of Education’s initial findings and said they have responded to the agency. We’ve updated […]

Jacksonville Congresswoman Wants Federal Investigation of K12

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, has asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate K12, a publicly traded online education provider that operates in 42 Florida school districts, including in Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange and Duval counties. Citing a Sept. 11 story by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and StateImpact Florida that reported how […]

Unlicensed Military-Style Children’s Homes Collecting McKay Scholarship Money

Unlicensed religious children’s homes have collected more than $600,000 in Florida McKay Scholarship money, according to a year-long investigation by the Tampa Bay Times. The scholarships allow students with disabilities to use the money for tuition at the private school of their choice. But the Times found allegations of abuse at the homes, including requiring […]

K12-Affiliated Charter School Network Wins Some, Loses Some with Florida School Boards

A network of online charter schools tied to a company under investigation by the Florida Department of Education won a split decision from Florida school districts Tuesday. School boards in Orange and Seminole counties rejected Florida Virtual Academy for the second time. But the Pinellas County school board approved the application despite concerns the school’s […]

Don’t Confuse The Florida Virtual Academy And The Florida Virtual School

The news Florida is investigating K12, Inc, the nation’s largest online educator, has created confusion about Florida’s similarly named online schools. The Florida Virtual Academy are schools managed by the for-profit K12, Inc. K12 provides services for 43 Florida school districts. In addition, non-profit groups in many counties have applied to open independent online charter […]

In K12 Courses, 275 Students to a Single Teacher

Student-teacher ratios at K12, the nation’s largest online educator, are nearly twice as high as Florida’s state-run virtual school, according to internal company documents obtained by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting and StateImpact Florida. A high school teacher working for K12 may have as many as 275 students, compared to Florida Virtual School, which […]

Some Florida School Districts Not Checking For K12 Problems

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the version originally published. Seminole County teacher Amy Capelle had to make a decision. Her supervisor at the nation’s largest online school, K12, asked her to sign a roster saying she’d taught 112 kids. She’d only taught seven. “If you see your name next to a student […]

Volusia County Schools Reviewing K12 Teachers

The Volusia County school district is reviewing online education provider K12 to make sure the company is using teachers who are properly certified, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. The county will survey parents of students who took courses through K12 to make sure the listed teacher actually taught the student. Seminole County schools conducted […]

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