Self-Directed Learning, Online Learning

The article provides a summary of home-based pedagogies, enrollment trends, and student demographics in California independent study charter schools. The authors describe how these schools operate with different models of independent study, where students learn through a combination of self-directed activities, online coursework, and in-person meetings with teachers.

Independent Charter Schools Show Growth in Numbers

The authors analyze data from the California Department of Education to provide insights into enrollment trends and student demographics. They found that independent study charter schools have experienced significant growth in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, they note that these schools serve a diverse student population, including those who are low-income, homeless, or have special needs.

The Future Potential of Charter Schools

The authors also highlight the challenges facing independent study charter schools, including concerns about quality and accountability. They conclude that while there is much to learn about the effectiveness of home-based pedagogies, independent study charter schools have the potential to provide flexible and personalized learning opportunities for students.

Growing Awareness of Alternate Forms of Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most K-12-aged children into a non-classroom-based learning environment, bringing universal awareness to this alternative form of K-12 education. If the U.S. Department of Education estimates are accurate and this sector of education continues to grow in the ways demonstrated in this paper, it is projected that one in 22 students, or 4.6% of all school-aged children, will be homeschooled by 2025.

Notable Quotes: 

“This analysis indicates that private homeschooling and independent study charter school enrollment will become an increasingly common educational option for families in the future.”

“The enrollment trends described in this paper reveal a societal shift in terms of the growing number of parents seeking nontraditional, non-classroom-based K-12 learning opportunities for 

their children.”

“We speculate that the post-Covid-19 era of K-12 education will move to a more nonclassroom-based learning environment, as parents more fully understand alternatives to a traditional classroom learning experience for their child.”

Personal Takeaway: 

Having just come out of a forced period of online learning for students in my middle school (due to the pandemic) and seeing the effect it had on the social and emotional well-being of the students, I wonder how a balance could be created between having an online education while still being actively involved in community activities and having time to spend with peers.—Shekufeh

Brandy Anderson & Karen Amesse (2022): California Independent Study Charter Schools: Summary of Home-Based Pedagogies, Enrollment Trends, and Student Demographics, American Journal of Distance Education, DOI: 10.1080/08923647.2022.2068316