Forced choice? Is bullying pushing non-binary students into cyber schools?

Little research addresses the schooling experiences of non-binary students;no prior work explores their experiences in cyber schools. Using unique data from a US multi-state cyber charter school, we compare the factors parents of non-binary students and parents of other students stated as reasons for leaving their prior schools to attend a cyber charter school in fall 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic). Despite a small sample size, we found statistically significant differences, with parents of non-binary students two to three times more likely to indicate mental health, safety, and bullying related concerns as motivating their choice of cyber schooling. There were no significant differences regarding physical health, and few involving academic concerns. We also note implications, and directions for future research. © 2023 Educational Review.

Introduction to a Special Section on COVID-19 and Schooling in the U.S.: Disruption, Continuity, Quality, and Equity

Globalization brings benefits such as economic growth and exposure to new products and people. Yet it also brings risks, as shown most recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we introduce a special section on how American k-12 schooling is responding to that pandemic. While media coverage has arguably overstated the dangers of COVID-19, this introduction and the three papers in this special section offer more empirical takes, which together suggest more pragmatism than partisanship in public responses. In the introduction, we compare U.S. and international schooling responses to the pandemic, in part using a survey of informants in 21 nation-states. Generally, the U.S. is taking a more cautious approach than most other developed countries regarding school reopening. Second, in a short white paper, Angela Watson of Johns Hopkins University offers a summary of the extant knowledge of learning pods in the U.S., a fascinating innovation flourishing during the pandemic. Third, in “Reopening America’s Schools: A Descriptive Look at How States and Large School Districts are Navigating Fall 2020,” David Marshall of Auburn University and Martha Bradley-Dorsey of the University of Arkansas discuss how the 50 U.S. states and 120 largest school districts are reopening, largely online. Finally, in “We’re All Teachers Now: Remote Learning During COVID-19,” Dick Carpenter and Joshua Dunn of the University of Colorado/Colorado Springs report results from a national survey of parents, including comparisons of public, charter, and private schools. © 2020 Taylor & Francis.