Source for Photo: In Pennsylvania, charter schools and cyber charter schools are required to operate as public, nonprofit organizations. (Adobe Stock) Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Service

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) A new virtual charter school that offers two hours of artificial intelligence-based learning wants to expand into Pennsylvania. The Unbound Academy proposal awaits approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. It operates at some private schools in Texas, but its founders have had charter school applications rejected in Arkansas, North Carolina and Utah. There are 14 cyber charters in Pennsylvania, serving more than 57-thousand students. Carol Burris, with the Network for Public Education, says kids already struggle with online learning – so the A-I-based model may not help. Burris points out the Unbound Academy calls its instructors “guides,” and has plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in Lancaster. An academy cofounder says online charters impart practical skills, help kids learn at their own pace and give home-schooled students another alternative.