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May 2018 Page resized
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Seminole Producer
Proposal Would Expand Unproven Concept:
Online-Only Alternative Schools From EPIC
Jennifer Palmer
Oklahoma Watch
The state’s largest vir-
tual charter school wants
to open an alternative high
school for at-risk students,
saying the school will better
address the needs of strug-
gling students who already
attend or will enroll in its
regular online school.
If the state approves,
Epic Charter Schools would
begin enrolling students in
its alternative school for the
2018-19 school year. Epic
would become the second
virtual school in the state
that is a designated alter-
native school. The other is
Insight School of Oklahoma,
which along with Oklahoma
Virtual Charter Academy, is
part of the national chain of
K12 online schools.
Online-only schools
already attract many at-risk
and academically deficient
students. School lead-
ers say virtual alternative
schools are set up to focus
on helping those students
overcome personal and
learning hurdles in order to
get a high school degree.
The state Department
of Education is reviewing
Epic’s application, which
was submitted May 9.
The proposal, however,
comes amid a growing
volume of research that
shows online education
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
fares poorly at improving
student learning compared
with traditional schools.
In one recent study by
researchers at New York
University and the RAND
Corporation, all students
across all subjects and
grade spans in Ohio learned
less in online school than
their peers in traditional
public and charter schools,
as measured by standard-
ized tests. That included
both high-achieving stu-
dents and low-achieving
ones, for whom the stakes
are high.
Those findings echo
what researchers at Stan-
ford University found in
a 2015 study comparing
online charter schools
with traditional district and
charter schools. The report,
which covered 17 states
and the District of Columbia
(Oklahoma was not among
them), caused some char-
ter school supporters to
distance themselves from
( g )
online charter schools.
In Oklahoma, Epic’s high
school dropout rate was 21
percent in 2016, according
to the latest available report
from the Oklahoma State
Department of Education.
That was double Insight’s
dropout rate of 10.5 percent
and 10 times the state aver-
age of 1.9 percent. Epic’s
2016 graduation rate was
27 percent, compared to
Insight’s 34 percent rate
that year. The statewide
graduation rate is 83 per-
cent.
Administrators at Epic
and other virtual schools
say four-year cohort gradu-
ation rates unfairly measure
virtual schools because the
schools don’t receive credit
for the students who gradu-
ate in more than four years;
many students enroll in vir-
tual school already behind,
they say.
Despite the research
and outcome statistics, the
(See OK Watch on Page 10)
 Seminole Producer
OK Watch
(Continued from Page 1)
growth in the virtual schools
sector in Oklahoma and
May across the country has been
exponential. More than
31 17,000 Oklahoma students
now attend a virtual school,
a 112 percent increase in
2018 three years. (About 5,100 of
those students are in Epic’s
blended school, where stu-
Page dents receive some on-site
instruction.) Parents who
0010 choose virtual schools for
their students often cite bul-
Clip
lying and other safety con-
resized cerns or a need for flexible
37% schedules as reasons for
leaving traditional schools.
From Online schools are often
0001 perceived as best for stu-
dents who have the self-
discipline and motivation
to achieve without frequent
interaction with teachers.
Parent involvement can still
be critical, however. How
high-risk students in online
alternative schools will per-
form in the long run is an
unanswered question.
One student who found
success in an online alter-
native school is Kadi Bogle,
of Pryor. She dropped out
of school at 16 while preg-
nant with her first child and,
two years ago, enrolled at
Insight. She graduated this
year.
Bogle, now a mom of
two, says the teachers and
advisors not only helped
her determine what classes
she needed but also helped
develop a schedule so she
could squeeze in homework
around shifts as a cashier
and taking care of her chil-
dren.
“Most nights I stayed up
until it was time to get the
kids up for the day to get
school work done,” she
said.
Officials at Epic Charter
Schools, which has about
13,000 students combined
in its blended and online-
only programs, say one
reason their academic
performance scores lag is
because many students
start the program credit
deficient. One-third of the
school’s students arrive
behind in the credits they
need to graduate, school
officials say.
Epic Superintendent
David Chaney said with an
alternative school, Epic will
be better able to meet the
needs of vulnerable high
school students, many of
whom are referred by their
school.
“We are honored to serve
these students and know
from both our experience
and research they need
tailored, targeted services
that go beyond simple
credit recovery,” Chaney
wrote in a letter to the state
Department of Education
requesting the alternative
designation.
If approved, the alterna-
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
y y
tive school will focus on
targeted dropout prevention
services, tailored curriculum
and dedicated personnel,
Chaney wrote.
The designation would
allow the school to channel
some struggling students
into the new school. The
state would measure the
schools separately under
the new accountability
system.
A 2017 investigation
by ProPublica, a national
nonprofit news outlet,
found alternative schools
in Orlando and elsewhere
were being used as ware-
houses for low–performing
students so regular schools
could avoid being held
accountable for them.
Charter school sponsors
are responsible for over-
sight and ensuring schools
are not funneling students
to one site over another,
said Brad Clark, an attor-
ney for the state Education
Department.
Same Requirements
Apply
Alternative schools are
designed to serve at-risk
students, such as those
with behavior difficul-
ties, excessive absences,
mental health issues or
other hurdles that make it
difficult to complete a typi-
cal high school program.
There are 17 program
areas alternative school
programs are required to
provide, including arts edu-
cation and life skills instruc-
tion, and virtual schools are
held to the same standard
as traditional schools, said
Jennifer Wilkinson, director
of alternative education for
the state Education Depart-
ment.
“Some things are a
bigger challenge for a vir-
tual school,” said Wilkinson,
adding that the state has
been working with Insight to
keep up consistent contact
with students and parents.
Without a virtual option,
many at-risk students would
drop out and not finish high
school at all, said Sheryl
Tatum, head of school for
the Oklahoma Virtual Char-
ter Academy and the alter-
native school, Insight.
“It’s beyond a gradua-
tion plan. It’s what’s going
on with your life that we
need to help you figure out
… so you can get through
this,” Tatum said. Some of
Insight’s students are young
parents, are working to sup-
port a family or have mental
health issues.
Insight’s graduation rate
was 34 percent in 2016,
which is far below the state-
wide rate of 83 percent but
an improvement over its
rate of less than 5 percent
two years ago.
Alternative schools are
required to offer smaller
class sizes and more
g by
thro
Coo
neer
The
individualized attention. A virtual one. gram
recent review by the Office Insight was founded T
of Educational Quality and in 2014 with a focus on
Accountability found some serving at-risk youth but
to s
help
teachers at Insight carried received an official alterna-
a roster of 100 students tive school designation last
agen
equi
or more in certain classes, year — the same designa- fisca
such as physical science tion Epic is seeking. K12
and algebra. Virtual Schools, a national
$200
able
Tatum said these num- company, manages Insight
agen
bers are difficult to compare and Oklahoma Virtual
to a traditional school class- Charter Academy. The two
recy
O
room. An Insight teacher schools share some admin-
may have 100 or more stu- istrative services but have
lead
recy
dents on their “caseload”, separate governing boards.
DEQ
but they hold live class ses- Tatum said ultimately it’s
sions with 15 to 20 students up to the student and par-
ered
resto
at a time. ents about where to enroll.
Comments from parents “We’re not pushing them oil a
and students surveyed over to Insight,” Tatum said. mini
about the school ranged “We’re going to serve them
from being satisfied with wherever they decide to
the amount of teacher con-
tact – “Teachers respond to
sign up.”
Many at-risk students
L
his questions quickly,” one attend Oklahoma Virtual
parent said – to being frus- Charter Academy, Tatum on
trated with lack of contact said, and the school is 20
– “I have not received any working to increase sup-
feedback from the teach- port programs for at-risk Pra
ers,” another parent said. students there. Sc
Reviewers at the One difference between Co
accountability office had Insight and Oklahoma Mi
mostly positive observa- Virtual Charter Academy, sh
tions about the school, Tatum said, is Insight oper- fie
including its individualized ates on a block schedule
curriculum, class schedul- instead of semesters, which of
ing and efforts to increase gives students the ability to La
student engagement. complete credits faster. an
Few Alternative Schools “We’ve made a difference ye
State law requires all in a lot of kids’ lives that have
public school districts, with graduated and now actually fem
a few exceptions, to provide have a high school diploma me
alternative education pro- and a future,” Tatum said. “I
grams, but just five schools absolutely think there is a als
make it their sole purpose, place for that option.” tic
according to the state Reach Jennifer Palmer be
Education Department. Of at jpalmer@oklahomawatc co
pe
those, Insight is the only h.org.
ex
Obituaries
Ca
Be
Co
an
Thomas White En
Ad
Thomas Dean White
passed away on May 22nd, in
hig
2018.
Dean is preceded in death to
by his parents Thomas and
Mavery White, brother Carl mo
Ne
Coble and grandparents,
Daniel and Mary White, for
ing
and grandmother, Chloe
ne
Kastner.
Ok
He is survived by two
sons and their wives, Brad-
ho
ley White of Oklahoma City, White
Brent White of Ft. Hood, ag
and two grandsons. School where he graduated
pre
Dean attended Bowlegs in 1979.
he
Norman Ranells
Ne
Ju
Pra
Norman Eugene Ranells, is
age 58 and a former resi- da
dent of Seminole County of
in Oklahoma, passed away Mi
Monday, May 28, 2018 at an
his home in Sulphur, Okla- Sp
homa. Ca
A memorial service
is planned for Saturday, An
June 2, 2018, at 2 p.m., at of
Grace Community Church Mi
in Vamoosa with Rev. Ok
Drew Isaacs officiating Wh
and cremation is under the Cit
direction of Swearingen Po
F l H f K
 Muskogee Phoenix

MAKING SURE

Well, I’m proud to be ... STUDENTS SUCCEED

David Shouse said he’s watched
schools improve and change during his
time as administrator.
He recalled working with Irving Ele-

‘True’ or ‘transplant,’ Okies celebrate Muskogee mentary staff when he became principal
there.
“The focus we had at Cherokee was
that there are no excuses,” Shouse
said. “I kind of adopted that philosophy
there.”
Jun Shouse recalled relying on his experi-
ence in southern California, where some
03 of the schools were 98 percent Hispanic.
Irving is in an area with a high Hispanic
population.
“They can be successful, but it’s our
2018 own mindset,” he said. “If we say ‘they
can’t,’ then of course they can’t. But, if
we believe they can, they will. And we
began to watch some of the kids. And
as some of those Hispanic kids grew at
Page Irving, they were some of our top scorers
in what used to be the Oklahoma Core
C001 Curriculum tests.”
Educators used data to track progress
and notice areas needing improvement.
Clip “It was exciting for me to hear ‘Irving’s
resized a good school now,’” he said, adding
that other principals have kept up the
28% growth.

David Shouse discusses his educational philosophy of “meeting students where they are” and using data to drive prog-
ress. He has been in public education for 33 years.
Shouse makes time for
family and students
while providing
leadership
By Cathy Spaulding
cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com
David Shouse says he
has found it convenient
living next to his place of
employment, Tony Goetz
Elementary School.
He’s been the school’s
principal for the past six
years. His son, Ward, just
finished the fourth grade
there.
This year, his home will
be his place of employ-
ment as he becomes prin-
cipal of an Elite Charter
School, an online school.
Shouse said he had
wanted to be in education
since high school.
“I was on the high
school debate team,” he
said. “And I really wanted
to pursue that.”
A California school re-
cruited Shouse to teach
speech and debate while
he was finishing school at
the University of Tulsa.
“That was in 1985,
when you couldn’t find a
teaching job in Oklaho-
ma, hardly,” he recalled.
“There were tons of teach-
ers, not like it is today.”
He spent 13 years in
southern California.
“I learned a lot because
I taught in schools that
were highly Hispanic
population,” he said. “It’s
MEET DAVID
SHOUSE
AGE: 55.
HOMETOWN: Tulsa.  “It’s all from home,” Shouse said. “I
EDUCATION: Stigler High
School, 1981; University of
Tulsa, 1985; Master’s degree
in education administration,
California State University,
1991.
PROFESSION: School
principal.
FAMILY: Spouse, Aaron
Johnson; son, Ward Johnson.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION:
Assembly of God.
HOBBIES: Running, play-
ing the piano. “Now, it’s pret-
ty much being a soccer dad.”
a whole different way of
living.”
He returned to Oklaho-
ma in 1998 to be principal
at Muskogee’s West Mid-
dle School until it closed.
He also taught at Tony
Goetz and Cherokee ele-
mentaries.
Shouse spends much of
his spare time as a soccer
dad for his son, Ward.
He also finds joy play-
ing piano, especially old
hymns. It’s something he
picked up from his moth-
er.
“We used to have big
singing parties at our
house. People would
come with banjos, fiddles
and everything else,” he
said. “Now it’s something
I do to completely relax.
It’s my way out. You re-
ally can’t be listening to
music and be sad about
anything.”
CATHY SPAULDING/Muskogee Phoenix
CATHY SPAULDING/Muskogee Phoenix
Retiring Tony Goetz Principal David Shouse, left, visits with
Wayne Johnson, Muskogee Public Schools facilities and
maintenance director, during a retirement reception.
BECOMING A 
LEADER ONLINE
Shouse is moving from a brick and
mortar schoolhouse to an online school,
Epic Charter School.
“One of my former teachers had ap-
plied to be a teacher there, and when I
was filling out her recommendation, I
thought ‘I wonder if they have principal
openings,’” he said. “Do they even have
principals at online schools?”
He found an opening and applied.
“I have 35 teachers, and each one of
them can have 35 students,” he said. “I
meet with each teacher on a rotation
schedule every three weeks to see if the
children are growing or not growing.”
He said the school’s educational phi-
losophy matches his.
“You’ve got to meet a child where
they are and grow from there,” he said.
“You’ve got to have data-driven instruc-
tion.”
One big difference in his online job?
can be here with my child and still go
to all his activities. I don’t want a job
where I wasn’t able to take off and go to
tournaments or take off and go to soccer
practice.”
He said he also liked being able to
walk to his son’s school, “and be an in-
volved parent at Tony Goetz.”
“I can still be here, still be in the com-
munity, but working from home,” he
said.
MAKING TIME
FOR FAMILY
Shouse’s current pride is his son,
Ward, and soccer.
“His team is ninth in the nation, the
top team in Tulsa,” he said. “It keeps
him involved and keeps him going. It’s
been great.”
He said Ward began playing soccer in
Muskogee when he was 4. He moved on
to Fort Gibson teams.
“His team was so good and undefeat-
ed, and we didn’t want him to think he’d
always be the best one on their team,”
he said. “We went to Tulsa, where he’d
have to work to grow. We stuck with it.
We were not on the top team that first
year. But we stuck with it.”
Shouse said he spends about 20 hours
a week with his son’s soccer.
“It’s in Tulsa, so we travel that road
three or four days a week,” he said.
“Then travel all over doing tourna-
ments.”
He said that every weekend the family
is somewhere at a soccer event.
However, Shouse said he does not see
himself as a pushy soccer dad.
“He loves it,” Shouse said. “As long as
he continues to grow, we want him to
continue doing it.”

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE AN OKIE FROM
MUSKOGEE?
“Twenty years ago, I was working in California. It
was July. I saw in the newspaper that Sonny Bates
was going to resign from West Middle School. And
the superintendent, in the newspaper said, ‘we’ll
never find someone with that experience at this late
date and time.’ And I thought ‘I can move back home.’
And I came back and applied.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT MUSKOGEE?
“It has a great sense of community. It’s still small-
town enough that people know you. When you walk
into the bank, they know you by name. When you
walk into the dry cleaner, they know you by name.
When I see parents out in the community, I might
have had them years ago at West or at Irving. I just
feel a real sense of community here.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE MUSKOGEE A BETTER
PLACE TO LIVE?
Q&A
“I wish we could somehow attract businesses that
have an opportunity to grow. Kids need something
to be able to come back to. They need something to
aspire and come back to. We really need for more op- was the 10th performing school in the district. We
portunities to come in, and know that when kids go
to college to become doctors or lawyers or whatever,
that there is a place for them in Muskogee.”
WHAT PERSON IN MUSKOGEE DO YOU ADMIRE
MOST?
“(Muskogee Superintendent) Mike Garde. He
worked hard. He worked with the city of Muskogee,
with the AIM Committee, with so many different
things out there, partnerships, to bring stuff in for
these kids. I truly believe he made all his decisions on
what was best for the kids. He worked with so many
foundations and partnerships. He never ever gave up
on any of that. He grew us as leaders and grew us as
a professional community. He was always persever-
ing.”
WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING TO
HAPPEN TO YOU IN MUSKOGEE?
“When I went to Irving Elementary School, it
brought it up to third.”
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
“Soccer. Ward plays for TSC, and we’re there all the
time.”
HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP MUSKOGEE IN 25
WORDS OR LESS?
“Great place to raise a family.” 

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Tahlequah Daily Press

Local students graduate

Jun
from EPIC Charter School
05
OKLAHOMA CITY Locust Grove: Jayce
2018
– EPIC Charter School, Cagle.
Page the state’s largest char- Park Hill: Lauren
A04
Clip
ter school, held its Kelley.
resized
94%
commencement cer- Rose: Hayden
emony Saturday, June Foreman.
2, at the Cox Conven- Stilwell: Kelsey Ri-
tion Center. The cer- etman.
emony honored a re- Tahlequah: Ashley
cord number of 1,299 Berry, Brittany Dal-
graduating seniors, lis, Dalton Holloway,
the largest class of Echo Taylor, Hayley
EPIC graduates since Stamps, Kimber Al-
the school’s inception. len, Maribel Santana,
EPIC welcomed Megan Lingbeck, Na-
keynote speaker, Rick talee Owens, Nicho-
Rigsby, a best-selling las Hammack Pres-
author and interna- ton Trammel, Skyla
tionally recognized Delong, Tera Ross,
motivational speaker. Ebony Vintges, Cherrl
Rigsby delivered an Ford, and Delainey
address, pulling from Hancock.
his background as a Welling: Baylee
Texas A&M professor, Scott, Christyn Bur-
life skills coordinator son, and Kylea Brit-
and Aggies football ton.
chaplain. EPIC provides a
Local EPIC Charter fully state-accredited,
School’s 2018 gradu- self-paced, individu-
ates and their home- alized education for
towns are listed below. each student. For
Hulbert: John Paul more information,
Kolb, Lexus Berry, and visit epiccharter-
Nicholas Hammons. schools.org.
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.