Flexible and personalized,
nonclassroom-based
education is on the rise
The Anderson UHSD v.
Shasta Secondary Home
School case underscored
the prominence of
nonclassroom-based
education, a school
choice option attorneys
with Lozano Smith say
is often not what it is
perceived to be.
20
Leadership
In January 2017, nonclassroom-
based education took center stage, when the
California Supreme Court declined to re-
view a lower court ruling confirming the lo-
cation requirements of the Charter Schools
Act apply to all charter schools, including
“nonclassroom-based” programs.
Interest in the Anderson Union High
School District v. Shasta Secondary Home
School case underscores the prominent
place of nonclassroom-based education in
California’s public school system in an era
of school-choice. These programs take many
forms that are often wildly different from
what one might consider when hearing the
term “nonclassroom-based.”
In California, an estimated 140,000 stu-
dents attend nonclassroom-based charter
schools – many of which operate in a physi-
cal facility, where classes are offered. Fol-
lowing Anderson, school leaders are keenly
aware of the need to compete in this area to
meet the heightened demand for alternatives
to traditional seat-based education. With
the rise in popularity of these programs,
school leaders are reimagining nonclass-
room-based education, what it will be in
the future, and how they can play a role in
delivering it.
Among the many models of choice avail-
able, nonclassroom-based education has
emerged as a popular model. Chameleon-
like in its qualities, no two nonclassroom-
based programs are alike, and no two pro-
grams may be appropriate for the same
student. For these reasons, nonclassroom-
based education is an innovative and in-
triguing school choice option.
What is nonclassroom-based
education?
Nonclassroom-based education occupies a
unique niche in the school choice landscape.
Somewhat of a misnomer, it is not limited
to independent study or homeschooling in
the traditional sense. Rather, in California,
these programs may operate seat-based in-
struction up to four days per week and are
By Megan Macy and Erin M. Hamor