K12 (NYSE:LRN)

This company will underperform long term because it seems more interested in cooking the gradebooks than actually educating teachers. Check out this email from the TN virtual academy ordering teachers to gin up better grades for students. http://www.newschannel5.com/category/257004/tennessee-virtual-academy-email

Defenders of the company look at this clear attempt to manipulate grades as some kind of virtue by allegedly grading students on where they are rather than where they have been but they teachers are clearly ordered to give extra work in the later period to allow students to move their grades up, which suggests to me that the idea is to push through a bunch of easy stuff, base the grade on that, and gin up higher scores.

If a public school pulled something this brazen, there would be no end of screaming about crooked teachers, administrators, unions, etc. For some reason, and underperforming for-profit gets a pass plus a pat on the back. But I doubt that lasts forever.

There are too many articles coming out now that show how badly these online schools actually perform, and given the fact that they often cost states MORE per student than traditional schools, it'll be tough to keep up the ruse for long.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/10/05/07enc_virtualachieve.h31.html

This company fills a real need that has been growing in rural America and is cost effective for school systems that are lacking enough funding for more traditional methods

We will have to watch this one very close, but if they perform to the potential of this market place; Growth could be unlimited. Competition might be fierce in the long run.

http://www.thefinancialinvestigator.com/?p=816&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lrn-the-skirmish-in-seminole-county-and-the-desperate-race

troubles with cost control, many quarters of missed expectations - doesn't sound like effective management. maybe K12 pulls it together eventually, but i'l wager it isn't anytime soon.

Undervalued. ML - $30

If it's overpriced, it's overpriced.

Fool pick for 2012

prices back to almost 7months ago. Thank you US government! The cut in budgets will actually benefit this company.

Uses technology to improve delivery of quality education

Bringing the classroom to people via the internet and pioneering the new frontiers of education. This company is going to be a big part of the future of teaching/learning.

hopefully the teacher's union isn't going to flex political muscle to schwack this.

Public education continues to underwhelm parents academically, socially and morally. However, private school education is out of reach for most. Those highly educated, top earning parents who make too much money to get private school aid but can't afford 30k per year are a prime market for K12.

As Rupert Murdoch quite rightly said at this years G8 education is the last holdup in the Internet market. I believe he is right. Right now the notion of full fledged education via the web sounds a little uncomfortable to parents but then so did buying flights via the web 10 years ago and now everyone is doing it. It's mearly a matter of the slow pace of acceptance that underlies cultural change.

I earned a Master's degree online a couple of years ago. I see plenty of potential for this at the K-12 level, as something to help with home schooling. American public schools are awful, and online learning may help those who wish to escape it. Consider this a long-term investment.

I think this is a revolutionary product that will change education.

This is a small/mid cap high growth stock that should outperform the S&P during the bull market.

Rule Breaker pick

What a shameless fact free plug--oblivious to the mountain of poor historical data on for profit education companies---states everywhere cutting back--im sure this is not on anyone's radar--this is really the lowest I have ever seen TMF go.