Cortney Danielle Moore

I'm a reporter with the South Florida Business Journal working on a story examining hybrid private schools that combine in-person instruction with online or remote learning. I'm looking to speak with education researchers, school-choice experts, private-school consultants and other experts who can provide data and context on whether these models are becoming more common — nationally and/or in Florida — and what may be driving their growth. I'm particularly interested in understanding whether today's hybrid private-school model represents a meaningful shift in K-12 education or a more formalized version of something that has existed for decades. Flexible and distance-learning arrangements have long been available to students with unconventional schedules, including child performers, elite athletes and children from affluent or highly mobile families. Has the market broadened to a larger segment of families, and if so, why? Questions include: - Is there evidence that enrollment in hybrid private schools, microschools or similar programs has increased in recent years? What data are available to quantify that growth? - When did hybrid K-12 education begin gaining broader traction, and how much did the Covid-19 pandemic accelerate an existing trend versus create a new one? - What types of families are choosing these programs today, and how does that compare with families that historically used private tutors, distance learning or other flexible education arrangements? - What economic or policy factors are contributing to the model's growth? Have education savings accounts, school-choice scholarships or other public funding programs made hybrid private education accessible to a broader market? - From a business standpoint, does hybrid education offer schools advantages in areas such as real estate, staffing, enrollment capacity or operating costs? - Are there significant barriers to expanding these models, and is there reason to believe current demand may be overstated or temporary? - Is "hybrid school" itself a well-defined category? What distinctions should reporters make among hybrid private schools, microschools, virtual schools, homeschool programs and traditional private schools that offer some online instruction? Geography: South Florida expertise is especially helpful, but national experts who can put the local trend in context are welcome.