By Kerry McDonald The rise of bottom-up education models Across the US, everyday education entrepreneurs are reimagining K-12 education in simple but profound ways. Some of these entrepreneurs are parents trying to solve an educational problem for their own families who decide to bring others along with them. Others are teachers who became fed up with one-size-fits-all … [Read more...] about Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation Across the US: A Case Study
Homeschooling
How Entrepreneurs Are Expanding Education Options For Families in Texas
By Kerry McDonald In early 2020, Chrystal and Joshua Bernard decided that they would begin homeschooling their four young children at the start of the following school year. Their two oldest children were completing first grade and pre-kindergarten, respectively, at a traditional private school in the greater Fort Worth, Texas area, but the Bernards were drawn to … [Read more...] about How Entrepreneurs Are Expanding Education Options For Families in Texas
The (Further) Case for the Free Market in Education
By Kerry McDonald In 1964, Leonard Read wrote a powerful essay celebrating the free market in education. Read, who founded FEE nearly two decades prior to promote individual and economic freedom, recognized the ways in which government control of the K-12 education sector constrained choice and prevented diversity and abundance of learning options. In “The Case for the … [Read more...] about The (Further) Case for the Free Market in Education
Hybrid Homeschooling and the Benefits of a Decentralized Education System
By Kerry McDonald I presented at a conference last week hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School on emerging school models. I talked about the growth and diversification of the microschooling and hybrid homeschooling movement that was already underway prior to 2020 and that has since accelerated. Now, more families recognize the tremendous value of these hybrid homeschool … [Read more...] about Hybrid Homeschooling and the Benefits of a Decentralized Education System
How One State Went From Bottom to Top in Education Choice and Innovation
By Kerry McDonald In addition to expansive education choice policies, the Mountain State has seen the growth of microschools, learning pods, homeschooling collaboratives, and low-cost private schools that are meeting parent demand for more education possibilities. West Virginia has experienced a dramatic expansion of educational freedom over the past year, from the state … [Read more...] about How One State Went From Bottom to Top in Education Choice and Innovation
Empowerment, Exit and Entrepreneurship Will Continue to Transform Education
By Kerry McDonald Over the past two years of social and economic disruption, U.S. education has experienced an extraordinary transformation that can best be defined by 3 “Es”: Empowerment, Exit and Entrepreneurship. Empowerment Beginning in the spring of 2020, and prompted by widespread school closures and remote schooling, parents began to reclaim control of their … [Read more...] about Empowerment, Exit and Entrepreneurship Will Continue to Transform Education
Could Employer-Based Microschooling Be The Newest Workplace Perk?
By Kerry McDonald When Elon Musk created a small school for his children and some of his SpaceX employees on the company’s California campus, he created a spark that could just now be catching on in other workplaces across the country. In a 2015 interview about the school, the billionaire inventor said: “The regular schools weren’t doing the things that I thought should … [Read more...] about Could Employer-Based Microschooling Be The Newest Workplace Perk?
New Data Show the Exodus From Public Schools Is Continuing
By Kerry McDonald Since 2020, more families have been fleeing local district schools for other options. Homeschooling rates doubled in that year alone and remain high today. Home-based “pandemic pods” have evolved into established microschools and co-op arrangements that have worked better for many families than a conventional classroom. Catholic schools, like other private … [Read more...] about New Data Show the Exodus From Public Schools Is Continuing
Teacher and Mom of Four Launches Mask-Free Learning Center in Response to Parent Demand
By Kerry McDonald The coronavirus response over the past two years has transformed education, putting parents back in the driver’s seat and inspiring education entrepreneurs to create new K-12 learning models. There are signs that entrepreneurship flourished during the pandemic response, as employment disruptions prompted individuals to launch new businesses. A new … [Read more...] about Teacher and Mom of Four Launches Mask-Free Learning Center in Response to Parent Demand
4 Positive Education Trends to End 2021
By Kerry McDonald There is a lot to be frustrated about as 2021 concludes. Some places are back in lockdown over rising coronavirus cases, while others are re-imposing previous restrictions and introducing new ones—including my city. But at this joyful time of the year, I choose to be optimistic and focus on all the good things happening right now, particularly in the … [Read more...] about 4 Positive Education Trends to End 2021
We’ve Only Just Begun to See the Benefits of the New Surge in Homeschooling
By Alice Salles Parents across America were caught unprepared for the mass closure of government schools in 2020. Soon after, however, many decided they and their children had had enough of the status quo. Now at a crossroads, will they choose reform or repudiation? The wave of ill-advised school shutdowns last year compelled tens of thousands of parents to rethink their … [Read more...] about We’ve Only Just Begun to See the Benefits of the New Surge in Homeschooling
No, You Don’t Need to be “Qualified” to Homeschool Your Children
By Hannah Frankman Over the years, I’ve heard so many parents dismiss the possibility of homeschooling their children because they don’t feel “qualified.” “I’m not a teacher.” “I’m not good at math.” “I wasn’t good at X in school, so I could never teach my child that subject.” All these assumptions stem from a fallacy about what education is, and what makes an … [Read more...] about No, You Don’t Need to be “Qualified” to Homeschool Your Children