By Kerry McDonald “I hated going to school when I was a kid,” said Elon Musk in a 2015 interview. “It was torture.” When deciding how his own children would be educated, Musk rejected traditional schooling and created his own project-based microschool, Ad Astra, in 2014, on his SpaceX campus. “The kids really love going to school,” said Musk about Ad Astra in that same … [Read more...] about If Your Kids Aren’t Happy at School, Find Them Another One
Kerry McDonald
Former Public School Teachers Find Happiness In Entrepreneurship
By Kerry McDonald I spent much of last week in the greater Kansas City area visiting microschools and learning pods, and talking to founders, ahead of the Heartland Hybrid & Microschools Summit, hosted by Kansas Policy Institute. All of the seven learning environments I visited in Kansas and Missouri were founded within the past three years and all of the founders are … [Read more...] about Former Public School Teachers Find Happiness In Entrepreneurship
What the Back-to-School Adderall Shortage Really Tells Us
By Kerry McDonald It’s back-to-school season and that’s prompting concerns about further shortages of medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Last fall, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared a nationwide shortage of Adderall, a popular ADHD drug. That shortage is expected to worsen. According to CNBC: “Many children and young … [Read more...] about What the Back-to-School Adderall Shortage Really Tells Us
Compulsory Schooling Laws Have Got To Go
By Kerry McDonald When Massachusetts passed the nation’s first compulsory school attendance law in 1852, parents were mandated to send their children to school under a legal threat of force. Today, that threat remains stronger than ever. Prior to that law, and those that followed in all other US states over the subsequent decades, cities and towns were compelled to … [Read more...] about Compulsory Schooling Laws Have Got To Go
To The Mom Who Doesn’t Want to Send Her Kids to School
By Kerry McDonald It’s back-to-school season and some parents aren’t happy about that. Take the example of Rousmery Negrón, a single mom of two boys who was featured in a recent Associated Press article on chronic absenteeism. After being insulted by his teacher and placed in a special classroom for students with alleged hyperactivity, her middle schooler didn’t want to … [Read more...] about To The Mom Who Doesn’t Want to Send Her Kids to School
In This Business-Friendly State, Why Is It So Hard To Start A Private School?
By Kerry McDonald Entrepreneurship is challenging in any sector, but education entrepreneurs often confront regulatory roadblocks and bureaucratic barriers that make launching a new school or innovative learning model particularly difficult. Some of these roadblocks and barriers include occupational licensing requirements for new school founders, such as those in Nevada … [Read more...] about In This Business-Friendly State, Why Is It So Hard To Start A Private School?
A Rural, Waldorf Microschool Gets Shut Down By State Regulators
By Kerry McDonald Ariel Maguire gathered together with other moms in her rural area of the Big Island of Hawaii to create a child-centered educational solution for local families. It was late 2021 and the parents realized that nearly two years of pandemic policies had left their kids behind both academically and socially. There weren’t a lot of child care or … [Read more...] about A Rural, Waldorf Microschool Gets Shut Down By State Regulators
Celebrating a Milestone For Homeschooling Freedoms
By Kerry McDonald The ubiquity and widespread acceptance of homeschooling as a valid educational option for American families can obscure the fact that homeschooling freedoms were hard-fought. Homeschooling didn’t become legally recognized in all U.S. states until the 1990s, with families who chose to teach their own children in earlier years often harassed and sometimes … [Read more...] about Celebrating a Milestone For Homeschooling Freedoms
Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation Across the US: A Case Study
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
New Research Reveals The Breadth And Impact Of The Microschooling Movement
By Kerry McDonald Nestled at the end of a residential cul-de-sac in Hopewell, Virginia is Dream Tech Academy, a microschool founded by former public school teacher, Danette Buckley. Originally from Jamaica, Buckley moved to the U.S. as an adolescent and gravitated toward a career in education, with a passion for entrepreneurship. “This has been a dream for so long,” … [Read more...] about New Research Reveals The Breadth And Impact Of The Microschooling Movement
Two “Mompreneurs” Created a Forest School That Reaches Thousands
By Kerry McDonald It was a cool, muddy morning in March when I pulled into the empty parking lot of a sprawling forest and nature preserve about 40 miles outside of Fort Worth, Texas. Soon, cars began arriving, filled with exuberant children of all ages, and their parents, who were ready to spend a few hours together in the woods. Donned in rain boots and parkas, these … [Read more...] about Two “Mompreneurs” Created a Forest School That Reaches Thousands
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