By Kerry McDonald New Jersey education entrepreneurs are embracing an ethos of permissionless innovation, creating new learning solutions that work well for children and others in their communities rather than trying to change an entrenched traditional school system. When Ben Ashfield and Tammy Tiranasar couldn’t find their preferred educational environment for their two … [Read more...] about Why This East Coast State Is Becoming a Hub of Education Entrepreneurship
Kerry McDonald
More States Are Mandating Kindergarten. Here Are 3 Reasons Why That’s A Bad Idea.
By Kerry McDonald This back-to-school season, many parents are eager to drop-off their kindergarteners to begin the 13-year journey toward high school graduation. It can be a joyful time, full of anticipation and excitement. But just because something may be desirable for many families doesn’t mean it should be mandatory for all. California is the latest state to try to … [Read more...] about More States Are Mandating Kindergarten. Here Are 3 Reasons Why That’s A Bad Idea.
How Disruptive Innovation Is Accelerating the Growth of Alternative Learning Models
By Kerry McDonald Disruptive innovation usually begins on the margins, with a few, intrepid users embracing a new product or service. Abetted by new technologies, a disruptive innovation penetrates the mainstream when its quality is proven to be as good, if not better, than more established models. According to author and investor, Michael Horn, a classic example of … [Read more...] about How Disruptive Innovation Is Accelerating the Growth of Alternative Learning Models
How A Decentralized Education System Keeps Hubris In Check
By Kerry McDonald Decentralization is crucial in all sectors but especially in education. While the past two years have been characterized in many ways by top-down policy approaches and greater centralization of power, there have also been positive signs of decentralization and bottom-up solutions. This has been particularly true in education, as parents seek new learning … [Read more...] about How A Decentralized Education System Keeps Hubris In Check
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
One Prominent Libertarian Explains Why Unschooling Is the Best Way to Educate Kids
By Kerry McDonald “It seems obvious to me from my own education that one learns things mostly when you’re interested in learning them and not mostly when somebody sits you down and makes you learn them,” said David D. Friedman in our conversation on unschooling in the latest episode of the LiberatED Podcast. Friedman, a physicist, economist, and law professor who is the … [Read more...] about One Prominent Libertarian Explains Why Unschooling Is the Best Way to Educate Kids
College Enrollment Drops As Students Seek Alternatives
By Kerry McDonald The past two years have been marked by major education disruption at the K-12 level, as more families questioned the schooling status quo during prolonged school closures and remote learning. They left district schools in droves, choosing instead to become independent homeschoolers, join learning pods and microschools, or find high-quality virtual learning … [Read more...] about College Enrollment Drops As Students Seek Alternatives
US Entrepreneurship Is Up, and “Parentpreneurs” Are Among These New Founders
By Kerry McDonald The American entrepreneurial spirit has been revived over the past two years after an extended decline. According to the US Census Bureau, new business owners applied for more than 5 million Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) in 2021, the most in at least a decade-and-a-half of record-keeping. The resurgence of entrepreneurship began in 2020, when … [Read more...] about US Entrepreneurship Is Up, and “Parentpreneurs” Are Among These New Founders
With KaiPod, Parents Decide What Their Children Learn
By Kerry McDonald Curriculum battles in public schools across the US have reached a fever pitch in recent years, with parents and politicians fighting about what children should and should not be taught. The Cato Institute’s Neal McCluskey keeps a running list of these battles, explaining that “rather than build bridges, public schooling often forces people into … [Read more...] about With KaiPod, Parents Decide What Their Children Learn
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