By Kerry McDonald As coronavirus lockdowns have weakened the US economy this spring, causing business closures and layoffs, teenagers are particularly hard hit. According to The Wall Street Journal, the teen unemployment rate is the highest it’s been since at least 1948. Widespread shut-downs in the restaurant and hospitality industries have affected entry-level and … [Read more...] about If Summer Teen Jobs Are Hard to Find, Try Entrepreneurship
Kerry McDonald
The CDC’s Guidelines for Back-to-School Under COVID Sound Traumatizing
By Kerry McDonald When schools reopen in the US amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they will be even more restrictive than they already were. Schools have long controlled students’ movements and imposed constraints on where they can go, when, and with whom. With virus concerns, those controls will increase in quantity and intensity. NPR recently proclaimed that … [Read more...] about The CDC’s Guidelines for Back-to-School Under COVID Sound Traumatizing
Harvard’s Latest Attack on Homeschooling Abuses Reason and Justice
By Kerry McDonald Harvard University publications continue to present a skewed perspective of homeschooling, spotlighting Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Bartholet’s call for a “presumptive ban” on homeschooling while failing to provide an accurate picture of American homeschooling. In addition to the recent Harvard Magazine article on “The Risks of Homeschooling,” … [Read more...] about Harvard’s Latest Attack on Homeschooling Abuses Reason and Justice
Harvard Magazine Calls for a “Presumptive Ban” on Homeschooling: Here Are 5 Things It Got Wrong
By Kerry McDonald Author's Note: This is a copy of my submitted Letter to the Editor of Harvard Magazine regarding its recent article,“The Risks of Homeschooling.” Dear Editor: As a Harvard alum, longtime donor, education researcher, and homeschooling mother of four children in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I was shocked to read the article, “The Risks of Homeschooling,” … [Read more...] about Harvard Magazine Calls for a “Presumptive Ban” on Homeschooling: Here Are 5 Things It Got Wrong
City Schoolhouse: The Innovative School That’s Helping Low-Income Families Educate Their Children
By Kerry McDonald When her daughter began kindergarten in the public elementary school to which she had been assigned in Louisville, Kentucky, Emily Duke quickly realized it was not a good fit. The environment was very stressful for the five year old, whose parents had recently divorced. The rigidity and top-down instructional methods, combined with her emotional turmoil … [Read more...] about City Schoolhouse: The Innovative School That’s Helping Low-Income Families Educate Their Children
Coronavirus Reminds Us What Education Without Schooling Can Look Like
By Kerry McDonald As the global coronavirus outbreak closes more schools for weeks, and sometimes months—some 300 million children are currently missing class—parents, educators, and policymakers are panicking. Mass compulsory schooling has become such a cornerstone of contemporary culture that we forget it’s a relatively recent social construct. Responding to the … [Read more...] about Coronavirus Reminds Us What Education Without Schooling Can Look Like
Coronavirus May Lead to “Mass Homeschooling”
By Kerry McDonald As fears of coronavirus mount around the globe, cities and countries are taking action to prevent the new respiratory virus strain from spreading. While the virus has not yet hit hard in the United States, government officials and health agencies have enacted response plans, corporations are halting travel abroad, and education leaders are grappling with … [Read more...] about Coronavirus May Lead to “Mass Homeschooling”
Yale Study: Vast Majority of High Schoolers Unhappy at School
By Kerry McDonald Most high school students are not happy at school. A new study by Yale researchers finds that nearly three-quarters of high schoolers report negative feelings toward school. The study surveyed more than 20,000 high school students in all 50 US states and found widespread dissatisfaction at school across all demographic groups, with girls reporting slightly … [Read more...] about Yale Study: Vast Majority of High Schoolers Unhappy at School
Families Today Have More Schooling Options Than Ever, But Nowhere Near Enough
By Kerry McDonald I am a glass-half-full kind of person, so while we could focus on the criticisms and some of the setbacks related to expanding educational freedom to more families, there is much more to celebrate than to lament. As National School Choice Week kicks off, it’s a great time to spotlight the growing variety and abundance of education options available to … [Read more...] about Families Today Have More Schooling Options Than Ever, But Nowhere Near Enough
“We” Should Not Regulate Homeschooling
By Kerry McDonald The desire to control other people’s ideas and behaviors, particularly when they challenge widely-held beliefs and customs, is one of human nature’s most nefarious tendencies. Socrates was sentenced to death for stepping out of line; Galileo almost was. But such extreme examples are outnumbered by the many more common, pernicious acts of trying to control … [Read more...] about “We” Should Not Regulate Homeschooling
Outschool.com Takes Education Out Of Schooling
By Kerry McDonald Supporting education beyond schooling is a key feature of many educational technology platforms. While some may be integrated into conventional classrooms, complementing a traditional curriculum, emerging technology is increasingly helping to separate education from schooling and catalyze new models of K-12 learning. As its name implies, Outschool.com is … [Read more...] about Outschool.com Takes Education Out Of Schooling
How Microschool Networks Expand Learning Options
By Kerry McDonald Technology has the potential to decentralize K-12 education and make it more learner-directed, upending a top-down system in favor of individual autonomy and self-determination. But the technology can’t do this alone. It requires a learning environment that fosters creativity and curiosity, using digital platforms and supportive adults to facilitate … [Read more...] about How Microschool Networks Expand Learning Options