By Kerry McDonald When Emily Williams told her parents back in early 2020 that she was leaving her job as a certified public school teacher to launch a microschool, they thought she was crazy. Both longtime public school educators themselves, they couldn’t understand why Williams, who taught in Mississippi public schools for more than a decade, would want to give up a good … [Read more...] about Why Former School Teachers Are Earning More Money As Education Entrepreneurs
Microschool
“100 Schools in 10 Years”, Award-Winning Microschool Founder Shares Her Vision
By Kerry McDonald “Mom, I can’t do it anymore,” said Iman Alleyne’s four-year-old son about his pre-kindergarten program. Plagued by anxiety-induced stomach aches and daily crying episodes over going to school, Alleyne’s son was sending clear signals that he needed a different learning environment. At the same time, Alleyne was also feeling dissatisfied in her job as a … [Read more...] about “100 Schools in 10 Years”, Award-Winning Microschool Founder Shares Her Vision
Will the Microschool Movement Last? Lessons from the 1960s “Free Schools”
By Kerry McDonald Over the past couple of years, there has been a surge in the number of microschools spreading across the country. These small, multi-age, co-learning communities with hired educators were gaining popularity before the educational upheaval of 2020, but they were still very much at the edge of the educational landscape. The disruption caused by the pandemic … [Read more...] about Will the Microschool Movement Last? Lessons from the 1960s “Free Schools”
Microschools Remain A Popular Back-To-School Option This Year
By Kerry McDonald Josh Pickel’s dissatisfaction as a teacher was mounting. After several years of teaching in other public schools, mostly at the elementary level, he was finally back in his hometown of Canton, Illinois teaching middle school science at the public school he attended as a child. It was what he had always wanted; yet, he was feeling increasingly … [Read more...] about Microschools Remain A Popular Back-To-School Option This Year
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 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
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
This Microschool Network Is Booming as Families Flee Government-Run Schools
By Kerry McDonald When Jessica Gregory and her husband moved from the Washington, D.C. area in 2020 to a suburban community north of Boston, they expected to find a school for their children that was similar in quality to the one they left behind. They were disappointed to discover that classroom and behavioral management consumed much of the school day, and a rigid … [Read more...] about This Microschool Network Is Booming as Families Flee Government-Run Schools
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