Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Emerging School Models conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The main theme was sharing the enormous growth of microschools since the pandemic, and the influence of Education Savings Accounts on this movement. “Microschools” is a relatively new word, and seems to describe a range of schools and homeschooling-based programs that often have 10-30 students, though sometimes double or triple that number. According to one presentation, somewhere between one million to two million students are now attending microschools. Many are single small programs (North Star), some are part of networks, (Liberated Learners), and some are part of larger chains (Kaipod, Prenda.)
Here are a few conclusions I took from the event:
1) North Star is no longer alone! Compared to 25 years ago, there are now heaps of people experimenting with alternatives to conventional school. My impression is that the majority of these programs are for K-8 students, and they provide a range of approaches, including classical, Montessori, project-based learning, hybrid homeschooling, and self-directed learning. Many microschools offer part-time attendance and may fulfill just one aspect of a student’s program, while others are full-time small private schools. Interestingly, even though North Star and Liberated Learners members are decidedly not schools, we are seen as veterans in this field. To the extent North Star was created before its time, this movement is the culture catching up to us.
2) Most of the programs featured at the conference are either schools or homeschooling programs offering a fairly conventional curriculum. Most microschools are providing a kinder and more creative way for children to “learn what they need to know” as judged by adults and external curriculum writers. Many presenters at the conference celebrated the improved test scores students show after participating in their microschools. I’m glad to know quality people are hosting useful and valuable programs, but I am more interested in moving beyond required curriculum and standardized test scores. Based on the presenters at the conference, I felt reminded that those of us promoting non-coercive approaches are operating at the fringe of this enterprise. Parents and educators want choices, but the vast majority of these microschool founders and parents choosing microschools are cautious of the sort of freedom we celebrate.
3) While the presentations were heavy on direct-teaching, many of the conference attendees are deeply involved in self-directed learning. I thoroughly enjoyed the other 150 conference attendees, many of whom I had met online over the past several years but hadn’t met in person. Highlights for me included speaking with folks such as (and not limited to!) Lori Walker from Village Home in Portland, Pat Farenga of Holt Associates, Robert Enlow, President of Edchoice, Ashley Soifer of the National Microschooling Center, Lisa Snell of Stand Together Trust, Christine Giandorf of Outschool, Logan Calendine of Americans for Prosperity, Kerry McDonald with LiberatED Podcast, Meredith Olson from Vela Foundation, and James Tooley, author of The Beautiful Tree. Being among these friends and allies for two days was completely
inspiring and rejuvenating! I feel hopeful about our future prospects with these folks, and I look forward to deepening these connections, and working together to share our approach with the support of these colleagues.
4) The national leadership of this movement is conservative. The two keynote speakers at the conference were Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma, and Manny Diaz, Jr., Florida Commissioner of Education. These men have made tremendous progress in the field of school choice and public funding for families in their states, and merit this platform to share their experiences. Based on their speeches, however, I fear we do not share deeper common values. I balance that concern with my awareness that the conference attendees and their organizations demonstrate a commitment to a non-partisan movement, and I know the history of school choice includes a lot of energy from the left, as I’ve written in previous blog posts. I would love to see some Democratic party leaders emerge as enthusiastic spokespeople for school choice and bring their party’s values into the conversation. The current lack of political balance makes me temporarily wary of the larger vision for this movement. I will continue to strongly promote the need for public funding and public support for alternatives to conventional schooling, and I will warmly welcome more allies and conversations to promote a deeper dialogue.
5) I am left with mixed feelings about the current state of Education Savings Accounts. I see them as the best current tool to offer families an immediate option to their local public schools, but I fear that most families will choose to spend these funds on conventional curricula in conventional private schools. During my travels to and from the conference, I listened to podcasts from Kerry McDonald featuring the role of Black churches and pastors creating alternative schools in their communities, and from Edchoice.org about Catholic schools utilizing ESAs to expand their offerings. Again, I’m glad that families have some options and some power to choose their schooling, but I’d like to see more options for youth who want greater amounts of freedom and self-direction. My message is that School is Optional, and that we can trust children and teens to declare their own interests and pursue them with guidance and support, not compulsion or coercion. There is something of a gulf between “Parents Rights” and “Youth Rights,” and I will continue working with friends, allies, and colleagues on the “Youth Rights’ angle of things. This conference helped me clarify where we fit in, and I am appreciative of those who made this event possible. Thank you!
