by Aaron Damon-Rush | Oct 10, 2023 | self-directed learning
New! Monthly guest blog post from North Star Alumni Coordinator Aaron Damon-Rush. Aaron is checking in with lots of alumni, and is generating updates he would like to post. Aaron and I agree that using this blog is a fine platform to do so! I aim to post twice...
by Ken Danford | Oct 4, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Ken Danford | Sep 17, 2023 | self-directed learning
Laura Meckler and I were on the Shaker Heights High School debate team together when I was a senior and she was a sophomore. Some forty years later, in just the past month, Laura has published a book about race relations in Shaker Heights called Dream Town, and has...
by Ken Danford | Sep 11, 2023 | self-directed learning
We are on our way! We’ve had our first week of welcomes, preceded by the first-ever “Pizza and Games Night” for new families in late August. For a mature organization, we have a lot of “New” this month. We have approximately 20 new families, including people moving to...
by Ken Danford | Aug 23, 2023 | self-directed learning
We have three new staff members for North Star this fall: Emily Provost, Teresa Jones, and Saleem Mizrachi. We received more than 30 applications for our openings, and we conducted 9 interviews. The process was inspiring: we could clearly staff three full centers with...
by Ken Danford | Jul 23, 2023 | self-directed learning
The highlight for me of the 2023 AERO Conference was meeting some new friends from One Crazy School in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Kateryna, Tania, Dasha, and Yasha traveled from the chaos of war to share their experiences with those of us gathered comfortably at the Long...
by Ken Danford | Jun 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
As the final moments of our year wind down, we are learning that three Core Staff members are moving on to fresh adventures. We celebrate what each of them has given to our community, and we wish them all the best on the next phase of their lives. We will miss each...
by Ken Danford | Jun 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
We lost a valued member of the community last month when Dan Bouquillon passed away. Dan was an alum who also was serving on our Board of Directors this year. I attended his funeral service and burial last week, and there was a chance to say a few words. In summary,...
by Ken Danford | Apr 29, 2023 | Uncategorized
I have continued my reading, listening, and talking about Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) through the past month, and I remain convinced we are at the beginning of a revolution that will change the landscape of education in the United States. Nearly 25 states have...
