Microschools On the Move

Microschool enrollment is increasing across America.

A microschool is a small, flexible learning environment that blends personalization with a community of learners that offers a tailored, student-centered learning atmosphere.

The 74 highlighted the increased attention toward microschools in an online article last week:

“Kara Fox did not want to wait. A mom of two, she was frustrated by the fall semester at her children’s traditional private school near Omaha, Nebraska – particularly for her 12-year-old son, Gavin. ‘He just felt so hopeless already in the second quarter, before the end of the first semester,’ said Fox, explaining that the rigidity of a conventional classroom and curriculum weren’t working well for her son who has ADHD and is on the autism spectrum.”

“Fox tried to communicate with the school, urging changes and more personalization, but she found the teachers and administrators to be unresponsive. ‘They were unbendingly focused on their programs and agenda for fifth graders that they weren’t willing to accommodate for meeting him where he was mentally,’ said Fox, who has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and served for over 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve.”

“She began to look for other educational options for Gavin, and his younger brother Gabriel, a second-grader. When she discovered Masterpiece Academy, a K-12 microschool launched in 2022 by former public school teacher Hannah Holguin, Fox knew it was the perfect place for her children. ‘When I walked in the environment – the spirit – was just so peaceful and happy,’ she recalled. Fox pulled her children out of their private school in December, and immediately enrolled them in Masterpiece Academy, where they are technically considered homeschoolers but attend the onsite, half-day program five days a week, surrounded by peers and taught by experienced educators.”

“Fox is among the growing number of parents who decide to switch their children’s school midyear, something that is becoming easier to do as microschools and related learning models become more widespread. Unlike many traditional private schools – which typically have set admissions and enrollment cycles, lengthy application processes and hefty tuition price tags – today’s emerging schooling models are usually low-cost, flexible and highly personalized. They often have rolling admissions, with students able to enroll throughout the year….”

New microschools are popping up across the country, most notably in North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, and New Jersey.

“Tom Arnett, a senior fellow at the Christensen Institute, has documented why families are attracted to microschools or similar learning models. ‘Our research shows that many families who switch schools are driven by the reality that school has become a persistently negative experience for their child,’ said Arnett, citing a variety of reasons from bullying to boredom. ‘We also see many families who haven’t switched yet but are actively considering it. Microschools often resonate with these families because they offer a more human-scale environment that reduces friction rather than asking children to endure it.’”

A+UP, a personalized learning microschool launched in 2014, helped 50 young learners, middle school-aged, to define, plan, execute, and evaluate their own learning. These 50 young learners were supported by two exemplary adult learning leaders, one experienced in literacy and the other a problem-solving expert. Over three years, 48 out of 50 of those young learners exhibited four and a half years of growth in their reading, writing, and math abilities.

Here are some of the lessons learned during the A+UP pilot:

Kids can learn how to own their own learning.

Kids and adults respond well to gifts of empowerment, like personal decision-making, building individualized learning plans, and authority to create and monitor budgets.

Family interactions are a positive.

Learning can be, and should be, anytime and anywhere. And it should be rewarded anytime and anywhere.

Growth should be the outcome goal every young learner and their adult learning leader is after.

Relationships matter.

Technology, although not a silver bullet for deep learning, can be extremely helpful to young learners and their adult learning leaders.

Til tomorrow. SVB