The rise of bottom-up education models
Across the United States, education entrepreneurs are reinventing K-12 education in simple but profound ways. Some of these entrepreneurs are parents who are trying to solve an educational problem for their own family and decide to bring others along. Others are teachers who grew tired of standard teaching and decided to create better options. They are all ordinary people who have taken on the extraordinary challenge of transforming K-12 education from the bottom up, with small, neighborhood solutions that have big impact nationally.
Increasingly, these solutions feature original learning models that challenge the traditional academic status quo. These are learning pods and homeschool collaborations that bring local families together for shared teaching. These are hybrid schools that offer part-time and distance learning for homeschooled students. These are micro-schools, which are intentionally small, blended learning establishments with hired educators that emphasize individualized, mastery-based learning. These are low-cost private schools that emphasize personalized learning. These are small public charter schools that seek to innovate while providing a tuition-free option for families. These include virtual platforms, coaching services, tutoring centers and similar programs that make it easier for parents and learners to step outside of a conventional classroom.
This explosion of educational entrepreneurship is happening in communities large and small across the country. From the bustling neighborhoods of New York to the suburban neighborhoods of Richmond, Virginia, the bustling Dallas/Fort Worth region of Texas and the vibrant neighborhoods of Detroit, to the rural corner of Grants Pass, Oregon, the Everyday entrepreneurs create innovative projects, community educational models that allow each learner to flourish.
Over the past few months, I’ve traveled the country meeting these entrepreneurs and visiting the programs they’ve built, as well as interviewing them for my bi-weekly show LiberatED. podcast and regular articles on Forbes And FEE.org. These entrepreneurs are diverse in every way, from their geography and demographics to their distinct educational philosophies and approaches, but they share a common commitment to meeting the educational needs of children beyond a traditional classroom.
Parents want different learning options
Interest in alternative education models, such as homeschooling and microteaching, increased during the first two decades of the millennium, as I detailed in my 2019 book: Out of School: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside of Conventional Classrooms. Disruptions to education caused by the response to the Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated this interest. As of 2020, more parents have become aware of learning options beyond their traditional local schools and have become more receptive to different types of teaching and learning methods.
According to a 2023 analysis According to Stanford economist Thomas Dee, more than 1.2 million students left local district schools between the 2019/2020 and 2021/2022 school years, and many of them were taught at home or in a private educational institution – and remained there. Like Chicago PBS reported as of January 2023, Chicago Public Schools lost 10% of its student population, or approximately 37,000 students, between the 2019 and 2022 school years. Ninety-one percent of the students who left are from low-income households. income, mostly from minorities. Instead, they choose private education and charter schools.
In 2021, the US Census Bureau confirmed this exodus from district schools, reporting a doubling of the homeschooled population and a fivefold increase in the number of black homeschooled students, who became overrepresented in the homeschooled population by relative to the overall K-12 public school population. Homeschooling numbers today remain well above pre-pandemic levels in most parts of the United States. Private schools and charter schools have also seen enrollment increases in many locations over the past three years. estimates suggest that up to two million students are currently learning full-time in a microschool.
Parents want new and different educational options. They want alternatives to the traditional school system, as revealed in a recent poll from Populace, a Massachusetts think tank. revealed. “Americans don’t want “better”; they want different,” said Todd Rose, a former professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-founder of Populace. “They want a way out of the one-size-fits-all approach based on standardized testing models and elite institutions that force us to compete in a zero-sum game and instead of an educational framework focused on individualized learning, practical skills and preparation for a meaningful life.”
Everyday entrepreneurs are reinventing learning
Everyday entrepreneurs are responding to this growing demand for different learning models beyond standard schooling. The VELA Education Fund, a nonprofit philanthropic organization that supports non-traditional and non-system learning models, has awarded 2,000 grants to these everyday entrepreneurs since 2019, totaling more than $24 million. By questioning its beneficiaries, VELA find that 93 percent of students and families attending these nontraditional learning environments are low-income or from historically underserved populations, and that nearly 40 percent of the entrepreneurs who run these programs intentionally serve these populations as part of their organizational mission.
“Our research confirmed something we already knew at VELA: that non-conventional education is for everyone — not just for white, affluent families,” said Michael Crawford, VELA’s director of community research. “What we continue to see is that a wide range of entrepreneurs are creatively responding to the needs of learners and families in their communities by designing tailored, flexible and resilient business models to launch and sustain their programs . »
Research conducted by the National Microschooling Center revealed similar results, with the opportunity to serve “systematically underserved or marginalized communities” named as the top motivator for 100 potential founders, followed by the opportunity to “allow kids to thrive in ways they haven’t before.” done in previous contexts.
This case study features snapshots of 35 entrepreneurial parents and educators who are transforming K-12 education in five communities across the country, showing parents what’s possible for their children and encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs around the world whole to take their own steps forward.
Download the full case study here.
