Tag Archives: Getting Smart

Two years after Universal ESA funding was introduced in Arizona, Phoenix has one of the most interesting and diverse portfolios of microschools in the country. They include district, charter, private schools, and homeschool cooperatives and are located in public schools, on college campuses, in storefronts, and in homes. They are all highly personalized and offerContinue reading “Microschools Changing the Phoenix Education Landscape”

At the beginning of 2022, we attended a rowing class. If you’ve been to a cycling class, you know the feeling – dynamic lighting, loud music, fans, fans, and more fans. This was out of our comfort zone as gyms are not typically places where we find comfort or inspiration. This class, however, was aContinue reading “The Productive Tension of the Me and the We”

By: Reagan Rogers, M.S., Psy.S., National Director of Invo Healthcare’s IMPACT Program In the wake of the pandemic, families, educators, and policymakers are all paying close attention to the impact of trauma on learning, as well as on students’ physical and mental health. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has described mental health as “the defining publicContinue reading “How Educators Can Help Students Understand Their Own Neuroscience, and In Turn, Foster Positive Classroom Behaviors”

We’re a step closer to skills transcripts for all learners today. Better yet, we’re a step closer to moving courses and grades into the background and helping all learners tell their story and express their capabilities. Today, ETS announced that MTC will become a subsidiary. It’s a big deal—not financially, but because it brings togetherContinue reading “Skills Transcripts at Scale: Why The ETS & MTC Partnership is a Big Deal”

With a new $250,000 state grant in hand, a small exurban district superintendent asked for advice on how to invest in #NewPathways. Following are 11 ideas along with some leading examples.  Hire a business partnership coordinator for two years to facilitate work-based learning experiences including client projects and internships. Most of the 85 high schoolsContinue reading “How to Start Investing in New Pathways”

Over the past 120 days, we’ve conducted tours of over 50 high schools in more than 1,000 classrooms across various cities including Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Northern Colorado, Kansas City, Twin Cities, Pittsburgh, and San Diego. These schools were purposefully selected for their dedication to real world learning, positioning them at the forefront of innovativeContinue reading “The State of the American High School in 2024”

Microschools, while not a new concept, are currently garnering increasing attention as an educational innovation. Microschools are small learning environments with typically less than 150 students that offer personalized and student-centered learning experiences. Teachers hungry for more autonomy, families seeking personalized learning, and the constraints of education budgets are all fueling the demand for microschools.Continue reading “Small Schools, Big Umbrella: Expanding, Defining and Scaling the Microschool Ecosystem”

By: Lizette Valles Recently, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, served as a vibrant venue for the first-ever International Micro School Conference hosted by Microschools.com, Mysa, and Prenda. This event gathered a global community of microschool leaders, educators, researchers, social entrepreneurs, and innovators, all sharing a common goal: to exploreContinue reading “Microschools with a World Vision: Insights from the First International Micro School Conference”

For the last five years, Kansas City educators have been visiting high schools across the country in search of great examples of real world learning including client projects, entrepreneurial experiences, internships, college credits, and industry recognized credentials.  Last month, a group of principals visited rural, suburban and urban Chicagoland high schools featuring real world learningContinue reading “Real World Learning in Chicagoland Pathways”

By: Whitney Emke There’s been a lot of talk lately about how things like screen time and pandemic-driven lockdowns are impacting children’s mental health and creating an “anxious generation.” What we haven’t heard nearly enough about, though, is what can happen when teachers and school leaders let students lead their own learning experiences that criticallyContinue reading “‘Anxious’ Generation? More Like ‘Action’ Generation: America’s Students Are Building a Better World”