On this episode, Tuthill speaks with the co-owner of SchoolHouse, an organization serving several hundred students in eight states by creating flexible learning communities known as micro-pods for four to eight students.
Tuthill and Connor discuss how SchoolHouse connects members of the community with a shared interest in a smaller learning environment to each other, allowing families to customize their learning pod from the ground up. The two also discuss how micro–schools empower teachers as well as students, and how education savings accounts of the type proposed in Florida’s Senate Bill 48 could help more families access smaller, more customized educational options.
“What excites me about ESAs is that it’s really what parents already do, and the government is responding to that. I don’t know a single parent … who doesn’t pick from different vendors for different things … (parents) have choice in their lives, and it’s giving them the money to really fund that, which is exciting.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
· Connor’s background as an educator and education law attorney
· The creation of SchoolHouse, how it works, and how the pandemic accelerated the micro-school learning trend
· Opportunities for teachers to thrive in the customized learning environment of micro-schools
· Creating greater equity for serving families without financial means through ESAs
