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Posted on: September 15, 2021; Updated on: September 15, 2021
By Barnett Berry, [email protected]
Since COVID-19, some parents looking for educational alternatives for their children have turned towards micro-schools.. Barnett Berry, professor-researcher at the College of Education, explains for The Conversation what sets micro-schools apart from other schools.
1. What are micro-schools?
As the name suggests, micro-schools, which cater for students from kindergarten to 12th grade, are very small schools that typically cater for 10 to 15 students, but sometimes as many as 150. They can have very specific goals. different but tend to share common characteristics, such as project-based learning. They also tend to have closer adult-child relationships in which teachers serve as facilitators of student-led learning, not just providers of content.
Michael Horn, member and co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, well noted: “Think one-class school meets blended learning and home schooling meets private education. ”
Micro-schools can be found inside public schools, as in North Phillips School of Innovation in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. But they are also found in the private sector, such as the MYSA Micro School in Washington. They can work almost anywhere – from living rooms and storefronts to churches, libraries and offices.
Horn reported that QuantumCamp, founded in 2009, was a micro-school created “because of the challenge that one could not teach quantum physics in a simple way”. Acton Academy operates more than 180 micro-schools in the United States and abroad.
Micro-schools are often associated with electronic technology and efforts to privatize public education. For example, SchoolHouse – a New York-based ed tech startup – reportedly raised $ 8.1 million in 2021 to wear its model nationwide.
It’s hard to know how many micro-schools there are in all of the U.S. state’s rules and regulations differ considerably, and there is no national accreditation agency for micro-schools.
2. How are they funded?
The participation fee a private micro-school varies considerably. It can range from $ 4,000 to $ 25,000 per academic year.
These private micro-schools tend to serve families who can afford them – a 2019 survey found that the majority of micro-schools served few low-income students.
Some models are funded by school voucher programs. In Florida, about 1 in 3 students BB International School shoot the state private choice programs to finance their education in micro-schools.
Micro-schools can have much lower overhead costs than public schools, which in turn can reduce typical expenses per student. But neither can they offer the depth of extracurricular possibilities, such as sports, drama, group and more, which parents are looking into a more holistic educational experience for their children.
3. Are they more efficient than regular schools?
There is very little, if any, substantial evidence on the effectiveness of micro-schools compared to regular public schools. However, most research shows little difference in student results between charter, private and public schools. This suggests that there could also be a great variation in the quality of micro-schools.
4. Did the pandemic play a role in their popularity?
In the wake of the pandemic, some parents – frustrated with their children’s response to online learning – have transformed micro-schools and learning modules. For example, the New York Times declared in 2020 that the Pandemic capsules Facebook page had over 41,000 members, suggesting interest in the concept, although the number fell to 38,000 in September 2021. Still, it should be noted that, historically, private schools have served only about 10% of the nation’s students.
The pandemic appears to have played a role in the rise in interest in micro-schools, but a 2020 survey showed that 2 in 3 parents gave their local public school an A or B grade in response to the pandemic.
5. Do micro-schools and public schools work together?
Micro-schools operate within the public school system and can be seen as an extension of the small schools movement.
In 2017, the North Phillips School of Innovation, mentioned earlier in this article, was set up to tackle poor academic performance, high student absenteeism and frequent discipline issues. Students and parents wanted more personalized learning, linked to their life in the community. During the pandemic, the district used its micro-school experience to create learning modules and could more efficiently personalize learning for students and their families.
In addition, during school closures due to the pandemic, the New Hampshire Department of Education developed their version of learning modules to create small multi-age groups of students – from five to 10 students – to help up to 500 students who had experienced academic, social and emotional setbacks.
Finally, the concept of micro-school is aligned with Schools run by teachers – intentionally small schools within the public education system – where teachers have more autonomy to lead and teach.
Perhaps the pandemic can stimulate new public-private partnerships that lead to more equitable and personalized learning in which micro-schools play an important role.
Banner image photo credit: Micro-schools attracted some parents during the pandemic. Complexio / E + via Getty Images
This article is republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read it original article.
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Faculty, College of Education
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