More families all across Clark County, and Nevada, are talking about microschooling every day, and we are grateful so many have reached out to engage with our team for guidance as they move forward.
With uncertainties about school in the fall seemingly growing worse by the hour lately, conversations about microschooling are rapidly becoming common in education’s mainstream.
Often, families start by learning about homeschooling, and ways homeschool co-ops can “share the lift” between families. And when someone mentions microschooling, the questions and comparisons start flowing quickly:
Can a parent teach microschooling? Yes.
Will there be costs? Yes.
Can microschooling combine students of different grade levels? Yes.
What do they teach? That’s up to you.
And suddenly, Nevada families are talking about microschooling…
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As we speak with more families every day to answer their microschooling questions, a few common areas continue to be on their minds.
Right now for Nevada families, microschooling is more about doing than joining.
We continue to work with a growing number of educators and education-minded parents to help them set up the microschooling arrangements that best meet their families’ education needs. And as our growing microschooling community continues to make progress, there will be more choices for families. For now, this is much -- more -- about building together than about joining.
Where traditional classroom teachers have often acted as the “sage on the stage,” in microschooling, teachers function more as “guides on the side”, using different sources of teaching content, often online. Parents can be microschooling teachers, with some training and preparation, and some established microschool organizations, like Prenda, have developed very effective training programs.
In some other states, microschools can be organized as charter schools, private schools, even microschools within traditional, district-run public schools. Nevada is just beginning to consider microschooling, and our rules and regulations for private schools are especially strict and prescriptive, and we have no charter school microschools established. So for now, microschooling will generally require families to declare themselves as homeschoolers (families can always go back into public or private schools later if they choose to).
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We hope by now you’ve visited MicroschoolingNV.org for some of the answers (and questions to consider) that families considering microschooling should consider.
Big thank you to the hundreds who’ve completed our microschooling surveys. Your thoughtful responses are an enormous help understanding community demand as we work to best support the rapid growth of a vibrant microschooling community.
We find the survey helps parents sort out and consider their priorities and microschooling’s potential. More surveys pour in every day - please consider sharing with others in your circles who may consider microschooling.
Are you considering microschooling? Let us know how we can help, and keep your questions coming. We work with a variety of schools, especially exemplary private and charter, and we love the schools we work with and would be happy to connect you with these schools. We are collaborating with a variety of people in the community to create this network of microschooling opportunities to meet this very real new demand we are hearing.
Each newsletter we highlight microschools around the country we think offer examples Nevadans will find interesting.
The Birch School, in Rock Tavern. NY, creates individual learning plans for each of their students, which include pace of learning, students’ self-chosen interests, and other factors. The Birch School serves students in grades K-12 and offers everything from full-time in person classes and hybrid schedules, to homeschool supports.
IndEd in Leesburg, Virginia has children meet with a mentor to develop a Personalized Learning Plan for each child. The 11-week microschooling program runs in 11 weeks stints. It offers educational support, and the opportunity for children to participate in science, the arts, and civics.
Are you wanting to network with other microschooling families and educators? Join our MicroschoolingNV Facebook group for a chance to meet other individuals interested in microschooling.
We are also leading small group calls between families with similar interests. Let us know if you’d like to join one by emailing Ashley Campbell at ashley@nevadaaction.org or calling 702-202-3573.
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