What are microschools? Small classrooms growing in school choice movement

In an educational environment that is difficult to define and monitor, microschools have emerged as a growing alternative to traditional schools across the country.

Small classrooms have become increasingly popular since the pandemic, especially among parents with neurodivergent students.

Advocates are hopeful that the trend will continue to grow as it rides the wave of school choice’s growing popularity, but some raise concerns about accountability within these institutions.

‘They’re hard to define’

Microschools are small, private institutions that serve an average of 16 children and offer full-time, part-time or hybrid instruction, according to the National Microschooling Center.

“For microschools, first of all, they are difficult to define and I think that is a good thing. Schools tend to be environments where families and small groups of people – sometimes larger groups of people – guide education in a much more personalized and individualized way,” said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice, a choice advocacy organization. school.

This difficulty in defining comes from a wide range of everything from the way schools are run to who is enrolled and the size and makeup of the staff, even though they typically don’t have a nurse or counselor available.

Advocates say tiny classes are particularly attractive to neurodiverse students and, increasingly, racial minorities.

In terms of parents choosing the microschool, 48 percent of families correspond to the average income level in the area in which the microschool is held, 28 percent had an income slightly below the average income of the area, 12 percent are significantly below and another 12 percent are above it.

The microschooling movement has been around for decades, but advocates say it has really gained attention since the pandemic, as school choice programs and interest have soared, fueled by concerns including school safety and overcrowding.

“It is by no means driven solely by school choice policies. I mean, you’ve certainly seen the growth of certain types of schools in states that have school choice programs, but we see so much interest in blue and purple states that they probably won’t see those types of programs anytime soon. It’s a broad and diverse base,” said Don Soifer, the center’s CEO.

A combination of private and public financing

The way these schools are financed depends on the state in which they are located, including public financing options.

The center found that 43 percent of microschools charge between $5,000 and $10,000, 30 percent cost less than $5,000, 17 percent cost $10,000 to $15,000, 15 percent cost $15,000 at $20,000 and 3 percent costs more than $20,000.

At least six states have universal or near-universal education savings accounts (ESAs), which give parents a certain amount of taxpayer money that they can use toward their children’s education if they do not attend public schools. Parents can spend the money on most school options, including home schools and private schools.

Sixty-three percent of school funding comes directly from parents in the form of tuition, while 32 percent comes from state-funded school choice programs, the National Microschooling Center found.

“Microschools seem to be another strategy to privatize public education. Funding for these schools comes primarily from tuition/fees and state-provided public funds made possible by taxpayer dollars,” said Weadé James, senior director of K-12 policy at the Center for American Progress.

Liability Concerns

A major concern for those looking at the rise of microschooling is the lack of government regulation and accountability that can exist in such difficult-to-define learning environments.

“Because there is no clear definition (federal or state) of microschools, we don’t know the full picture of where these schools are, how they are structured, and who they serve,” James said.

“A recent analysis conducted by the National Microschool Center (NMC) found that 84% of microschools are not accredited. These schools also do not use state-approved curricula, but receive state funds,” he added.

The center found that 38% of microschools are run by currently licensed educators, 33% are previously licensed educators, and 30% do not hold an educator license.

Among current microschool founders, 50% say this is the first time they have launched a business.

“Traditional schools are not performing well and I would say that when it comes to accountability, part of the reason why families are choosing these types of options is because of the failure of accountability. [in public schools],” Enlow said.

Microschools serve about 1% of all students in the U.S., but “at the current rate of growth,” Enlow said, his group hopes to increase that number to 10% in the coming years.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story