Is a microschool homeschool?
by Scott Sessions, July 15, 2024
When I tell people that Julie teaches other people’s children in our home, they may cock their head, but they almost always ask a variation of: “Like homeschooling?”
“Wellll…” I start out. She does teach in our home, but we could rent a room in a building, and it would still be a microschool. Though simplified, here is a comparison, ranked by amount of public funding.
The Basics
Public school. Everyone knows what this is, but at the risk of being obvious, let me point out some things.
Buildings (and busses, playgrounds, support staff, equipment, etc.)
Qualified teachers. What I mean by this is that the teacher completed a four-year degree, did student teaching, and passed the test. The state “qualified” them.
Public funding
Accountability is measured by published test scores, school grading and graduation rates. And school and district administration. Plus one more measure (discussed below.)
Charter school, a.k.a. public charter school. A private organization that uses public money to teach kids.
Buildings
Qualified teachers
Public funding (but not as much as public schools)
Accountability varies but will be like public schools with one large exception: size of administration.
The top high school in the nation, according to US News and World Report, is a charter school right here in Arizona: Basis Peoria.
Microschool-Charter
Buildings, though usually in a home.
Qualified teachers. Not always. Prenda, a large operator in this space calls their adult leaders “guides.” Teachers may work as a guide, but not all guides are qualified to work as a teacher.
Public funding at the charter level
Accountability varies but will be like a charter school.
Microschool-private
Again, homes are a predominant location.
Qualified teachers, most of which have public school experience. Julie has one additional label: she is “highly qualified” because of her additional work.
Public funding at a basic level. The parents have access to $6,500/year, of which Julie charges $5,500 to allow parents money for music lessons, a computer, supplies etc.
Accountability. Discussed below.
Homeschool
Buildings, usually a home
Qualified teacher. Again, using my definition above, a qualified teacher is certified to teach in a public-school setting. Some homeschooled parents are, and some are not. My opinion? Some parents are awesome teachers for their kids, and just like in any other school, some are not.
Privately funded, with ESA money available, except to teach one’s own children.
Accountability. Please see One More Measure below.
Private school. Like a charter school, except that their primary source of funds is tuition. These are frequently the domain of the ultra-wealthy.
One More Measure
Parents. Or grandparents. The adult in the home of the child. For the sake of this next part, I am going to use parents, but I know that sometimes parents are absent from a child’s life and grandparents step in. Or aunts, uncles, or another caring adult.
Parents know their children, long before any school does. They can see where their children struggle, and where they are strong. They love their children and want what is best for them.
If Julie doesn’t do what it takes to help a child move forward, there is no inertia, no barrier for a parent to remove their child from her school. In contrast, if she does what is right, then parents recommend her to others.
This can’t be stated strongly enough. If you wish to judge a school, you can go online and see if they participate in AVID, or see their grade, but if your child is suffering, then it is irrelevant.
A microschool is accountable to the most important people: the ones who love the child the most.
One more thought…
Many discussions about school choice center on money, as in: “They are taking money away from public schools.”
Most, but not all, of my grandchildren are in public schools. Why would I want them to fail? I don’t, and I support paying taxes for them.
Alternate schools come in to play when a child is failing, despite all the interventions.
THIS IS CRITICAL: the child should be the focus, not a school, nor a school type.
One of Julie’s students was years behind. After working with her, he learned about how capable he was and chose to accelerate his learning skills and habits to the point that he is graduating from high school a year early. Now that’s a success story!
More information:
Why Microschooling is Growing in Popularity Across America
Mesa Public School’s tentative budget carries small tax break (sic.)
9 Principles for Microschooling (Look for Roots and Wings)
