National Microschooling Center's Thursday Bulletin
Hello Microschooling Community!
This is an exciting, and busy, time for microschools everywhere, and we love hearing every day about some of the incredible ways this movement is changing “what is possible” in education. We are also excited about some of the new offerings the Center is making available for microschool leaders everywhere, as this week’s issue describes.
Meanwhile, our Center team is gearing up for another movement building whirlwind, and we hope to get to see you in person! Over the next few weeks our team is traveling to Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Nashville, Milwaukee and more! We are looking forward to seeing Microschools, meeting founders and sharing about Microschools with new audiences.
But that travel isn’t slowing down our offerings to you at all! We have a busy fall season with new trainings (hint: if you’re growing you’re going to love these), events ( a briefing webinar just for microschools about the Federal Scholarship Tax Program?), meetings (including our member holiday party) and more!
We know this time of year can start to feel draining (first year Microschool founders, it gets better!), so please don’t hesitate to reach out. Not only are members of the Center team standing by ready to hear you out, offer guidance and be a sounding board, but our member platform is full of Microschool founders and leaders who are waiting to connect with you! Our portal is the go-to to ask questions, share ideas and even to find a cheerleader to keep you going! Stop by the portal, say hello and ask a question or share a story!
In this edition: The Training Institute is growing, chances to connect in person, we’re talking portfolios in Access Point (with an exciting special offer from Prism), and all the events you could hope for!
Three New Trainings Are Now Live!
Our team has been busy! We are so excited to announce three new trainings requested by microschool founders (and did we mention our trainings are free?) in the National Microschooling Center Training Institute! Head on over to the Institute to check out these courses! They are asynchronous so you can move through them at your own pace. Plus, when you complete the course you can register for our live Training Institute Office hours!
Wondering what these trainings are? We just launched Goal Setting with Learners, Hiring for Your Microschool and Understanding Parent Choices!
Hot Topic Webinar Update: U.S. Treasury to Join the Center and Student First Briefing
We are excited to announce that Greg Dolan, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury in the Office of Tax Policy will be joining the National Microschooling Center and Andrew Nelms, Student First Technologies Head of Government Affairs & Strategic Partnerships, on November 5th at 4pm PT/7pm ET for our webinar focused on what microschools need to know about the upcoming Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program. There will be a Q&A, so bring your questions!
*We do not record our webinars. We highly encourage you to attend to access the content and get your questions answered.
What are the Reasons Parents Choose Their Child’s Microschool?
We know that parents choose their child’s microschool for many different reasons,as Don Soifer explains in his latest article, summarizing research findings from National Microschooling Center Research.
Small class sizes and individualized attention for their child were the two most prevalent reasons more than four out of five parents described. Providing a safe school environment for their child followed closely behind, which is certainly understandable considering the growth of the microschooling sector across communities around the country where questions concerning school safety have been covered prominently in local news outlets.
See you in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, November 14th, 9:30am-3:15pm CT
The Center is partnering with Beacon Center of Tennessee for a full-day microschooling workshop! We're covering topics such as Microschooling Trends, Opportunities in Microschooling, Local policy and resources available to founders from Beacon Center of Tennessee, Programming, Teaching & Learning...and so much more!
Join us for this full-day workshop (lunch is provided!). Location provided after registration.
All the Need-to-Know info about Learning Tools and Providers
Considering learning tools, curriculum or other services for your microschool this year? Then you won’t want to miss theAccess Point, the ultimate place for gathering discounts, deals and info!
Special Update from Prism:
What does a year at your microschool look like to a family who hasn't enrolled yet? Prism turns a program's own documentation into an "A year at..." page: the school year told month by month in the program's colors, built from what its educators captured, with no children's faces, and published only when the founder approves it. Five are live atprism.guide/microschools, and they're making more for programs that complete a year with Prism.
Prism gives every learner a living portfolio of their learning. Built for microschools, it lets educators, parents, and learners document the full spectrum of growth, from structured classes to self-directed projects to the moments a test would miss; Prism surfaces the patterns and builds the portfolios, transcripts, and reports that make it visible.
For NMC members: try Prism free for 30 days, then take 50% off your first month. If you're interested in connecting with Prism or other Partnership Providers, please make sure you visit theAccess Point Catalog and complete the form linked at the top!
Events You Need to Know About
Take a look for virtual trainings, conferences, local meetups and more!
National Microschooling Center: Sneak Peak | Monday, Nov. 2nd | 4pm PT/7pm ET
New to microschooling? Wondering how the Center can help you in your microschooling journey? Then this is the meeting for you! You won't want to miss this session with the Center's Outreach Coordinator (and Founder of the Hedge School Cooperative), Dr. Erin Flynn. Register here!
Center Members Quarterly Meeting | October 27th | 4pm PT/7pm ET
It's time for the Center's Quarterly Member meeting! Join the Center team and members from across the country for microschool updates, news from the Center and a chance to connect with founders and leaders from microschools all across the country!
Bring your favorite drink, snack and all your questions, ideas and things you can't wait to share!
These meetings are interactive so we highly recommend being able to come on video and off mute, but we totally get it if you can't!
Flexibilities in Microschooling | Thursday, Oct. 22nd | 3:30pmPT /6:30pmET
This office hour session is part of the National Microschooling Center Measuring Impact training. This is brought to you by the Center's Training Institute and is only available to those that have completed the Flexibilities in Microschooling training.
Join Tiffany Blassingame, founder of The Ferguson School and NMC National Ecosystem Cultivator, in exploring and planning the critical components of instructional leadership, strategy innovation, and processes for constructive feedback and coaching teachers. Register in the member portal! Limited seats remaining!
Literacy Intervention that Works in a Microschool | Wednesday, Oct. 28th | 4pm/7pm
This is a 6-week, members-only cohort facilitated by Redwood Literacy CEO Kait Feriante. This power-packed series will give microschool founders a practical system for spotting, supporting, and writing a plan for the students with dyslexia already sitting in their classrooms. No structured literacy background is required. This cohort is full.
Regional Meetup
Texas Microschool Zoom Meet-up | Wednesday, Oct 28th | 3pm PT/6pm ET
Texas founders, join Dr. Erin Flynn to talk all things Texas microschooling! Email erin@microschoolingcenter.org for more info!
Have a question? Want to share an idea or resource? We love hearing from you, reach out any time!
Ashley & Don Soifer
and the team of the National Microschooling Center
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