\u201cBrain\u201d dissection at Bright Minds. <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jada had been pondering ways to bring what she was learning to other children, but when things were shutting down during the pandemic, she didn\u2019t think it was the right time. Then she considered the parents who had to go back to work and the children who needed a place to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter much prayer, I decided to open a learning center for kids,\u201d she explains. When people pointed out the difficulties, she responded, \u201cI understand that, but I know that if I\u2019m a parent desiring a small intimate learning environment for my children in the midst of these times, surely there\u2019s someone else out there that feels the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

By chance, she found a building available for lease that had the openness she was looking for, so she jumped right in. She began with shorter, 90-minute sessions where kids could come for a fun learning environment, and that grew to become a pre-kindergarten program. After the kids left for kindergarten, several of their parents asked her to start a kindergarten because they weren\u2019t happy with the public school. She\u2019s grown with those students and has offerings through second grade. For kindergarten, kids can choose full-time (Monday through Thursday) or hybrid (in person Monday and Wednesday and at home the other days). First and second grade is currently only the hybrid program. Will she keep growing as her students get older? \u201cAs long as their parents are telling me, \u2018We\u2019re not leaving you, Miss Jada,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

While she wants to be able to expand to meet her students\u2019 needs, Jada doesn\u2019t want to change the small school atmosphere. \u201cIt definitely has a feel of a one-room schoolhouse. And so we know the students; we know exactly where they are, regardless of their age, regardless of their grade. Everyone is on their own individualized learning path, so everyone is moving and progressing at their own pace,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

When the students first enroll, Jada does an initial assessment to see where they are and builds a learning plan from there. This year, she hired another teacher\u2014a literacy specialist\u2014for the first time to ensure she can still provide that individualization with more students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

$\"Hands$ <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At Bright Minds, the day begins with a soft start to \u201cget their brains going,\u201d as Jada puts it. \u201cAfter our soft start, we do a morning meeting, which really sets the tone for the day. We do our social-emotional lessons embedded in our morning meeting where we talk about \u2018what does a loyal friend look like\u2019 or different traits of their character. Then we break off into what we call the work cycle,\u201d she says. During the work cycle, some kids work with the literacy specialist while Jada does math with the other group. After a snack break, they switch groups. For the hybrid students, Jada provides lessons for the satellite (at-home) days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to the academic content offered Monday through Thursday, Bright Minds has a Fun Fridays program for homeschoolers. This provides weekly STEAM enrichment in a project-based learning environment. Students who participate in Fun Fridays can also attend any field trips Bright Minds has during the year.<\/p>\n

With all of the buzz over Texas<\/a> potentially enacting its first private school choice program, Jada is unsure whether she\u2019d participate. She says she\u2019s looking at it \u201cthrough the lens of a former public school teacher, and a parent, and now a business owner\u201d and has some concerns. She understands how it could benefit children\u2014including her own\u2014who are being educated outside the public school system. But she currently has the freedom to pick and choose what she\u2019s teaching without any constraints, and she\u2019s not sure she would want to give that up since her students are thriving. \u201cFrom the feedback that I\u2019ve received from the parents, 100 percent of the students who have gone through Bright Minds are on level or beyond\u2014most of the time it is beyond,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve had students go to the top private schools in our area, and I\u2019ve had students go to public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jada\u2019s concerns are a good example of why it\u2019s crucial for policymakers to give the utmost flexibility when designing school choice programs. Parents and teachers are in a much better position than state bureaucrats to see what individual kids need. Programs that incorporate freedom and flexibility are likely to spur the creation of educational options that can meet diverse student needs and family preferences.<\/p>\n

Like most of the education entrepreneurs I talk to, Jada encourages others who are considering starting their own microschool. \u201cGo for it,\u201d she urges. \u201cI do believe that this is such an innovative group of people that are saying, \u2018No, I don\u2019t want to conform. I want to be able to provide XYZ. I want to be a trailblazer for education. I want to be a pioneer for non-traditional environments. I want to make a difference in a way that may be out of the norm, out-of-the-box, or unexpected.\u2019 And I think if they just reflect on their \u2018why\u2019 and really stick to what\u2019s driving them, what\u2019s motivating them, I think they\u2019ll go really far.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"