Tennessee Microschools and Blended Learning

Education options across the state are rapidly evolving to better fit student and family needs. Today, many families are mixing and matching school options to come up with new ways to personalize education.

Microschools:                    

Microschool refers to students learning together in a small group – with a teacher. Microschools can be a group of homeschoolers coming together for a co-op, a small private school, or group of families coming together to create a tailored learning environment for their children. Today, more public and private schools are emerging that are committed to small classrooms. Microschooling is a commitment to small-group learning, close-knit relationships, and an emphasis on teaching children as individual learners.

Here are just a few real examples of microschools in Tennessee:

• The Lab School is an innovative microschool located in the heart of Memphis that serves children ages 5-11.
• Discovery Learners’ Academy is a nontraditional microschool in Chattanooga offering personalized academics, social emotional coaching, and discovery-based science and social studies.
• SailAway Learning & Academy is a microschool that empowers students with personalized literacy and critical thinking support to children in grades PreK-12.
• Imani Montessori is a microschool and homeschool umbrella in East Nashville that seeks to cultivate free thinkers, creative, compassionate, and committed global citizens in service to humanity.

Microschooling is not a specific legal distinction, but an education style. Often, a family may participate in a microschool while legally homeschooling, or being enrolled in a private or online school.

Blended Learning:

Blended learning offers a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity that provides students with the best of both worlds. With this approach, students can spend a few days learning in a traditional classroom setting, and the rest of the week studying from home. The beauty of blended learning lies in its flexibility, as parents can tailor the educational “blend” to suit their child’s unique learning style and needs. Some public and private schools in Tennessee are beginning to offer blended learning to appeal to families looking for more flexibility. Homeschool programs like Classical Conversations and Veritas Classical Schools offer students the ability to attend classes 1-2 days a week and complete the rest of their academic work at home.