9. Shorter School Days, featuring Tesla Academy
Ready to Blend
English - August 01, 2019 00:47 - 1 hour - 58 MB - ★★★★★ - 26 ratingsCourses Education Kids & Family Parenting blendedlearning christenseninstitute classroom digitallearning k12 onlinelearning parenting personalizedlearning studentcenteredlearning teachers Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
How much time should teenagers spend in school? Is your teen over-served by the nonstop schedule at your local comprehensive high school?
This podcast features guest Brad Barber, founder of Tesla Academy, who takes us on a tour of his program in Orange County, Calif. Tesla Academy is a low-cost microschool that serves professional surfers, elite soccer teams, T.V. actors, and dozens of formerly average students who have now become exceptional learners.
Heather begins with an overview of how disruptive innovation begins in circumstances where people are over-served by the existing set of options. Many of the emerging microschools in America follow this pattern, using shorter school days, new staffing models, and online learning to offer a simpler version of school at a lower cost than traditional private schools.
Heather then joins Brad Barber on-site at Tesla Academy to discuss how his program works, why families like the 8 a.m.-to-noon model, the indispensable value of learning coaches, and how Tesla Academy has redefined high school.
The episode ends with Brad Barber talking to Tate Staker, age 15, about what his life would be like if he transferred to Tesla Academy.
For the hot-off-the-press Bellwether Education Report about the growing microschool phenomenon, go to this week's Ready to Blend blog: The Rise of Microschools.