Kerry McDonald is the Velinda Jonson Family Education Fellow at State Policy Network.

If 2023 was known as the “year of universal school choice,” then 2024 is shaping up to be the year of the education entrepreneur, with enterprising parents and teachers building the supply of assorted education options that parents demand. Network partners are working diligently this year to support these entrepreneurs and find ways to make it easier for them to start and scale their schools and learning spaces.

2024 began with two conferences, organized by grassroots groups of education entrepreneurs in Virginia and Florida, respectively, that spotlighted the growing abundance and diversity of low-cost K-12 learning options. 

In early January, the Thomas Jefferson Institute (one of SPN’s Virginia affiliates), sponsored the first Virginia Education Innovation Conference that brought together education entrepreneurs and innovators from across the state. “Having sponsors like the Thomas Jefferson Institute helped us reach more edupreneurs, fund our pitch competition, and engage in meaningful discussions about the future of education in Virginia,” said conference organizer, Nasiyah Isra-Ul, founder of Canary Academy Online and also a 2023 winner of SPN’s Ed-Prize.

Isra-Ul was introduced to the Thomas Jefferson Institute during a September 2023 workshop, led by SPN, that discussed the challenges education entrepreneurs encounter in Virginia, along with possible policy and non-policy solutions. Since then, Isra-Ul has collaborated more closely with the team at the Thomas Jefferson Institute, including recently being named a Research Fellow at the Institute.

Derrick Max has been building relationships with local education entrepreneurs over the past several months since joining the Thomas Jefferson Institute as President and CEO. He was pleased to be a sponsor of the first Virginia Education Innovation Conference. “This conference brought together leaders and representatives from a diverse group of organizations to share knowledge, make connections, and exchange resources,” said Max. “The conference even included a pitch competition to provide grant funding for new or growing educational alternatives–critical for enhancing educational freedom in the Commonwealth. I look forward to sponsoring the second annual conference next year.”

Two weeks after Virginia’s education innovation conference, entrepreneurs in South Florida hosted a similar event, bringing together more than 400 parents, teachers, learners, entrepreneurs, and education choice advocates. Hosted by the Innovative Educators Network, a non-profit organization that includes more than 120 microschools and similar learning communities supporting over 8,000 learners in South Florida, the first InEd:LIVE! 2024 conference showed what is possible when education pioneers and universal choice policies intersect to expand options for families.

“Reflecting on the monumental success of the InEd:Live! 2024 conference, our hearts are filled with gratitude towards the State Policy Network and the James Madison Institute for their pivotal roles,” said InEd cofounder, Shiren Rattigan, a microschool owner and former teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. “Their participation not only enriched the conference experience but also significantly empowered our members, the edupreneurs, by demystifying the complexities of Florida’s policy landscape. SPN and JMI have been instrumental in providing a platform for our members to delve into policy matters, ensuring that they are well-equipped to navigate the intricacies of educational reform and advocacy.”

William Mattox, Director of the J. Stanley Marshall Center for Educational Options at the James Madison Institute, has been a key supporter of InEd’s work since connecting with the group at an SPN-facilitated entrepreneur workshop in October. “One of the things that impressed me about the InEd gathering in January is that the organizers very shrewdly chose to hold their conference at Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Discovery and Science,” said Mattox “This meant that the microschool entrepreneurs not only got to tell policy experts and prospective ‘edupreneurs’ about their innovative programs, but they also got to tell education-minded families who had come to the children’s museum that Saturday. Many of these families knew very little about microschool options in their area prior to the conference.  This was a brilliant move that helped make this conference unique—and (fittingly) innovative.”

Over the coming months, more Network affiliates will be connecting and collaborating with local education entrepreneurs to support their efforts in expanding the supply of affordable learning opportunities. These are the everyday entrepreneurs who are responding to mounting parent demand for new and different educational options. With Network partners cheering them on while providing strategic support, the future of learning is brighter than ever.