“Oh, nanoschool is sorta like…”

Different ways of thinking about the nanoschool model

Over the past several months, I have talked to a lot of people about nanoschool. Most of them are parents of school-aged children. Many have spent time and effort learning about educational options for their kids. Some have pulled kids out of traditional public school to try an alternative.

In all of these conversations, there comes a moment where the parent identifies a similarity between nanoschool and another educational model. They are usually right — nanoschool combines innovations and approaches from a variety of places, so it’s not surprising that people see something familiar in the vision. There are also some aspects of the various models that are not included in nanoschool, and I want to be as clear as possible.

For this post, I want to walk through several “alternative” educational models and explore the similarities and differences with nanoschool. Hopefully it will give you a clearer picture of nanoschool. As always, I welcome your feedback and ideas as I work to make this real.

• Nanoschool is like a private school. Many private schools have smaller classes and provide individual and personalized help for each of the students. Nanoschools are made up of 5–10 kids and an adult facilitator, and the small class dynamic is an important part. The facilitator knows each of the kids and can adapt to their needs and interests, in part because learning is self-guided (no lectures). In contrast to private school, nanoschool is a publicly-funded education and tuition-free to the families.
• Nanoschool is like a magnet school. By going deep on a specific subject, magnet schools build a vibrant community and inspire kids to go farther than they otherwise would. Each nanoschool can set its own focus and attract kids around a specific course of study, but nanoschools are much smaller than a typical magnet school, meaning there can be many more options for specialization.
• Nanoschool is like a charter school. By applying public funding for privately-run schools, charters open up tuition-free educational options for kids and parents. Nanoschool extends this idea by adding a lot more options, all free to the families. Just like in the charter world, each nanoschool can set its own focus and the ones that provide high-quality education will thrive. With ratings and videos in their online profiles, the facilitators attract students that will best fit their nanoschool.
• Nanoschool is like Montessori. With self-directed learning as a core principle, Montessori schools have helped millions of kids love learning over the past 110 years. While nanoschool facilitators share a lot of the core attributes of Montessori teachers, there are many differences between the models. For example, nanoschools embrace technology for learning and adopt more academic standards.
• Nanoschool is like homeschool. Over two million kids in the U.S. are homeschooled, and this number is growing fast as families realize the flexibility and customization possible with school at home. Many nanoschools will meet in homes and include siblings of different ages, and every nanoschool will have its own schedule and content focus. In contrast to homeschool, nanoschools include groups of 5–10 kids and are run by a paid facilitator.
• Nanoschool is like online school. Online tools are an important part of nanoschool, both for the learning and also for administrative tasks like tracking goals and progress, storing student projects, and reviewing assignments. The biggest differences are the emphasis on the in-person social interactions among the students and the in-person influence of the adult facilitator.

I get excited when I see parents make the connection between nanoschool and their favorite form of alternative education. It means they have asked themselves the hard questions about how their children are learning, and they are willing to look at something other than “what I grew up with.”

Nanoschool includes elements of all of these models, but it puts them together in a way that is new. I’m excited to try it out! If you want to be part of the experiment, please take a minute to fill out the form at this link, and I’ll be reaching out soon. And even if you think I’m crazy, I would appreciate your feedback and ideas. Don’t hesitate to reach out!