South Florida's Microschool Boom: How entrepreneur collaboration is fueling the surge
Oct 18, 2022
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Shiren Rattigan, founder of Colossal Academy, discusses the microschool boom in South Florida. Topics include entrepreneurship, education options, VELA Education Fund, collaboration, community support, and redefining education.
South Florida has become a hub for education entrepreneurship, offering diverse education options.
Chirine Radigan's journey from teacher to microschool founder highlights the need for deeper learning experiences.
Colossal Academy's unique approach to learning pods during the pandemic emphasized hands-on, project-based learning.
Colossal Academy focuses on a whole-child approach, combining academics with social-emotional development.
The collaboration among education entrepreneurs in South Florida, supported by the Vela Education Fund, has been instrumental in transforming education.
Deep dives
Emerging K to 12 Learning Models in South Florida
South Florida has become a hub of education entrepreneurship and emerging K to 12 learning models, offering abundant and diverse education options for families.
Chirine Radigan: From Teacher to Micro School Founder
Chirine Radigan, founder of Colossal Academy, shares her journey from being a teacher to becoming a micro school founder. Growing up in an educational background, Chirine rebelled against it initially but eventually embraced her calling to be a teacher.
Challenges in the Conventional Education System
Chirine highlights the challenges she faced in traditional schools, such as concerns for safety and lack of academic rigor. She pursued various teaching opportunities, including Montessori schools, but felt the need for more connection and deeper learning experiences.
The Birth of Colossal Academy and Impact of School Choice
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chirine started a learning pod with a unique approach, delivering educational kits to students' homes and focusing on hands-on, project-based learning. The affordability and accessibility of Colossal Academy were made possible through school choice programs and scholarships.
Colossal Academy's Approach to Education
Colossal Academy emphasizes a whole-child approach, combining academics with social-emotional development. The school provides a balance between academic rigor and joy, fostering students' confidence and self-actualization. Chirine envisions expanding the micro school model to other locations and creating a community of micro schools.
The Impact of Vela Education Fund and Education Entrepreneurship Cluster
Chirine acknowledges the support she received from the Vela Education Fund, which provided financial resources and cultivated a community of education entrepreneurs. The collaboration among this cluster of innovators in South Florida has been instrumental in sharing knowledge and resources, bringing together like-minded individuals who are passionate about transforming education.
The Future of Education in South Florida
Chirine believes that the future of education lies in the shift away from traditional models and towards personalized, community-centered learning. She envisions more micro schools spread across Florida and beyond, offering specialized programs and reimagining the role of public schools as community centers.
Goals for Colossal Academy and Teaching Profession
Chirine's goals for Colossal Academy include expanding to 50 locations and creating a nurturing environment for both students and teachers. She aims to empower educators, reestablishing the teaching profession as a respected and fulfilling career. Chirine is passionate about providing personalized and innovative education experiences.
Connect with Colossal Academy
To learn more about Colossal Academy and connect with Chirine, visit their website at colossal-academy.com. They can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.
There is something extraordinarily special happening in South Florida these days. It has become a hub of education entrepreneurship and emerging K-12 learning models, creating increasingly more abundant and diverse education options for families.
I recently had the opportunity to spend several days in the Fort Lauderdale area gathering with these incredible microschool founders. Shiren Rattigan is one of them. She runs Colossal Academy, a beautiful and inviting microschool for middle schoolers. Shiren also does an incredible job of connecting local founders and other education entrepreneurs with each other and with the greater community, sharing resources, hosting gatherings, offering support and encouragement, and really helping to accelerate this entrepreneurial cluster of innovative learning models and schooling alternatives.
Colossal Academy is a VELA Education Fund grant recipient, as are many of the other microschools in the South Florida area. VELA is a non-profit, philanthropic organization that offers grants to education entrepreneurs who are creating non-traditional learning options and other schooling alternatives, including microschools, homeschool collaboratives, learning pods, etc.
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