We‘be started to see one-room schoolhouses again, but we’re calling them microschools:
Coined by British education blogger Cushla Barry in 2010, the term refers to educational institutions that emphasize interdisciplinary project-based learning, building social skills such as communication and critical thinking, and tailoring instruction to the needs of each individual student.
The schools tend to focus on teamwork, and they’re small by design—with student bodies ranging anywhere from half a dozen to roughly 150 students. The size limitations, informed by anthropologist Robin Dunbar’s now famous research on the maximum number of relationships most human beings can comfortably maintain, help the employees stay better connected with their students’ individual needs. Portfolio, located in Manhattan’s upscale TriBeCa neighborhood, is one of the most elite (and expensive) microschools, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects.
The movement, which grew from scrappy homeschool roots, has been taken up by nerds who want to hack primary education.