In this episode of the Changemaker Edu Podcast, host David K. Richards sits down with Mickey Revenaugh, education innovator, EdTech pioneer, and author of School’s Out: Why Families Are Choosing Unconventional Education. Together, they explore the shift away from traditional schooling and dive into the rapidly growing ecosystem of microschools, hybrid homeschooling, virtual learning, and personalized education.

Mickey shares insights from her decades in educational technology—from editing tech magazines at Scholastic and launching the E-Rate program to co-founding Connections Academy. The discussion highlights how pandemic-era learning accelerated family demand for flexibility and choice, how AI is empowering educators to build custom curricula, and how school districts can adapt by embracing autonomous microschool models.

Key Takeaways & Highlights

• Defining Unconventional Education: How the spectrum of learning models—from multi-generational homeschooling to microschools and niche virtual programs—has evolved into a mainstream movement.
• The Post-Pandemic Catalyst: Why experiencing learning outside the classroom gave parents firsthand evidence of their children’s unique learning needs, making non-traditional options socially acceptable and widely sought-after.
• The "Food Truck" Metaphor for Microschools: Why microschools shouldn't all try to become large-scale "franchises" or "McDonald’s," but rather thrive as unique, community-tailored learning hubs supported by strong local ecosystems.
• The Evolution of Homeschooling & "Switching": Recent research from Johns Hopkins University showing how modern families curate ala-carte, personalized educational journeys rather than sticking to a single model throughout a child's K-12 experience.
• District Microschool Innovations: How forward-thinking public school districts (such as Polk County, Florida, and collaborative networks in Indiana) are creating their own microschools and autonomous options to retain students.
• AI as a Curriculum Equalizer: How artificial intelligence allows passionate educators to design, mix, match, and personalize high-quality multi-age curricula in weeks rather than years.

Mickey Revenaugh is co-founder of Connections Academy, the pioneering online school provider launched in Baltimore in 2001 and now serving students around the world as part of Pearson. Previously, she helped start the E-rate program to wire every American school to the Internet and was longtime edtech editor at Scholastic. Mickey is an advisor to multiple global edtech companies and serves on the boards of Pearson Online Academy, Yellow Arrow Publishing, and the National Standards of Quality for Online Learning. Her book, School’s Out: Why Families Are Choosing Unconventional Education, is out now from Johns Hopkins University Press.

‍