news Archives - Meridian Learning

Preserving Community in an Age of Isolation

Posted: July 16, 2025

In a world that grows more technologically advanced by the day, we find ourselves facing an ironic paradox: despite having more ways to connect, many people feel more isolated than ever.

At Meridian Learning, we believe that real learning—and real living—happens in the context of community. Since our founding in 2008, we’ve been helping families step outside of systems that devalue relationship, creativity, and local connection. We’ve guided parents and educators alike in building small learning communities, designed to serve as support networks that feel both deeply personal and profoundly human. Now, in this dawning age of artificial intelligence, our work feels even more urgent.

AI is powerful. It’s efficient. It’s capable of solving problems at astonishing speed. But it cannot replace what we are biologically, emotionally, and spiritually designed for: belonging. As many grow weary from years of feeling unsupported—through crises, through institutional failure, through the loneliness of modern life—we’re seeing a cultural shift toward extreme self-reliance. People feel like they have no choice but to do everything themselves. But self-reliance without community is not resilience. It’s survival. And we were made for more than just surviving.

At Meridian, we are countering this trend by building spaces—both physical and relational—where people are known. Where children are seen. Where parents are supported. Where educators are valued. Our work is rooted in trust, collaboration, and freedom.

Preserving community today requires intention—but it also requires radical transformation of our systems. And that kind of transformation doesn’t happen from the top down. It happens when people lead in their own communities. It happens when families reclaim ownership of their children’s learning. And it happens when government truly serves its purpose: of the people, by the people, for the people. We remain steadfast in our commitment to continue building that kind of world—one community, one relationship, and one courageous family or educator at a time.

Preserving Purpose in an Age of Performance

Posted: July 9, 2025

The Tour de France is underway—a grueling, high-stakes race that demands peak performance, perfect timing, and fierce competition. In the world of education, the race looks a little different. The deadline for the Yass Prize is approaching. This annual “education innovation” contest awards $1 million to one lucky winner. It sounds generous…until you do the math.

Jeff Yass, the hedge fund billionaire behind the prize, is worth an estimated $59 billion, according to Forbes. That’s enough to fund 59,000 $1 million prizes. Or, more impactfully, to fully cover the education of tens of thousands of children—no competition required. Interestingly, many of the same voices championing this prize have spent years methodically steering education toward privatization, turning learning into a for-profit venture under the banner of “reform.” These so-called change-makers aren’t disrupting the status quo—they’re maintaining it, repackaged as innovation.

To be clear, this isn’t a critique of the educators and organizations applying. Most are doing meaningful work and seeking support wherever they can find it. But participation in these contests can unintentionally uphold a system that values competition over collaboration, and spectacle over substance.

At Meridian Learning, our focus is on the day-to-day, relationship-driven efforts that foster real growth. We know from nearly two decades in education that lasting change isn’t built on contests, but on commitment, community, and quiet consistency. Instead of diverting energy to chase prizes, we’re investing it where it matters most: the advancement of meaningful learning through the empowerment of educators, children and families.

Let Freedom Ring: Preserving the Meridian Mission and Grassroots Microschool Model

Posted: July 2, 2025

At Meridian Learning, we believe true educational freedom means staying rooted in our mission—not tethered to unstable state programs or outside corporate influence. One of the reasons we chose not to participate in Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program was our concern that the program would face constitutional challenges and legal instability. That concern is now being realized, with courts ruling the program unconstitutional and further litigation ahead.
👉 Read our full letter to families here.

Much of the current conversation around vouchers is framed in terms of “school choice,” but the truth is — parents already have choice. There are more educational options available than ever before, from microschools to homeschooling to hybrid models. Real choice doesn’t depend on a state-funded mechanism; it depends on access to clear information, community support, and a system that values flexibility and innovation.

At the same time, we’re witnessing a growing trend that threatens the freedom and integrity of education in another way: the rise of private equity in the education sector. The recent acquisition of ACT, the college testing organization, by a private equity firm is just one example of how investor-driven entities are beginning to see education not as a public good, but as a profitable industry.

This kind of corporate influence can lead to standardization, cost-cutting, and top-down decision-making—values that run counter to the grassroots, learner-centered model we believe in. As more educational ventures become shaped by investor returns rather than student outcomes, the freedom to teach, to learn, and to lead authentically is at risk.

Looking ahead, we continue to forge our own path—preserving our grassroots origins, maintaining our independence, and staying intentionally small. This allows us to stay focused on what matters most: advancing meaningful learning through the empowerment of educators, children, and families.

Distinguishing the Grassroots Microschool Movement from the “School Choice” Movement

Posted: March 26, 2024

The microschool movement is focused on sustainability, not “school choice.” “School choice” is largely being funded by billionaires with a goal to privatize public schools. The grassroots microschool movement, which evolved from the desire to incorporate the freedom and flexibility of homeschooling with the benefits of traditional schooling, operates outside of any movement to privatize public schools or shift funding to private schools. We have never needed public schools to “fail” in order for grassroots microschools to succeed, and we never will.

Meridian Learning supports educational options and continues to advocate for long-standing microschools, as well as new and aspiring alternatives with a focus on sustainability.

Visit our grassroots microschools directory to discover microschool options near you or join our network of grassroots microschools — of the people, by the people, for the people.

Meridian Micro Farm Launching Spring 2024

Posted: July 30, 2021

Meridian Learning is excited to announce our adolescent program, Meridian Micro Farm, launching in 2024. This student-run micro business, learning lab and urban Erdkinder completes our family of lab schools and extends our commitment to meaningful, whole-student learning in the 21st century. Follow along here and on social media as we prepare to open enrollment in Spring 2024.