Books, Blogs, and More
Books we think are interesting
We could have proposed a bunch of books all about microschools, homeschooling, or proposed innovations for public school. However, we want these recommendations to be for books you will be glad you read. Give it a try and tell us how we did.
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
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The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica is an insightful exploration of the intersection between talent, passion, and personal fulfillment. Through engaging stories and examples from a variety of fields, the book illustrates how individuals achieve extraordinary success and satisfaction when they discover their "Element"—the point where natural aptitude and personal passion align. The authors emphasize the importance of fostering creativity, embracing individuality, and rethinking traditional approaches to education and career development.
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The book also challenges conventional wisdom about intelligence and success, arguing that the key to thriving lies in pursuing what truly inspires and energizes a person. It provides a thought-provoking perspective on how to create environments, whether in schools or workplaces, that encourage people to explore and nurture their unique abilities. The Element is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of following one's passion and unlocking potential.
Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow
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Skenazy's book Free Range Kids is all about raising independent and autonomous children who are confident in risk-taking and unstructured play. Read this book if you would like to learn more about how fear has been weaponized to make our children's worlds smaller rather than bigger and to let go of some of that worry and stress.
The Kids Are All Right: Parenting with Confidence in an Uncertain World
by Gabrielle Stanley Blair, Ben Blair
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Gabrielle and Ben Blair's book The Kids Are All Right provides stress-free parenting advice for young, teenage and adult children. This book guides parents (and their teachers) through letting go of the hangups that they had about their own childhoods; the children we are raising today are inheriting a different world than we did, after all. The jobs our tweens and teens are going to school for likely don't exist yet. This book also teaches how to build positive adult relationships with your children as they grow older and leave the nest. Highly recommended!
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
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Daring Greatly by Brené Brown offers a compelling exploration of vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness. Brown’s research is presented in an approachable and conversational style, making complex ideas accessible. The book provides actionable insights into how embracing vulnerability can lead to stronger relationships, more authentic connections, and personal growth in various areas, including parenting, work, and leadership.
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The book challenges traditional ideas of perfectionism and emotional armor, presenting a case for the power of showing up authentically. Through relatable examples and practical advice, Daring Greatly encourages readers to rethink their approach to fear, shame, and connection. It’s a valuable resource for anyone looking to lead a more engaged and meaningful life.
Educational Disobedience: A Mom Who Became a Movement
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Dr. Annise Mabry’s Educational Disobedience is a powerful call to rethink and reclaim agency in education. Through heartfelt storytelling and practical advice, Dr. Mabry shines a light on the systemic issues within traditional schooling while providing parents and educators with actionable strategies to create meaningful, personalized learning experiences. Her passion for empowering families to step outside conventional boundaries is both inspiring and deeply impactful.
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What sets this book apart is its balance of critique and solutions. Dr. Mabry doesn’t just highlight what’s broken—she offers a clear roadmap for change, whether through homeschooling, microschooling, or advocating within existing systems. With its compassionate tone and empowering message, Educational Disobedience is an essential read for anyone ready to challenge the status quo and prioritize the unique needs of every learner. Highly recommended!
Blogs that made us think
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KaiPod is an organization that supports advancing education for kids and contributes to doing that by supporting microschools. There are KaiPod Microschools in multiple states, but they are part of a larger network of microschools that have become possible through their KaiPod Catalyst program to help empower teachers to strike out and create the classroom/school they always dreamed about. The blog is a great mix of KaiPod and general microschool info.
Podcasts
By Professor Greg Jackson
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"History That Doesn't Suck" delivers captivating and well-researched stories from American history, blending academic rigor with engaging storytelling. The podcast presents complex historical events in a clear, accessible manner, making them informative and compelling for listeners of all backgrounds. With its dynamic narrative style, it offers a fresh perspective on key moments and figures, bringing history to life in an entertaining and educational way.
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*Warning - not all language would be considered appropriate for all ages.
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Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong
By American Public Media
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There's an idea about how children learn to read that's held sway in schools for more than a generation — even though it was proven wrong by cognitive scientists decades ago. Teaching methods based on this idea can make it harder for children to learn how to read. In this podcast, host Emily Hanford investigates the influential authors who promote this idea and the company that sells their work. It's an exposé of how educators came to believe in something that isn't true and are now reckoning with the consequences — children harmed, money wasted, an education system upended.​
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Other Stuff
There is so much great material out there that we needed a place to share it. These things run the gamut but are all interesting and worthy of attention. Let us know what you think and if you know of something that should make the list.
Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub Website
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The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy’s Homeschool Hub, funded in part by EdChoice, bridges this gap and provides users with easy access to current homeschool information and downloadable data for all fifty states plus the District of Columbia. Our goal is to remove barriers to rigorous research, increase transparency, and expand awareness to encourage evidence-driven policy.
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The Homeschool Hub is not an advocacy project. It is a reliable, evidence-based source for factual and unbiased information about homeschooling and related education models in the United States. Data come from federal and state sources and academic institutions. We link to primary sources for policy and data, and all information has been carefully reviewed by experienced academic researchers.