School’s Out to Transform Education: How “Unconventional” Learning Models Juice the Traditional System
SESSION DATES & TIMES COMING IN AUGUST 2026
Audience Classification: Digital Learning Audience Expertise: All Levels - This session is intentionally designed to engage and provide value across experience levels-from beginners to seasoned leaders. Grade Level Focus: Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools Primary Audience: District Leader, Teacher, Inst Leader, Policy Maker / Govt Official Does this session focus on a specific product? No – This session is focused on ideas, strategies, or practices, not a specific product or service.
Author/Digital Learning OG School's Out (forthcoming 2026) Brooklyn, NY, United States
Abstract Description : The post-pandemic era in American education has seen a dramatic flowering of new learning models outside the traditional school system. While homeschooling, microschooling, niche virtual schools and a la carte learning all existed before COVID, each of these and many others are now growing by 10% or more a year, while mainstream public schools are losing millions of students. But it’s not a one-way street: In this session, we’ll examine in rapid-fire fashion the many ways in which the “unconventional” learning options that many parents are now seeking are at the same time spurring innovation and improvement in the core system, to the benefit of all learners. Drawing on research from the presenter’s forthcoming book, School’s Out, this session will leave participants with a hopeful roadmap to education’s multifaceted future.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to pinpoint multiple ways unconventional learning models are positively impacting the mainstream system.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to articulate ways in which traditional school systems can accommodate families’ desires for personalized and highly tailored learning experiences for their children.
