Conferences for microschools and “emerging models” are becoming more common. This week, Harvard is hosting its Emerging School Models: Scaling for Success event at the Kennedy School of Government, not the Graduate School of Education. It’s a reminder that the conversation is framed less around children and more around policy, systems, and exclusivity. The language sounds impressive — innovation, momentum, sustainability — but for many of us doing the day-to-day work of running small schools, these conversations can feel far removed from reality.

At Meridian, we recognized the need for authentic connection early. In 2016, we hosted the first grassroots microschools conference — years before microschools became a buzzword or a trend. In 2021, we followed with a second virtual gathering, this time centered on sustainability in the microschool movement. Each gathering was open, accessible, and collaborative, focused on what really matters: how small schools can serve children and families with integrity. The recordings can still be found in our Resource Library.

By contrast, today’s high-profile events are often framed as alternative even though they’re anything but. Held inside established institutions and shaped by funders, they talk about innovation while reinforcing the very systems they claim to disrupt. Many large conferences focus on policy, investment, or system-level reform. They talk about shaping “the future of education” in broad strokes. But microschools aren’t a theory or a policy exercise. They’re communities built in real time around the needs of children and families.

We believe the most important conversations happen in small, authentic spaces — between parents and educators, between guides and children. They happen not in large lecture halls, but in classrooms, backyards, and community rooms. At Meridian, our story isn’t about chasing headlines or institutional validation. It’s about sustaining a grassroots movement, one school and one family at a time. That’s why we’ll host another gathering in 2026 — to explore how small schools can stay small in an era of big tech and big money, and remain focused on what matters most.

Explore our community resources here.