Miami, Florida
With a belief that every child deserves an education that cultivates their unique sense of self, and an urgent need to meet increasing family demand for precisely this kind of learning environment, Primer is creating student-centered microschools to make personalized and exceptional education accessible for all students and giving great teachers the tools to create their own schools.
About
Primer’s purpose is straightforward and entirely STOP-infused. In the words of founder Ryan Delk, it is, “to build schools that take kids seriously.” Operating across 7 sites in Arizona and Florida and poised to grow to serve several hundred more students with this award, Primer delivers a customized learning experience that empowers kids to discover new paths for themselves they never knew existed. “Thriving in a complex world requires creativity and original thinking, yet our education system is designed for mass production—not individuality. We won’t be able to solve 2050’s challenges with an educational supply chain built for the 1950s.” It is Primer’s commitment to 21st century technologies, its AI-driven dashboards, highly individualized education and focus on establishing schools in underserved neighborhoods that can be a beacon for educational transformation across the nation.
Their Story
In a short two years, Primer Microschools have created spaces where more than 80% of the teachers represent the students they serve, allowing Primer to work towards bridging the achievement gap so all students can achieve success across the states of Arizona and Florida.
Lisa Tarshis
Executive Director
“In a world where the achievement gap between well-resourced and low-income students has skyrocketed 20%, Primer is committed to fostering academic achievement for all children through an innovative, high-quality microschool environment, where each child can be uniquely equipped for a bright, stable future.”
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Why they stand out
Primer combines rich content with the individualized instruction to give every student the agency to pursue their own interests. Recruiting place-based leaders to run their own schools and making what is normally reserved for the more elite available at a below average cost of education, Primer is not only fueling the rapid growth and success of the microschool movement but also making high-quality, adaptable education more accessible. This innovative approach is poised to make a significant impact on the education sector in the years to come!
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How they STOP for education
Setting up microschools in states like Arizona and Florida that provide a sustainable and reliable stream of funding for student choices, Primer removes financial barriers for families and widens access to exceptional schooling.
It’s transformational approach to student centered learning and the incorporation of AI to accelerate learning contributes to outstanding outcomes for students
Primer is permissionless, giving teachers, parents and students the opportunity to drive education to their needs, not the systems’ wants.
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Winning their award
Winning the $1 million Yass Prize award enables Primer Microschools to not only expand and create new schools to reach hundreds more students but to make rapid progress in scaling and combatting what they call – and we agree – is a broken status quo.
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