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Mesa dad's Prenda Microschools boom amid pandemic

Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2021 - 1:23pm
Updated: Monday, April 11, 2022 - 11:53am
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As the pandemic has upended education in this country, microschools have taken off. And one of the companies behind this phenomenon in Arizona.

Prenda Microschools partner with local public school districts to teach kids in a different way — in small groups of five to 10 students at home or in a community center with the help of a “learning guide” and technology-based curricula.

It was founded by Mesa dad and former clean energy executive Kelly Smith. His background is in nuclear physics, but in 2013, he sold a small software business, moved back to Mesa and found himself with a little extra time on his hands — and his oldest child ready to learn.

That was the beginning of what would become Prenda, which has grown exponentially since. By the fall of last year, there were more than 400 Prenda microschools operating in Arizona and across the country.

New models for education like microschools and learning pods also have their detractors, though, as some argue they’re taking teachers and students out of district classrooms and driving inequity in education.

The Show spoke with Smith to learn about how much his company has grown and where he sees it fitting into the education landscape of the future.

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