This Is How We CHANGE Education Today | Meredith Olson #451 | The Way I Heard It

A recent Gallop poll found that only 35% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of K-12 education. That’s the lowest rating in over two decades. What’s worse is that public education ranks near the bottom of nearly every major issue Americans were asked about—below immigration, healthcare, and even the environment. That’s not just alarming, it’s tragic. The question is, how long do we have to wait for something better? Whatever the answer, a lot of parents are no longer willing to wait. They’re taking action and the results are super-interesting. Meredith Olson, is the president of VELA, a nonprofit that funds and supports everyday entrepreneurs—parents, teachers, and community leaders alike—who are building nontraditional alternatives to K-12 education. I’m talking about micro schools, hybrid homeschooling, and/or learning cooperatives. I’m talking about classrooms that look more like barns, and schools that exist in strip malls. Today, VELA supports a network of more than 4,200 innovative education models serving more than 6 million students and families across the country. They’ve awarded more than $24 million in grants, helping people take their kid’s education into their own hands, literally. It's disruptive. It’s innovative. And it’s working. If you’re among the millions of voters and taxpayers hoping for better public education, watch this video. And if you like what you see, visit VELA.org and download the VELA app: https://bit.ly/4mEZmVP #podcast #education #school A Special Thanks To: Stand Together, a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems. You can learn more about the people making a difference in their communities and how Stand Together supports their efforts: https://bit.ly/42QrRsy Subscribe for more stories of changemakers: @StandTogetherCC Knobel Tennessee Whiskey, try it now: https://bit.ly/KnobelSpiritsxTWIHI If you like me, and even if you don't, subscribe to my channels and follow me. Much obliged. https://www.youtube.com/@therealmikerowe https://www.youtube.com/@therealmikeroweshorts https://www.youtube.com/@PYSKshow http://instagram.com/mikerowe http://facebook.com/TheRealMikeRowe https://twitter.com/mikeroweworks 00:00 How Meredith became an engineer 04:51 What is VELA? 10:16 Is education broken? 15:04 Education has changed...now what?! 25:10 The effects of COVID 28:22 Insight into VELA schools 35:29 VELA vs. traditional schooling 45:05 How VELA works 49:39 Running into Meredith at Crazy Horse 55:31 The meaning behind VELA's name 58:32 Getting my nose waxed in Zurich 01:04:15 What's next for VELA 01:08:39 The rise of podcasts 01:13:31 Has technology hurt or helped us? 01:18:32 What Meredith is most scared of