Meredith Olson

mom of four; president @VelaOrg - own your education, don’t let it own you

[Meredith Olson @mereolson]

@DeAngelisCorey This makes me so sad. The vast majority of parents, including homeschooling parents, love their children deeply. We shouldn’t be required to seek permission from the state to raise our children.

[Adam Rossi @rossiadam]

I have some friends that homeschool their kids and the results are pretty shocking.

Their kids score off the charts. And they're only putting 3 or 4 hours a day into whatever they're doing at home.

I didn't homeschool my kids, so I don't know exactly what they're doing. But anecdotally something is working really well.

Once a fringe movement of just 13,000 families in the 1970s, there are now well over 3 million homeschooled kids in the US today, estimates suggest.

Back when I was in school, it felt like a prison.

I would sit in a classroom in rural Virginia with kids that were held back, going at the speed of the slowest kid. learning about topics I don't care about.

I know it sounds hippie-dippy, but I just wish there was some way for kids to pursue their interests.

I had this bizarre report card where I'd have an A in chemistry, science, math, and then a D in everything else.

I just wasn't participating in topics I didn’t find interesting.

I get the teacher's side.

You have to run a classroom through a a curriculum that's been handed to you. Every kid can't be doing their own thing.

But then I see my homeschooling friends getting great results with 3 hours a day because their kids are working on what they're actually curious about.

Compare that to eight hours of kids in class and then the amount of homework a lot of these kids have (especially here in Northern Virginia where we're in a very competitive system).

It's way too much.

College admissions has turned into an arms race. Kids are competing against students from around the world for admission to their state school.

A lot of people don't realize college admissions are based partly on where you're from geographically.

If you're from Fairfax County they say, well, we have 100 other kids from Fairfax County. Where do you rank? You're number 75? Too bad.

But if you're from South Dakota? You might be one of a handful of applicants from that state. Colleges want to say "we have students from all 50 states," which is basically auto-admission

And kids and parents know this.

They're hiring college admissions coaches and tutors. There's this pressure cooker environment. They need 4.0+ GPAs, a laundry list of extracurriculars, charitable endeavors, a perfect essay.

And colleges use their rising costs to justify admitting more international students who pay double tuition.

I don't know how to reform the system.

But when I see homeschooling friends getting these results with three hours a day, I want to know what that is.

[HSLDA @HSLDA]

Victory in Vermont! In a surprising turn of events, a last-minute amendment to restrict homeschool freedom was defeated on the floor of the Vermont Senate this morning.

While we are glad that this last-minute amendment was defeated, it is a sobering reminder that threats to homeschool freedom can strike anywhere, at any time.

We are incredibly grateful to Retta Dunlap at the Vermont Home Education Network (VHEN) for her work to defeat this last-minute amendment, and to the many homeschoolers who contacted their legislators with their concerns so quickly.

And we will continue to monitor H930 and other similar bills for potential threats to homeschool freedom. Learn more about the defeated bill here: https://t.co/Pafyz3bylW

[Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist @DeAngelisCorey]

BREAKING: Vermont Senate just FAILED to pass an amendment targeting homeschool families.

The vote was 6–24.

[Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist @DeAngelisCorey]

BREAKING: Connecticut Senate passed a bill to require parents to prove their innocence before they can homeschool.

The vote was 22–14.
The House passed it 96–53.

It now goes to @GovNedLamont.

CT may be the first state to go backwards on homeschool freedom in the last 50 years.

[Palmer Luckey @PalmerLuckey]

One of the reasons homeschooled kids have superior educational outcomes is avoiding the slow-progress-across-all-subjects method public schools impose on every student, no matter how they learn.

The evaluation/testing you are talking about would almost certainly prohibit that sort of tailored education, especially since they would be designed and administered by a system that wants to eliminate homeschooling in almost all cases.

[HSLDA @HSLDA]

Please contact your senators and urge them to oppose this bill!

If you are able, please also consider showing up to show your opposition. https://t.co/XlAbsEBoWk

[Meredith Olson @mereolson]

@teachthemx3 @VELAorg That’s great! We have lots of VELA founders in TX.

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Close your eyes and imagine this learning environment as @mereolson reads one of @VelaOrg’s founder’s description of how their microschool will educate and form not only children, but also their families. @donsoifer @jandrewclark @RonMatus1

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

@mereolson of @VelaOrg tells us how her education fund has welcomed more than 4,600 founders into its network. They are largely serving low and middle income audience through low cost, private, and home education solutions. @schoolchoicenow

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

What's the profile of a @VelaOrg Founder is an education entrepreneur? A parent, educator, community leader or small-school leader who builds a nontraditional learning environment (microschool, homeschool co-op, hybrid school, pod school, virtual school, etc.). Lots of paths to building a great school of choice. @mereolson @schoolchoicenow

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Ten days ago in a little corner of @Harvard we had big conversations with several brilliant minds. Our second @QMCast season kicks off in the coming weeks and we will continue to draw on industry-experts as we identify best practices applicable in the education space. @ProfMartyWest @lauren_covelli @doughesm @mereolson @ckcarruthers @AlexisMCalatayu

[Meredith Olson @mereolson]

@shakamitchell @Harvard @QMCast I can’t wait for this to publish. Caitlin and Shaka were kind and gracious hosts!

[VELA @VELAorg]

Guess what video just dropped! 🔥VELA President @mereolson @mikeroweworks sat down with Mike Rowe on The Way I Heard It podcast to talk about how bold founders across the country are flipping the script on traditional education. Don’t miss it!

https://t.co/Jrwsa2GRSb

[Amar Kumar @AmarKumarEdu]

Do not let a system trap you. Swim free.

[Meredith Olson @mereolson]

Excited to speak at the 2025 Emerging School Models Conference at @Kennedy_School! We'll explore innovative education models like low cost private and home education. Join here to learn more! https://t.co/ikC9aRSL1b

[Meredith Olson @mereolson]

What happens when parents & founders stop tweaking the old system and build something new? I joined @mikeroweworks to share how @VELAorg is rewriting the rules of education.

https://t.co/bZ0fTbOiVV

[VELA @VELAorg]

What if school didn’t have to look the same for every child? Across the country, families and founders are showing there’s more than one way to learn. VELA President @mereolson sat down with @mikeroweworks on The Way I Heard It podcast to talk about how bold VELA founders are reimagining education.

https://t.co/aQdgGFMm4e

[VELA @VELAorg]

"'Own Your Education' isn’t just about the breakthroughs—it’s about showing up in the breakdowns too." Wise words from Makenzie Oliver of Lighthouse Learning Micro-School, a VELA Con Plenary Speaker, reminding us that ownership means refusing to copy someone else’s dream and daring to build your own.

"You are the author. You are the architect. You are the anchor. And when the world tells you to stay small, you stand tall and say: I am the owner."

"Don’t rent your purpose. Don’t lease your mission. Don’t borrow belief. Own your education—because families are searching, students are waiting, and the future needs you."

What does owning your education mean to you?"