As the traditional school system grapples with declining enrollment and chronic absenteeism, the question of “where are the students?” has become a hot topic among media and policy makers alike. At the same time, founders in the VELA Founder Network are experiencing unprecedented and sustained demand. Hear from founders of learning environments who are witnessing the growth of this sector firsthand and explore the barriers and opportunities ahead.

VELA recently surveyed its national network of founders to better understand how learner outcomes are defined and measured in the out-of-system space. This field research confirms that founders have an expansive view of learner success and apply a variety of methods for engaging learners and assessing their progress. Join the session to hear trends and insights on accountability from across the VELA Founder Network, including how their approaches are driving a median annual growth rate of 25% across the network. Founders will share a variety of approaches used to ensure their learning environment is fulfilling its ultimate goal—effectively meeting the needs of the learners and families that they serve.

When philanthropy is built on shared vision, values, and trust, it amplifies creativity and expands founders' capacity to serve their constituents effectively. In this session, hear from national philanthropic leaders and key VELA partners on how they invest – and achieve significant and meaningful impact -- through a partnership- and values-based approach.

There is much speculation about why families might pursue alternatives to traditional schooling. The voices of the families who followed through and made the switch are not represented often enough. Hear directly from families about what motivated them to choose an alternative to conventional schooling, and how this decision impacted their learner. Explore research insights about how family and founder motivations are driving unprecedented shifts in the landscape of K-12 education, and how founders of alternative learning environments are rising to the occasion to serve a growing market of families.

As seasoned homeschoolers know, there are many myths and misunderstandings about out-of-system learner pathways to college, the workforce, and beyond. In this session, hear from VELA founders who have successfully supported learners as they explore postsecondary options and demonstrate their readiness through alternative transcripts, resources, coaching, and tech tools. Learn how alternatively schooled students are empowered to succeed in college, career, or wherever their lifelong learning journey takes them.

VELA founders innovate on time, space, and labor to ensure that they can offer low-cost education solutions that don’t rely on public funding or outside interests. They are champions of creativity and autonomy who focus on delivering quality education tailored to the unique needs of each family. Hear from three founders who wrote their own playbooks on facilities, tuition, and staffing to build sustainable businesses that revolutionize education.

Across the country, VELA founders are building thriving hubs of entrepreneurship where founders share resources and knowledge to strengthen their work and communities. VELA’s Community Connector program invests in founders who are driving the growth of entrepreneur networks in their communities. In this session, Connectors from entrepreneur hubs in Indiana, Kansas, and Georgia will share how organic, local collaboration is accelerating innovation and empowering founders to succeed and grow. Leave with practical ideas for activating a hub of entrepreneurship in your own community.

VELA recently partnered with The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, the Re-Wired Group, and Stand Together Trust to explore what motivates founders to start alternatives to conventional schooling. Learn about the motivations and trade-offs that founders make to provide products and services most valued by the families they serve.

VELA is a movement of founders building sustainable businesses. These resourceful entrepreneurs offer access to low-cost private solutions without dependence on public funding or outside interests. Join this important session to learn how these founders are champions of autonomy -- ensuring that their focus remains on delivering quality education tailored to the unique needs of each family – and in turn, how they are revolutionizing education.

VELA’s greatest asset is its growing network of founders and the collaboration and knowledge-sharing that happens voluntarily between them. To support this, VELA has invested in the creation of a digital resource platform where founders have self-service access to essential tools, training, and resources designed to enhance their programming and sustainability. This platform will also serve as a dynamic hub where families and donors will be able to directly connect with programs aligned to their values and priorities. Get a sneak peek of what we are building and learn more about our vision for the future.

With the expansion of public policies that empower families to choose where, when, and how their learners experience school, there have been both opportunities and setbacks for founders offering alternatives to conventional schooling. Learn more about the evolving landscape and how new learning environments are thriving both in and outside of states with favorable school choice policies. Hear from experts about the trade-offs at hand when it comes to more families accessing education solutions that respond to their unique values, priorities, and desired education practices.

Join us in the Gallery Falling Flowers for a chance to exchange ideas and explore resources with yes. every kid. foundation., Omella, and Khan Academy. The VELA Con Lounge will also be open at this time to connect with peers! Get your legal, operations, and academic questions answered in real-time and build new connections to strengthen your work.

Alternatives to conventional schooling are exploding in all 50 states. Thanks to the efforts of storytellers, influencers, and media platforms, there is also increasing cultural awareness and acceptance of nontraditional learning models. Storytellers use their platforms to amplify the movement, inspiring prospective founders to launch new learning environments, families to explore alternatives, and policymakers to consider this growing market as the force that it is. Hear from key storytellers in the unconventional education movement and learn more about the accelerated interest in this sector.

What happens when you decentralize philanthropy, technology, and decision-making? Members of the VELA Founder Network journeyed towards a new frontier to create the VELA DAO, a Web3 grantmaking experiment that provides funding through a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and a revolutionary philanthropic model that puts ownership in the hands of VELA’s founders. Run entirely by VELA founders to exclusively fund VELA founders, the DAO is showing what’s possible when philanthropists embrace new tools, technology, and thinking to accelerate knowledge exchange.

Join us for an inspirational kickoff to VELA Con 2024! Experience the power of the VELA Founder Network by exploring New Frontiers in Education, featuring founders who are boldly leading the way. Special guest appearances you won’t want to miss!

We are delighted to welcome preeminent thought leaders driving societal change at the intersection of journalism, philanthropy, and cultural transformation. Join Todd Rose, best-selling author, professor, and social entrepreneur, and Derek Johnson, senior vice president of Stand Together, for a conversation facilitated by Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor-in-chief of Reason magazine. Participants will explore the growth of unconventional schooling and what it means for the future of education, our society, and the American Dream.  

Derrell Bradford is a tireless advocate for school choice, especially for school choice benefiting children of color from low-income communities. He’s a regular commentator on cable news, a favorite podcast guest, and the leader of 50CAN, a movement to build the future of education through policy advocacy. Derrell’s recent No More Lines coalition fiercely opposes discriminatory practices embedded in public school residential assignment, and advocates for system transformation so all kids have access to educational opportunity, regardless of where they live. Don't miss this special presentation, as Derrell joins VELA Con to share his story, and the story of how education is evolving in America – where it started and where it’s headed.  

VELA is thrilled to welcome Shaun Alexander, former running back for the Seattle Seahawks and NFL MVP. Shaun and his wife, Valerie, reside in Virginia and are homeschooling parents of their 12 living children. Join us for a special conversation with Shaun to hear about his personal journey from professional athlete to education entrepreneur – and what he envisions for the future of education. 

In our closing session, hear the inspiring story of James Tooley, author of the bestselling book The Beautiful Tree, and his journey across the globe visiting low-cost private schools serving some of the most under-resourced communities in the world. Today, Tooley has turned his attention to exploring the new frontiers in education in America. Get an early look at his forthcoming book, The Beautiful Tree in America, exploring alternatives to conventional schooling in the U.S. and featuring the VELA Founder Network.