🐴 What happens when kids care?

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💡 1 THOUGHT

"YOU ONLY LEARN WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT"

Jared Fuller was failing high school.

"Son, you have to learn how to learn," his dad told him. "You're only going to learn about something you care about."

Jared didn't understand it then. But that wisdom would later become his north star and the foundation of his work as COO of OpenEd. He recently sat down with Justin Gray and Sean Kester of The Cheat Code podcast to explain how this principle is revolutionizing education for thousands of families across America through programs like OpenEd.

📊 2 TRENDS

FROM "WEIRD HOMESCHOOLER" TO "WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IT TOO" - When we surveyed OpenEd families last year, we expected 80-90% to be veteran homeschoolers. In reality 50% had come from public schools. The cultural shift is stark—ten years ago, mentioning homeschooling triggered questions about social awkwardness. Now? "Every time I tell someone we homeschool, they say 'We've been thinking about that too,'" Jared notes. The "weird homeschooler" stereotype has been replaced by a new reality: mainstream families seeking more of a say in their kids' education.

THE 20-MINUTE MIRACLE - Jared shares a story about a non-verbal, autistic child was drowning in 4,000 minutes of weekly instruction—over 13 hours of mandated screen time. His mom sought help from OpenEd, and after joining consulting with our specialists, discovered he needed just 20 minutes of targeted therapy. Today, he's reading independently.

🔨 3 TOOLS

NatureEye - The platform powering OpenEd's virtual field trips. Recent adventures include touring CERN's particle accelerator, meeting Antarctic researchers, and that SpaceX satellite launch drone tour. OpenEd families get access to exclusive sessions where kids can ask astronauts questions or watch heart surgery live.

Synthesis - You've probably never heard of the school Elon Musk built for his kids at SpaceX headquarters. But when it shut down, two teachers spun out its problem-solving curriculum into Synthesis—weekly team challenges where kids aged 8-14 collaborate to solve complex simulations. No grades, no right answers, just pure critical thinking. Think "escape room meets MBA case study for middle schoolers."

Harnessing the Science of Learning - Educational research is drowning in jargon and locked behind academic paywalls. In his new book, Nathaniel Swain breaks through the noise, distilling complex learning science into actionable strategies any parent can use, focusing on what works: explicit instruction, cognitive load reduction, and systematic approaches that help struggling readers—including dyslexic learners—finally breakthrough.

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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