Show Overview

In this episode, I speak with Sora Schools co-founder Indra Sofian about a fresh approach to homeschool high school based on extensive research on how teens really learn.

Indra tells us how he and his two co-founders met at a venture capital firm while at Georgia Tech and started sharing how much each disliked their high school experiences. They started brainstorming a new way to do high school. The idea took root and they invested 1.5 years doing research on alternative schools, what parents and teens are looking for, and what science has discovered about human nature and learning. Sora Schools was born. 

Sora Schools designs learning around the interests of each teen and helps them to create real-world projects. Sora connects teens with mentors in their fields of interest. This virtual high school provides lots of opportunities for teens to connect with each other around learning and just to hang out. 

Connect with Sora Schools to homeschool high school

Learn more about Sora Schools here: https://soraschools.com/

Episode Highlights

1:09: How Indra Sofian, Garrett Smiley, Wesley Samples decided to redesign high school and started Sora Schools so that teens anywhere can homeschool high school.

7:38: It was surprising and not surprising that schools don’t include scientific research on how humans learn

13:39: How Sora Schools connects teens with industry mentors

17:20: Why the founders decided to make Sora Schools a virtual school

23:10: The outcomes of self-directed learning from the Sudbury school longitudinal study

27:33: The secret sauce: how Sora Schools balances structure, expectation, and autonomy

36:19: Teenagers are underestimated. They are much more capable and self aware than we think. 

41:40 How Sora Schools is supporting families and teens in this uncertain time

Want more resources to homeschool high school?

Check out my latest book, Instead of Schooling: Educating for Creativity, Resilience, & Happiness and the extensive resource list to help you homeschool high school.