COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ben Colas recently founded Forest City Academy in Cleveland Heights, a microschool serving 15 students in kindergarten and first grade.
He wanted to open a school that gave families an alternative model to the traditional school system that was more affordable than a typical private school.
“We really focus on letting the kids progress and advance when they are ready, having instruction tailored to what they need, instead of a more arbitrary every first grader learns this, every second grader learns this, and leaving space as well for kids to have choice and agency,” Colas said. Their first school year started this week…