Coi Morefield didn’t know what else to do. Traditional school wasn’t cutting it for her children.

Fed up and feeling frustrated, she used Google to search, "How do I start a school?"

What she found shocked her. 

What she went on to build is the answer she — and many other families — have been searching for.

Apparently, you can just start a school

Morefield originally found the idea of starting her own school overwhelming — even impossible.

"I heard what was as close as I’ve ever heard to an audible voice from God saying, 'Start a school,'" Morefield said. "And I rejected that idea immediately. How do you do that? You can’t just start a school. But apparently you can. There is actually a list that walks you through how to start a school. And that’s what I did."

Morefield, a former teacher, founded The Lab School of Memphis, an innovative microschool serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade. She designed it to empower each child to find a direction for themselves on their own unique education journey.  

"I left education after becoming a bit disillusioned," Morefield said. "What we understand about the origin of compulsory education is that it really was not in service of children. There has been lots of research about learning and learning environments, and the fact that we, as sort of a school system, were unwilling to move in that direction felt really negligent to me."

For her, it came down to focus.  

"Schools are failing a lot of learners because of a failure to focus on young people," she said. "We see a lot of box checking and a lot of benchmarks that give adults permission to make decisions for them really prematurely."

'Outside-the-bubble kind of kid'

Morefield’s vision resonated with other families, too. She hears from them regularly —  parents like Tamesha, whose daughter Trenity was struggling in school.

Tamesha describes her daughter as an "outside-the-bubble kind of kid," and the rigid structure of school — sitting at a desk all day — was holding her back.

"The old school made me feel bad," Trenity said. "We didn’t get to do activities or anything. We just had to be in the desk 24/7."

Tamesha said they had a lot of conversations with the school about trying something different, but the teacher took a stance of "this way or no way."

"I knew for me, it was necessary to remove her from public school, but I was really uncertain of what that would look like," she said.

 Then, Tamesha learned about The Lab School. 

"I was like, 'I have to get my daughter enrolled,'" she said.

When Trenity arrived at The Lab School, her confidence was shot, and the team knew they had some real work to do. They began by determining what she was interested in and building a curriculum around that. For example, because she loves graphic novels, her reading instruction started there.

"When learners are able to explore questions and curiosities that they have, they’re engaged," said Liz Masters, senior guide at The Lab School. "Those learners are taking away so much more."

Restoring hope in education

At the heart of The Lab School’s approach is agency — the power for students to shape their own learning experience.

"In a traditional education setting, it’s very rigid in structure," Masters said. "Learners don’t have that opportunity to make choices about what they’re learning, how they’re learning it. This place has restored my hope in education."

Morefield believes the baseline assumption should be that the young people in your classroom are great — that they will make a powerful contribution to the world.

"At The Lab School, we operate with the perspective of people first," she said. "What makes us unique is our approach, our commitment to knowing who our learners are and acclimating to their pace for learning."

Instead of grade levels, students at The Lab School work on mastering skills at their own pace. Once they’ve mastered a concept, they teach it to others — a practice that deepens their understanding and builds confidence.

For Trenity, this approach has made all the difference. Because she’s had a choice about the content she’s learning and how she’s working on certain skills, there’s been huge growth in her literacy and math skills. In every school year since she started, she’s been at — or above — grade level.

"I saw like a totally different kid," Tamesha said. "She was falling in love with learning, and it was pure magic. Here, she has the ability to really take ownership of her own education."

Not only that, but she loves it.

"I feel excited and happy because I get to be myself here," Trenity said.

No two children’s paths will be the same at The Lab School — and that’s the point.

"What Trenity has found here is agency," Morefield said. "That is the confidence that’s needed to say, 'Wait, I am learning. I can do things.' We are helping to empower every single child to find that direction for themselves because they are all on a unique journey."

The Lab School is supported by VELA, which as part of the Stand Together community supports everyday entrepreneurs who are boldly reimagining education.

Learn more about Stand Together's education efforts and explore ways you can partner with us.