Research & Perspectives - Coles College of Business

Research Agenda

The National Hybrid Schools Project is dedicated to documenting, analyzing, and elevating the diverse educational models emerging beyond traditional school systems. Through original research, national surveys, case studies, and data analysis, we seek to identify trends, understand promising practices, and provide meaningful insights into the growth and evolution of hybrid and microschools. The goal is to provide reliable evidence that informs educators, researchers, policymakers, and families while contributing to the broader conversation about the future of K–12 education.

NHSP Reports

Refereed Papers

Wearne, E. (2025). “A Preliminary Survey of Classical Hybrid Schools.” Faith & Economics 85 (2).
Wearne, E. (2025). ‘A Public Economy Approach to Education: School Choice and Co-production’ Revisited. Journal of Institutional Economics, 21, e25.
Lee, M. H., Thompson, J., & Wearne, E. (2025). How Do Hybrid School Leaders Measure Program Success? Experimental Evidence from a National Sample of Hybrid Schools. Journal of School Choice, 19(2).
Thompson, J., Lee, M. H., & Wearne, E. (2024). Are Hybrid Schoolers Reluctant to Participate in Private School Choice Programs? Experimental Evidence from a National Sample of Hybrid School Leaders. Journal of School Choice, 18(4), 653–667.
E. Wearne, J Thompson (2023). “Comparing Commute Distances Between Hybrid and Conventional Schools.” Journal of School Choice.
Wearne, E. (2021). “Hybrid Homeschools: Organization, Regulatory Environments and Reactions to COVID-19.” Journal of Pedagogy, 12(1) 99-118.
Wearne, E. (2019). “Parent and administrator perceptions of hybrid homeschools.” Catholic Social Science Review, Vol. 24, pp. 177-193.
Wearne, E. (2019). “A Survey of families in a charter hybrid homeschool.” Peabody Journal of Education, 94(3), pp. 297-311.
Wearne, E. (2017). “University-model schools ®: A survey of families in five states.” Home School Researcher, 33(3), 2-11.
Wearne, E. (2016). “A descriptive survey of why parents choose hybrid homeschools.” Journal of School Choice, 10(3), 364-380.

Podcasts

Community Crafted Education Podcast

The landscape of hybrid and microschools in various forms – what we will call “community crafted education” – has grown substantially in recent years. On this podcast we will talk about the downstream effects of school choice and especially community crafted education models. Host Eric Wearne, Director of the National Hybrid Schools Project, talks with people who are mostly not a part of the school choice world, about how these new options are affecting or could potentially affect their various fields.

Listen Here

Commentary

Substack: https://restartingschool.substack.com/
Wearne, E. & Loud, T. (2024). “What Happens When Public School Districts Embrace Hybrid Schools?” The74. https://www.the74million.org/article/what-happens-when-public-school-districts-embrace-hybrid-schools/
Wearne, E. (2024). A school sector in search of a name. Education next. https://www.educationnext.org/a-school-sector-in-search-of-a-name/
Wearne, E. (2022). “How Hybrid Schools Are Finding Each Other…and Joining Forces.” FEE.org. Retrieved from https://fee.org/articles/how-hybrid-schools-are-finding-each-other-and-joining-forces/
Wearne, E. (2022). “Opinion: Hybrid schools could be America’s future.” AJC Get Schooled blog. Retrieved from https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-hybrid-schools-could-be-americas-future/UGRFH2AVU5FKVJBEPNG5XDE3KU/
Wearne, E. (2021). “Meet the 11 Million “Overlooked” Students in the US School System—and See Where they May Be Heading.” FEE.org. Retrieved from https://fee.org/articles/meet-the-11-millions-overlooked-students-in-the-us-school-system-and-see-where-they-may-be-heading/

Books

Wearne, E. (ed.) (2023). New Pathways in Teacher Preparation and Certification Perspectives on Alternative Teacher Education Methods. Routledge.
Wearne, E. (2020). Defining Hybrid Homeschools in America: Little Platoons. Lexington Books.

Book Chapters

Wearne, E. (2018). “A descriptive survey of why parents choose hybrid homeschools.” In Maranto & Bell (Eds.), Homeschooling in the 21^st Century: Research and prospects. Routledge.