Exploring Life & Business with April Jackson of PASS Network Foundation

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Jackson.

Hi April, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Before I started my own microschool, PASS Pod, I was an educator of children and coach of teachers. I worked all throughout the Southeast in this capacity. By the time I reached Atlanta Public Schools (APS) in 2014, I was very alarmed by the amount of Black children who were matriculating from one grade to the next without even foundational reading and mathematical skills. The more teachers complained the more computer-based programs districts bought. The more teachers protested the heavier the burden became theirs alone to solve. The more teachers cried and prayed, the more they insisted that we just keep passing children along. When a district leader in APS visited my classroom and became alarmed because, as he said, ‘It looks like this teacher has been given free range to be creative in her classroom, and that’s a problem’, I was over it. I was still passionate about teaching though. When the pandemic happened, like many others, I seized the moment. I said goodbye to public education and started PASS Pod to provide youths with a culturally relevant and academically challenging learning experience in a small group setting. I am proud to say that most youths in my program grow by two grade levels each year in reading and mathematics.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Choosing this path has definitely come with quite a few challenges.

I was an educator and knew nothing about owning or running a business. The learning curve was huge, and I made a lot of mistakes. However, I joined accelerator programs like those offered by the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, was accepted into a fellowship with Village Micro Fund, and tapped into the free business coaching by Score Atlanta to help build my business acumen.

Another major challenge is the lack of state funding for microschools. In other states, they have Education Savings Accounts (ESA) that parents can use for non-traditional school options. Unfortunately, Georgia legislators have not passed this legislation, so parents have to pay out of pocket. Oftentimes, this means that the families that need this the most don’t have access. I often have to discount the cost to make it more accessible, but that leaves me having to work a second job to be able to afford to do this work. But, I have developed a sustainability plan that will free me to run my school full-time without having to also work a second job in the next few years.

We’ve been impressed with PASS Network Foundation, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At PASS Network Foundation, our mission is to improve post-secondary success and sustainability for youths in vulnerable and marginalized communities by empowering them with the academic, enrichment, and mental health and wellness tools to become self-motivated agents of impactful change in their home, local, and global communities. We believe that by providing accessible education and resources, we can inspire meaningful change and create a more sustainable and brighter future for all.

PASS Network Foundation offers a full-time microschool, after-school tutoring, and a virtual high school program for youths in the South Atlanta Area.

Our founder, April Jackson, is also the co-founder of Black Microschools ATL, a collective of more than ten non-traditional education options for youth in grades K-12.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
This work is fully funded by tuition received from parents and the philanthropy of others. Please consider using this link to donate to our microschool: https://bit.ly/Give2PASSPod.

Pricing:

• $350/mo Part-time Microschool
• $600/mo Full-time Microschool
• $200/mo Tutoring
• $399 Virtual High school

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.passnetwork.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passnetworkorg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passnetworkorg