“The best of both worlds.” That’s how many parents—and kids—describe hybrid schooling, where students split their learning time between home and school.

Hybrid schooling gives families many of the benefits of at-home learning—flexibility, independence, and more of a say in what kids learn. At the same time, they get many of the benefits of in-person education—support, social time with peers, outside evaluation, and group activities.

There isn’t really one single definition of hybrid schools. And this is part of their appeal. Students may meet in person two days and then learn at home the other three. Or vice versa. Some might have half days in person and the rest of the time at home. Some are official private schools where students enroll to meet compulsory education laws. In others, students are officially registered as homeschoolers. Oftentimes this distinction is based on state homeschooling regulations. When it comes to hybrid schools, parents have a wide variety of options.

EdChoice Director of National Research Mike McShane has been studying hybrid schools for several years. “In a world where it seems like people are always at each other’s throat, fighting over control of the existing school system, hybrid schools are a breath of fresh air,” he says. “They are home to some of the most creative, passionate educators that I have ever met, and are creating school communities that are supportive, enriching, and nurturing. Hybrid homeschooling is one of the most exciting things happening in education today.”

Last weekend, the National Hybrid Schools Project at Kennesaw State University in Georgia held its First Annual National Hybrid Schools Conference. The conference was an amazing opportunity to share ideas about how to start and manage a hybrid school, funding options, how to spread the word to interested families, and the best public policies to support—or at least not hinder—these options. There was a general air of excitement about the education entrepreneurship opportunities that are becoming more and more available as parents look beyond their assigned district school.

Organizer Eric Wearne, KSU professor and director of the Hybrid Schools Project, says, “We had 175 people from over 30 states travel to Kennesaw to talk about hybrid and microschools. There seems to be a lot of demand for discussion among the people starting up these schools. We are glad to have been the first to convene them together and will do it again next year.”

Eric says he’s already had tremendous feedback. One attendee emailed him saying, “Thank you so much for putting on such a wonderful conference that exceeded all expectations! It was a joy to meet others doing similar work. We came away with a few exciting new ideas to incorporate into our program, and shared some ideas that seemed very interesting to others. We are even planning for a Michigan visit from a Texas contingent!”

For anyone who’s bummed they missed out, rest easy. The sessions were recorded and will be available on the Hybrids School Project website in the near future.