The romantic image of a one-room schoolhouse nestled on the midwestern prairie has in its modern equivalent today’s micro-school, or “pandemic pod.” Born amid the COVID-19 pandemic, minimalist by design, their founders say these mini-schools may be small in size but they’re large in curriculum scope, offering individualized instruction in a safe, politics-free environment. “A micro-school takes the best of different educational formats and brings them together,” said Corey Owens, spokesperson for Prenda micro-schools in Arizona. “In groups of five to 10 students led by a guide, learners engage with a personalized, adaptable curriculum, while getting healthy social interaction and opportunities to learn from one another,” Owens said. The first Prenda micro-school opened in Arizona in 2018 with seven students. Four years later the organization operates micro-schools in hundreds of communities in a dozen states with more than 3,000 students, 300 guides, and nine school partners that include both charter …