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Cultivate: The Homeschool Leaders Conference
For co-op and microschool leaders and teachers. An online summit where the people who run homeschool groups learn from each other.
When: February 9–11, 2027
Where: Online
Format: Pre-recorded talks, daily live Q&A
Professional development without the plane ticket
Most events for people who run homeschool groups and microschools ask for travel money and several days away from home. A lot of leaders have neither.
Cultivate is built to fill that gap. Leaders and teachers can watch from home, on their own schedule, and bring practical ideas back to their group the same week.
Our goal is simple: raise the ability of everyone working in the homeschool space, one co-op, microschool and classroom at a time.
Who you’ll be speaking to
Co-op leaders and microschool leaders often describe the same problems in different ways, so the summit has a co-op track and a microschool track. Many talks serve both.
Co-op leaders
People running a homeschool co-op or group today: directors, board members and the volunteers who keep it going.
Microschool leaders
Founders and directors of microschools, and people who are thinking about starting one.
Homeschool teachers
Parents and instructors who teach classes inside a group and want better tools for it.
Future founders
Families who want to start a co-op and need to know where to begin.
Three days, three ways to grow a group
Every talk fits under one of these pillars. Tell us which one fits you.
Day 1
Cultivate your leadership
Vision, leadership, organizational health, avoiding burnout, building teams, finances and business models, legal and operational issues.
Day 2
Cultivate great education
Curriculum, teaching, student engagement, assessment, learning differences, technology and AI, designing programs, academic quality.
Day 3
Cultivate your community
Marketing, enrollment, parent relationships, partnerships, networking, local ecosystems, fundraising, collaboration.
Talks we’d love to host
These are starting points. If you know a pain point our audience hits every year, pitch it. Every talk is tagged for the co-op track, the microschool track or both, so attendees get the recordings that fit their group. A talk on using AI well or recruiting great teachers can serve both.
We are also planning a teacher training track that groups can later use with their own teachers.
Forming a group: bylaws, 501(c)(3), leadership
Types of homeschool co-ops
Creating community and keeping organized
Systems that work
A culture where parents want to volunteer
Handbooks and other key documents
Why people leave groups
How to recruit great teachers
How to plan a well-built class
Cultivating culture with teachers, admin and members
How to advertise your co-op
Hosting a retreat
What we ask of speakers
The commitment is small, and we tell you everything up front.
One recorded sessionTalks are pre-recorded video, about 20–30 minutes. You record on your own time and we handle the rest. Already have a talk that fits? Send it and we may use it as is.
Be available the day your talk goes liveEach day ends with a live roundtable Q&A in the evening. We will confirm a time with you ahead of time, and a host facilitates so you only have to talk.
Teach, don’t pitchShare what you know in a way any group can use. Your links and offers live on your speaker page, not inside the talk.
Share it only if you want toPromoting the summit is optional. If you’d like to tell your audience, we give you the copy, graphics and your link, and an affiliate option is on the way.
Permission to reuse your talkYou keep ownership of your session. We host it during the summit, offer it as a replay and in this summit’s recording package, and use short excerpts to promote it. Anything beyond that needs your written agreement. Full terms: Speaker Recording and Reuse Agreement.
What you get
Your own speaker page. Your bio, photo, session and links to your business, blog or co-op, so attendees can find you.
Features in our emails. We send attendees to your speaker page when we promote your session.
Backlinks and social shares from the network and its partners.
Reach. A room of homeschool and microschool leaders who are looking for exactly what you teach.
A place for your freebie, if you have one. Attendees click through to your site to download it, which puts them on your list.
An affiliate link, if you want one. Optional.
This is our first summit, and it is a volunteer speaking opportunity. We are asking for your help getting it started, and we hope to offer more as it grows.
Your speaker page
See what your speaker page looks like
Every speaker gets their own page on IndieEducationNetwork.com with your photo, bio, talk title, links, and a spot to share a freebie with attendees. Here is an example from Angela of Schooling with Grace.
How it works
Step 1 · by Dec 4
ApplySend the short speaker form: your bio, your topic and where to find you. Submitting it is also how you accept the Speaker Recording and Reuse Agreement.Step 2 · Rolling
We confirmWe reply with your day, your pillar and what we need from you.Step 3 · by Jan 15
Record your talkRecord at home and upload it, or send us a talk you already have. We send a simple outline and tech tips.Step 4 · Feb 9–11, 2027
Summit daysYour talk goes live. Join the evening roundtable to answer questions.Questions speakers ask
Do I need a business, blog or big following?
No. Many speakers have a business page, a blog or a co-op they want to promote, and we link to all of it. If you simply want to help the homeschool community, that is a good reason to speak too.
Do I need to be an expert in homeschool groups?
We look for speakers with real experience leading or serving a homeschool group, co-op or microschool. Tell us what you have done and what you learned.
Can I mention my products or services?
Your speaker page is the place for them. Inside the talk, we ask you to teach something useful on its own and keep it from becoming a promo for one brand.
What happens to my recording after the summit?
You keep ownership and can keep using your talk however you like. We host it during the summit, offer it afterward as a replay and in this summit’s recording package, and we may group talks by track. Anything beyond that — another summit, a course, a membership, a resource library or a separate bundle — needs your written agreement first. Read the speaker agreement.
Can I send a talk I have already recorded?
Yes. If you have a recording that fits one of the pillars, tell us on the form. It saves you time, and we will still set up the live Q&A.
What about sponsors?
Sponsor information is coming in a few weeks. If you represent a company or organization that serves homeschool groups, tell us on the form and we will keep you in the loop.
What if I can’t be live on my day?
Tell us on the form. Questions are collected in a post ahead of time, so we can still put your answers in front of attendees.
Cultivate · Homeschool Leader Summit
Meet your hosts
10+Years Leading
Co-ops
Co-ops
Angela Taylor
Co-Host
Co-founder, Co-op Director
Angela is a homeschool co-op leader with more than 10 years of experience bringing families together. Having recently launched a brand new co-op from the ground up, she understands both the excitement and the challenges of turning a vision into a thriving community.
~20Years
Homeschooling
Homeschooling
Sarah McCubbin
Co-Host
Founder, Indie Education Network
Sarah has homeschooled for nearly twenty years and raised nine children. She directed a homeschool co-op of about 150 students and now leads Indie Education Network, which connects independent educators, homeschool leaders, and microschools.
Help us build the conference homeschool leaders have been missing
The form takes about five minutes. We read every application and reply to each one.
Apply to speak
Questions? sarah@indieeducationnetwork.com
Cultivate is hosted by Indie Education Network.
Sponsor information coming soon.