Pleasanton is about 29 miles north of Saratoga. Some San Francisco Bay Area technology families are replacing conventional classrooms with AI-designed homeschooling, part of a national increase in home education. Participation rose from about 3% of U.S. children in 2019 to more than 6% currently, according to the education reform nonprofit EdChoice.
Mrugesha Sathappan, a 32-year-old San Francisco mother of three, teaches her preschool-age son with brief phonics and math lessons, projects, and trips to museums, parks and technology offices. The family uses AI-generated games for phonics and science, technology, engineering and mathematics. After their son became interested in rockets, she and her husband, investor Kartik Sathappan, bought a rocket kit.
The couple said he can read 15 to 20 books during one sitting.
Some activities include children from other homeschooling families, and the Sathappans formed a meetup group for families delaying or avoiding traditional school. They said home education allows more hands-on projects and problem-solving than schools focused on repetition and sitting. San Francisco homeschooling parent and AI researcher Brady Neal said some parents think schools use children's time poorly.
Kartik Sathappan, who invests in alternative education companies through Families Fund, said the COVID-19 pandemic prompted more parents to reconsider schooling. Mrugesha Sathappan said she wants to closely follow her children's learning and help them develop adaptability, kindness and usefulness, rather than focus solely on future jobs.