Brightworks

Michlene Cotter

Head of School

Michlene Cotter is a grassroots educator and community activist who co-founded Ka-Lo Academy in 2014. She has been teaching and facilitating independent learners in the Bay Area for over 20 years and previously worked as a childbirth doula for 25 years.

Brightworks offers a project-based curriculum where students co-author their learning through exploration and meaningful relationships. Collaborators support student-driven learning through a project-based framework called 'the arc,' incorporating design thinking to explore passions and tackle real-world challenges.

Brightworks is committed to socio-economic diversity and offers tuition assistance to families with demonstrated inability to pay for full tuition, with grants ranging from 10%-100% off the total tuition. Families apply via the third-party platform, Clarity, and are encouraged to reapply annually.

Brightworks utilizes a rolling admissions process for 2026. Prior to applying, families are invited to sign up for an info call or group tour via Ravenna. The process involves submitting an application through Ravenna, followed by a student visit and a parent conversation. Decisions are reviewed and released monthly for applications received after March 15.

What they ask for: Application via Ravenna (includes family section, teacher evaluations, transcripts for ages 7 and up), need-based tuition assistance application via Clarity (if applicable), student visit, parent conversation.