LiberatED Podcast

Danielle Strachman is the cofounder and general partner of the 1517 Fund , an early-stage venture capital fund and community supporting college dropouts and tech-focused scientists working on entrepreneurial solutions to big problems. Danielle has worked with young entrepreneurs for over a decade, including during the founding in 2010 of the Thiel Fellowship, a program started by entrepreneur and...

Kristy Moody is the cofounder, along with her husband, of Acton Academy Palm Harbor in Florida. A former public school teacher and principal, Kristy tried to make change within the conventional system but ultimately decided on entrepreneurship. She launched her school in August of 2022 to provide a space for learner-driven education in her community.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED...

Nicole Stewart is the founder and president of the National Association of Black Microschool Leaders , as well as the founder of Legacy Prep Collegiate Microschool which opened this fall in Lakeland, Florida. A public school teacher for 18 years, Nicole is finding deep fulfillment in education entrepreneurship, with plans to open more Legacy Prep microschools while helping other founders get their...

Nance Confer is the founder and director of Florida Unschoolers . Launched in 2001, Florida Unschoolers is a tuition-free, private "umbrella" school for nearly 14,000 Florida unschoolers and homeschoolers. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Happy Thanksgiving! *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Kidvation Global is a nonprofit focused on administering programs that connect young people worldwide to create innovative, entrepreneurial solutions for present-day issues. Founded in 2022 by Harold Lee and Brent Wheelbarger, Kidvation has worked with over 2,500 students, including microschoolers and others learning in unconventional educational environments. Read more about Kidvation in this rec...

Jaclyn Gallo is the founder of Roots Academy in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, a K-5 microschool that she grew from 6 kids in 2020 to 36 kids this academic year. Roots Academy is a recognized private school staffed by certified teachers that emphasizes place-based, child-led learning. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Johan Norberg is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of more than 20 books, translated into more than 30 languages. Today we talk about his most recent book, The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World , which I highly recommend. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Jennifer Wolverton is the founder and Executive Director of the Microcollective for AI, Robotics, and the Sciences (known as MARS), a nonprofit dedicated to reshaping education through cutting-edge STEM and creative arts. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, MARS is a hybrid homeschooling program that empowers students with hands-on, project-based learning experiences in technology, engineering, and scie...

Andreas Marinopoulos is the cofounder of Brilliant Microschools , a national network of online, accredited K-12 microschools that launched in 2020 and today serves over 1,200 learners in the US, with a special focus on neurodiversity. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Tiffany Thenor is the cofounder and CEO of WonderHere , a play-based microschool network and research hub touting the benefits of play, personalization, and project-based learning. A public school teacher for 15 years, Tiffany left her job in 2016 to launch the first WonderHere with a handful of children in Lakeland, Florida. Today, that location serves over 100 full-time and part-time learners ea...

Thomas Dowell was a public school teacher in Arizona for several years before deciding to become an education entrepreneur. He launched Moreana Boys Academy earlier this fall as a home-based microschool located just outside of Phoenix that his students attend tuition-free. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Scott Gallagher taught in public schools for 17 years before joining the founding team of Raritan Learning Collaborative , a full-time self-directed learning center for homeschooled teens located in Flemington, New Jersey. Raritan is part of a consortium of self-directed learning centers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Liberated Learners network. *** Sign up for Kerry's free...

Rebecca Newby taught high school English in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas public schools before becoming principal of Friendship Aspire Academy , a K-5 public charter school in Pine Bluff that is seeing skyrocketing demand from local families looking for new education options.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .  

A high school math teacher and principal in Montana public schools for over 10 years, Rusty Bowers launched  Bozeman Innovation Academy , a K-8 Acton Academy affiliate, in fall 2023. Acton Academy is a fast-growing network of schools focused on learner-driven education. Founded in 2009, the Acton network now includes over 300 independently-operated schools, serving thousands of learners. *** Sign...

Nathan Fellman was a public middle school teacher and administrator in New Hampshire for about 20 years before leaving his job to launch The Harkness House , a middle school microschool in Nashua, New Hampshire, which opened in fall 2022. Harkness House is a state-recognized private school that also has part-time enrollment options for homeschoolers, and some students attend at a reduced tuition t...

Founded in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1968, the Sudbury Valley School has been championing non-coercive, self-directed, democratic education for decades, and has inspired the growth of dozens of Sudbury-model schools around the world. If you're a frequent listener to the podcast, you know that three of my children attend SVS, which is a low-cost, secular, private school located about 45 minutes...

Rachelle Noble is the founder of Microschool Solutions , a microschool accelerator program that helps new microschool founders to launch their programs in communities across the U.S. She also runs Noble Microschools, a home-based microschool in Arizona in which all students attend tuition-free through the state's universal school choice programs.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-n...

Blair Lee is the founder of Secular, Eclectic, Academic (SEA) Homeschoolers , an online homeschooling community reaching over 100,000 families with curriculum resources, connection, and encouragement.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Kymberly Kent is the cofounder and director of eXtend Homeschool Tutorial in Maryland, a faith-based homeschool program offering a la carte classes in core academic subjects for roughly 100 elementary, middle school, and high school homeschooled students.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

A former public school teacher and founder of Colossal Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Shiren Rattigan is expanding her microschool model by creating a franchise network of "colossalized" microschools throughout the Sunshine State, as well as lacunhing Colossal Online to enable learners everywhere to access high-quality, highly individualized education. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly Li...

Forest schools and similar nature-based programs are often concentrated in the preschool and early-elementary grades, but Jaime Peterson and Rebecca Westbrook Toker recognized the demand for these programs for middle schoolers and beyond. Listen to their founder journey to create  REconnect Nature School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on educ...

Despite frustrating regulatory barriers, Danielle McLean and her cofounders launched Keystone Education Center in Vero Beach, Florida this fall. The microschool currently serves 17 neurodiverse students ages 9 to 13—including Danielle's autistic twin boys. The team plans to add a high school in the coming years. Two of Danielle's cofounders left their jobs as local public school special education...

At Skola Microschool near Minneapolis, students and teachers spend much of their day outside, leading to happier, healthier experiences for all. Founded in 2022 by Kristin Fink, Skola has reached capacity with 25 K-8 students. Rather than expand, Kristin and her lead teacher, Ginger Montezon, are supporting other entrepreneurial teachers throughout Minnesota who want to launch similar programs in...

Jill Haskins is a homeschooling mom in Fort Wayne, Indiana and former microschool teacher who now works closely with the National Microschooling Center as an ecosystem builder within Indiana and across the U.S. Jill currently works with 80 microschools across Indiana—30 of which launched this fall. She expects to see more than 150 microschools in the state in 2025.  Jill estimates that 85% of the...