LiberatED Podcast

Marisa Palmer is the cofounder, along with her husband Brandon, of Acton Academy Madison West in Madison, Wisconsin. A former investment banker and hedge fund analyst in New York City, Marisa launched her microschool in January 2023 with four students as part of the global Acton Academy network of learner-driven schools. Today, she has 15 students enrolled in her school, including her 8-year-old s...

Ashley Franz is a homeschooling mother of 5 who founded Cross Creek Academy as a PreK-12th Charlotte Mason-inspired hybrid homeschool program in rural central Arkansas. It currently serves about 100 learners with daily programming. Taylor Guy is a parent of three students at Cross Creek and a staff member. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/l...

Today's guest is Tanisha DaCosta, founder of Kingdom Kids Empowerment Academy , a K-12 microschool with a project-based, Montessori-inspired approach that operates on the campus of Barber-Scotia College, an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) in North Carolina.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated . 

Mary Jo Fairhead is a former public school teacher and principal who in 2021 founded Onward Learning , an affordable, child-centered PK-8 school in rural Martin, South Dakota. As her enrollment climbs, she plans to open additional schools throughout South Dakota.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Vince and Tiffany Torres are the cofounders, along with two other couples, of Santa Fe Christian , a low-cost private school in New Mexico that they launched in 2022. It began with 20 students and has tripled in size over the past two years. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Sabrina Reynolds is the founder of Mastery Learning Academy , a first through twelfth grade microschool in Taylorsville, Utah outside of Salt Lake City that focuses on core academic content within a classical-inspired, project-based learning environment.   Sabrina has a Master's degree in secondary education and taught in both public and private schools for almost 20 years before launching Mastery...

Candice Hilton left her job as a public school teacher last year and just opened her K-8 microschool, Hilton Horizons Academy , in Kingsport, Tennessee. Tuition for the three-day program is $4,900 a year. All 12 of Hilton's students are legally homeschooled, with the vast majority of them new to homeschooling this academic year after being in public school.  Check out Kerry's new article at The 74...

LiberatED Education Associate Nasiyah Isra-Ul interviews Sumay and Aila Lu, the cofounders of the WEquil App educational platform and its virtual school, WEquil School .  For Sumay and Aila, ages 15 and 12 respectively, creating a virtual school, and later a wider community platform, was inspired by their journey from public school into unconventional education during the pandemic. Their edtech pl...

Tobin Slaven is an educator, entrepreneur, and author who has joined our team as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence. He is the co-founder of Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale in Florida, which is part of the fast-growing Acton Academy network of hundreds of learner-driven schools across the US and globally. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Michelle Lee Thompson is the founder of Hand In Hand Christian Montessori in Minnesota. She launched Hand in Hand in 1999 as a small summer camp and today it has three campuses serving infants to teens with both full-time private school options and part-time homeschool programs. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Dr. Erin Flynn is a longtime educator and founder of the Hedge School Cooperative , an inclusive, secular, LGBTQIA-welcoming microschool for homeschoolers in Austin, Texas. The school offers two to four days of in-person instruction for 8th-12th graders. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Nasiyah Isra-Ul is a young entrepreneur and innovator who has joined our team as the new LiberatED Education Associate, in partnership with Stand Together's Koch Associate Program. Nasiyah launched her own education business as a teen, for which she has won many awards and accolades. She is passionate about youth entrepreneurship, student agency, and education innovation and choice. *** Sign up fo...

Founded by Amir Nathoo in 2015, Outschool.com offers live, video-enabled online classes for young people ages 3 to 18. Learners can select content ranging from typical academic subjects and tutoring services, to more adventurous classes such as pet-trick training, forensic science, engineering with Minecraft, and wilderness survival skills. Instructors create their own courses based on their own i...

Shante Lane Tamerat is the cofounder of Discovery Lane , a Reggio Emilia-inspired PK-5 private school located in Waldorf, Maryland. Shante has been in education for 15 years, and worked in schools in both Philadelphia and Washington, DC. She has a Bachelor's in Psychology, a Master's in Elementary/Special Education, and a Ph. D. in Special Education/Education Leadership. *** Sign up for Kerry's fr...

Today's guest is Hannah Holguin, founder of Masterpiece Academy located just outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Hannah was a public school teacher for nearly a decade, mostly teaching mathematics. She has also worked as an adjunct professor with a local community college, and founded Masterpiece Academy in August of 2022 as a K-12 microschool for homeschoolers with both full-time and part-time enrollment...

Today's guest is David O'Connor, a college lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania for many years and a longtime theatre director and designer. David is a cofounder of Philly ALC , a self-directed school in Philadelphia that also has part-time programs for homeschoolers.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .  

Ally Adair-Chung is the founder of Beachcities Classical , a Classical Christian homeschooling collaborative based in Huntington Beach, CA. It launched in the fall of 2021 and today serves about 250 students. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Jill Brown and Susan Deakins are both longtime public school teachers who quit their jobs and, in 2021, launched the Columbia Academy for Learning and Enrichment (CALE), a JK-12 microschool in Columbia, Missouri that has experienced remarkable growth.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .

Andreas Widmer is an Associate Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship at The Catholic University of America's Busch School of Business. His most recent book is The Art of Principled Entrepreneurship: Creating Enduring Value . In this episode, Professor Widmer shares his perspectives on entrepreneurship and offers advice for education entrepreneurs. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email new...

Lindsey Vose is a former public school teacher who launched Wild Wonders out of her garage in Belgrade, Montana in 2022. She opened with four students, including her two children. Today, Wild Wonders is located on a five-acre farmstead property near Vose's home. It has 22 K-6 students who attend the mixed-age, drop-off program Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. She has 35 students regi...

Priscilla Yuill is the founder and educational director of Casa Ranch Montessori , an eco-conscious Montessori homeschool cooperative program that is educating for sustainability and cultivating environmentally-conscious global citizens. Priscilla has been a passionate Montessori educator for more than 10 years, with early childhood and elementary Montessori credentials and a Master's degree in Cu...

Dale Ahlquist is the cofounder of Chesterton Academy in Hopkins, Minnesota. What started in 2008 as a microschool with 10 students, including some of his own children, has grown into a flagship location with over 150 high schoolers, as well as a global network of over 70 Classical Catholic Chesterton Schools educating more than 2,000 students.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter...

Amanda Lucas, founder of Lucas Literacy Lab , a middle school microschool in Middlesex County, New Jersey opening this fall. She taught in charter and private schools across New York City for nearly a decade before becoming an education entrepreneur and joining the  KaiPod Catalyst microschool startup accelerator program. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at...

Elmarie Hyman is the founder of Learn Beyond the Book , a California-based secular homeschool resource center for students in pre-K through high school. Young people can attend Learn Beyond the Book's in-person classes in three locations in the greater Los Angeles area, or take advantage of additional live virtual classes. Students who attend are either homeschoolers who pay out-of-pocket or publi...

Benita Gordon was a longtime public school teacher who is now the founder of Miami MicroLearn Hub , a microschool focusing on rising 6th to rising 12th graders in South Florida opening this August. Benita also founded the educational consulting company, Global Education Concierge.   *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated .