Making The Leap

Chris and Christine discuss school choice expansion with AFC Senior Fellow and Founder of Black Minds Matter Denisha Allen. Denisha's home state of Florida recently expanded its school school program, joining multiple other states in passing universal school choice this year. Denisha previously served as School Choice and Youth Liaison to the Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of E...

Chris and Christine discuss various homeschooling styles & communities with homeschool mom Kristin Wahls. Kristin homeschools her two young boys using tools and curriculum from Wild + Free and Charlotte Mason Institute , which both prioritize living books and experiences in nature. Kristin is also a member of several homeschooling groups in her community. She discusses how these groups have he...

Chris and Christine are joined this week by Rhode Island mom and IWF Senior Fellow Nicole Solas . When Nicole enrolled her first child in kindergarten, she started asking questions of her local school district. To her surprise, the district wasn't willing to answer her questions and immediately retaliated against her. But Nicole didn't back down. She has decided to stand up to the oppres...

Chris and Christine welcome Matt & Amy Barnard back on the show to discuss their brand new Christian School, Refine KC . Listen to Matt & Amy's previous episode here where they reflect on their decision to leave public school behind. Now that Matt & Amy are over halfway through the first year at their very own Christian school, they share the lessons they've learned along the...

Chris and Christine share their thoughts on the Christian education movement, discussing how Christian schools are launching and growing across the country. They are joined by Dr. Mark Wilson, head of Santa Clarita Christian School in Santa Clarita, California, who shares his experience in Christian education. Dr. Wilson also discusses the purpose of Christian schools and how they can offer famili...

Chris and Christine discuss some of the tough conversations that are taking place in our society - both inside and outside of Christian schools. This episode explores conversations that can help families choose the right education for this children.  Follow Making the Leap on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and YouTube . You can also sign-up for our newsletter or send us an email hello@makingthelea...

Chris and Christine are joined by Cathy Cole, a grandmother who helped her grandchild make the leap to Christian education.  Cathy describes her experience raising children in both public and private school settings. Opinions of public education can differ greatly from generation to generation. Unlike some of her peers, Cathy has recognized the problems with public schools for decades. Follow Maki...

Chris and Christine are joined by a recent high school graduate, Maddie Sammon. Maddie attended public school until it was time for her freshman year of high school. After her life-changing experience in a private Christian high school, her parents have since decided to send her three other siblings to private school as well.  Maddie describes the differences she witnessed between public school an...

Chris and Christine welcome IWF 's Ginny Gentles back to the podcast! Ginny recently launched her own podcast with IWF called Students Over Systems . Listen to her latest episode with Senator Tim Scott.  In addition to hosting Students Over Systems, Ginny also leads IWF's Education Freedom Center . She shares some of the Education Freedom Center's recent findings with Chris and Chri...

Chris and Christine discuss the main draw to public schools, extracurricular activities. Many parents realize that public schools no longer align with their family's values. But they're scared their kids will lose out on activities like prom and athletics if they decide to leave.  Why choose between academics and extracurricular activities? Your kids can have both at a Christian school!...

Chris and Christine are joined by parents and school founders, Luke & Jamie Johnston. Luke is a pastor at GlenHaven church in Kansas City, Missouri. GlenHaven will be the site of a brand new Christian school that Luke is founding alongside his wife, Jamie.  Luke & Jamie have utilized the Herzog Foundation's SchoolBox program as they navigate the school start-up process. They share som...

Chris & Christine discuss the importance of advocating for education freedom at the state level with one of Missouri's boldest school choice advocates, Cici Tompkins. CiCi is the Director of Outreach for the Children's Education Alliance of Missouri (CEAM). For over 25 years, Cici has been involved in education with the firm belief that investing in our children is the most effective...

Chris and Christine are joined by an English teacher to discuss book bans and the importance of reading classic American literature from a Christian worldview. Elizabeth Kendrex teaches K-12 English classes at Logos Preparatory Academy near Houston, Texas.  As a university model school, Logos Preparatory Academy partners with parents and guardians in the teaching process. Students spend part of th...

Chris and Christine are joined by Dr. Vermelle Greene to discuss the differences between boys and girls in the classroom. Dr. Greene is a former high school biology teacher and author of Please Teach Me Like I'm a Boy! It's no secret that boys and girls learn differently. As the parents of two teenage boys and a teenage girl, Chris and Christine can attest to this firsthand. Dr. Greene g...

Chris and Christine kick off 2023 with a guest who is completely redesigning the way we educate our children. Matt Beaudreau is a career educator and the founder of Acton Academy , an education network with 280+ locations across the country.  Matt explains the Acton Academy model and the importance of breaking the one size fits all system of schooling in America today. Acton Academy focuses on rea...

On the last episode of the year, Chris and Christine recap some of their favorite conversations from 2022: - The Teacher Shortage w/ Matt & Amy Barnard  - The Role of Science in Christian Education w/ Nancy Reid - The Church's Role in Education w/ Dr. Ken Parker - Parents Have More Influence w/ Amber Pike - A Student's Perspective w/ Anna Stigall What's been your favorite episod...

It's time to open the vault! Making The Leap Podcast launched with its first episode in May 2022. Since then, Chris and Christine have recorded over 30 episodes and interviewed guests from every facet of Christian education. On today's episode, Chris and Christine reflect on some of their favorite episodes and guests of 2022: - What is Classical Christian Education w/ Jean Auxier - Fundi...

Parental influence on K-12 education continues to grow - and despite what the Miami Herald may think - that's a great trend to see. This week's guest, Amber Pike , has known from a young age how important it is for parents to stand up for their children. Inspired by the example of her own mother, Amber decided to take an active role in her children's education, leading family minist...

Chris and Christine discuss the most common objection to Christian education — the cost. Joining them to discuss the financial commitment of private Christian school is special guest Jenny Hare.  Jenny and her husband are both self-employed and never thought they would be able to afford private school for all three of their children. Without the luxury of employer-sponsored healthcare, retirement,...

Chris and Christine chat with Joelle Fortin to uncover everything you've ever wondered about learning pods and micro-schools.  During the covid pandemic, parents were scrambling to find a way to continue working while children could continue learning from home. Enter, learning pods. Even before the pandemic, Joelle Fortin knew learning pods were the right choice for her family of five. Joelle...

Homeschooling is on the rise ! This week, Chris and Christine do a deep dive into the benefits of homeschooling with special guest Tonya Wiley.  Despite being a former public school teacher herself, Tonya knew homeschooling was the best choice for her family since the mid-1990s. She has since homeschooled all six of her children from grades K-12.  Tonya shares everything parents needs to know whil...

Meet Chris & Christine at the Herzog Foundation's Education Freedom Rally on Dec. 6! Register here .   This week, Chris and Christine catch up with the Herzog team and discuss the midterm election results. Education freedom won BIG .  The first guest is Herzog Foundation President Darrell Jones . Darrell shares information about the Foundation's programs, initiatives and its new faci...

Sign-up for Making The Leap's newsletter today! On this week's episode, Chris and Christine discuss the importance of speaking up and demanding transparency in K-12 education. They are joined by a mom who has been a fearless warrior for Pennsylvania students since 2020. "She did something during covid that no other parent did," Chris said.  Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Megan...

Christine and Chris discuss how churches can partner with schools and share their own personal experiences with their children in daycare and pre-school at local churches.  They are joined by Dr. Ken Parker, pastor of First Baptist Church Kearney, who gives his perspective on the challenges churches face when supporting or interacting with schools.  Dr. Parker discusses his church's efforts t...

Christine and Chris start this week's episode with discussing the increasing role of unions in education, and the emerging trend of independent-minded teachers leaving their unions. Christine shares her views, as a former public school teacher, of the increased pressure put on teachers by unions and administrators, and what the correct role of a teacher ought to be, especially outside their r...