The OpenEd Podcast

When it comes to education, doing less might actually produce better results. In this eye-opening interview, OpenEd founder Matt Bowman reveals how just 60 minutes of focused learning followed by exploration, play, and real-world engagement can transform your child's educational experience. Discover why traditional schooling often gets it backward, how to give your child a voice in their education...

In this episode of the Open Ed Podcast , host Ela Richmond sits down with Laura Feller, an experienced open education mom of three. Laura shares her family's inspiring journey into homeschooling, how she navigated learning challenges, and the power of personalized education. She discusses the importance of de-schooling, fostering a love for learning, and empowering children to explore their passio...

Dr. Claire Honeycutt explains how her background in neuroscience revealed why traditional education often works against natural learning patterns, and what parents can do about it. Learn:- Why handwriting activates different brain regions than typing and its impact on learning- How exposure to complex language like Shakespeare shapes young minds- The neuroscience behind why some "outdated" skills...

Education innovator Dalena Wallace joins us to discuss the dramatic shift toward microschools and hybrid learning models. As founder of Wichita Innovative Schools and Educators (WISE) and president of AIM Educational Collaborative, Dalena shares insights from her journey building educational communities in Kansas. We explore the emerging trends in personalized education, from repurposing spaces to...

"I've lost patience for boring learning environments for my own children and for kids in general. I've just seen too much at this point - I've seen ways that captivate 17 and 18-year-olds, and I'm just not willing to put up with stuff that I know is going to bore them." – Tyler Thigpen, Founder of The Forest School When Tyler Thigpen saw his students help design their own school building (literall...

Ela Richmond sits down with Tess Scholl, mother and founder of Knowledge Seekers, a student-led learning program based in Portland, Oregon. Tess shares her journey from being home educated in Australia during a time where homeschooling was illegal to now creating a revolutionary educational program that puts children and families first. Discover how giving children a voice in their education can f...

When normal is broken, weird wins. Matt Bowman and Matt Barnes discuss why entrepreneurship might be the most powerful education tool we've never fully utilized. Matt Barnes shares powerful insights from his experience on 10 school boards and raising three children who each took radically different educational paths. The former school board member turned "Parent Whisperer" reveals why traditional...

How do great authors build compelling worlds? Jennifer Jenkins, bestselling YA author and StoryCon founder, reveals the essential questions behind every great story. Whether you're a methodical plotter or spontaneous "pantser," discover how understanding writing rules lets you break them effectively. Perfect for young writers, creative writing students, and anyone interested in the craft of storyt...

COVID created a deep shift in education, uniting parents like never before. In this conversation, Grant Hewitt – VP of Partnerships at OpenEd – unpacks how Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) have evolved from simple school choice to true educational freedom, and why the movement is exploding across America.(00:00) - The COVID Moment That Changed Everything(01:00) - The Evolution: From Public Scho...

What drives parents to switch schools in 2025? From microschools to homeschooling, traditional to charter, National School Choice Foundation's Andrew Campanella reveals why 220% more parents are exploring alternative education - and it's not what experts predicted.(00:00) - Why School Choice Isn't About Politics (It's Personal)(02:29) - The First Step Most Parents Miss When Choosing Schools(03:50)...

OpenEd podcast sits down with the director and showrunner of the hit 2024 movie “Homestead” from Angel Studios to talk about how unconventional education led them to success in Hollywood. From touring with major bands to directing feature films, discover how thinking outside the box and learning through real-world experience shaped their creative journey. Featured Guests: Ben Smallbone - Director...

The greatest skill you can teach a child is believing they can fly before society tells them they can't. Our latest podcast guest Mark Hyatt has been teaching kids to do just that - literally - through Falcon AeroLab , an OpenEd partner course that pairs an online curriculum with an opportunity to take a live flight with a trained pilot. Listen to learn: Rapid growth of aerospace education program...

Open education student success stories! Matt and Isaac share examples of young entrepreneurs and answer your biggest homeschool questions. From teaching financial literacy to handling family criticism, this Q&A episode tackles real homeschool challenges. ✨ SUCCESS STORIES & TOPICS COVERED:00:00 Teen turns garden box business into $150k success02:30 Small-town teen builds thriving dog bree...

A former award-winning teacher and principal shares his journey from dedicating 14 years to public education to becoming an advocate for educational freedom. This conversation reveals why our education system needs transformation and how innovative alternatives are already showing the way forward. Follow guest at @Principal_Jon on X. Chapters 00:00 The Unchanging Face of Education 00:26 Introducti...

"A system that prioritizes a kid's address over his aspirations... it's not one I aspire to." – Derrell Bradford The education landscape is evolving, from traditional public schools to innovative hybrid models. Derrell Bradford, president of 50CAN, shares insights from their 20,000-family survey and discusses why the future of education isn't about choosing between public or private – it's about r...

After 12 years in public education, Peggy couldn't ignore what her training in human development was telling her - the system wasn't working for kids. Now running Apogee Utah, she shares how giving children autonomy, respecting their developmental needs, and allowing them to fail forward has transformed their learning experience. From 15-minute lunch breaks to rigid testing schedules, she reveals...

"I think the biggest why is love really. I love my children. I love children in general. It's what got me into education in the first place." – Keri Mae What if personalized education wasn't just for stay-at-home parents? In this eye-opening episode, former public school teacher and single mom Keri Mae shares how she crafts individualized learning experiences for her three boys while working full-...

Featuring Cassie Shepard of Home Centered Learning Just when you figure out how to teach one way, everything changes - it's like having a baby. You have to adjust to different stages, but that's the beauty of homeschooling." – Cassie Shepard When Cassie Shepard noticed her twin daughters' spirits dimming in first grade, she took an unexpected leap into homeschooling. Five years later, she shares h...

Featuring Sandy Grant, Homeschool Mother of Six "Sometimes you have to put the relationship before your desire to have them meet all of your check boxes." – Sandy Grant From a $50 total budget for three kids to navigating high school calculus, veteran homeschool mom Sandy Grant shares her raw, unfiltered journey of educating six very different children over two decades. After seeing five graduate...

With Special Guest Andrea Fife, ADHD Education Specialist "Try different, try again. Don't just try harder, try something different." – Andrea Fife In this packed Q&A episode, we tackle the tough questions parents face in alternative education. Special guest Andrea Fife delivers a masterclass on supporting ADHD learners, revealing why traditional approaches often fail and how technology, dopam...

When Krystle's daughter was struggling to read at a first-grade level at age 10, multiple diagnoses and years of Orton-Gillingham programs weren't helping. Then she discovered something surprising: it wasn't dyslexia at all - it was a treatable vision problem called convergence insufficiency. Today, her daughter reads 800 words per minute at college level. In this eye-opening episode, learn how vi...

When Jamie Lesko - a former special education teacher, first started homeschooling, she did what many teachers-turned-homeschoolers do: she recreated school at home. Desks. Rigid schedules. Planners. Her son regularly melted down on the floor. Then one day, she found all three kids doing schoolwork atop a closet loft. Her first instinct? Worry. But then she had an epiphany: "Why do they have to le...

You don't have to choose between work and customized learning. Build around the system, not against it. Sunny Simkin, a single working mom reveals how she transformed her children's education without leaving public school. After struggling with math herself, she refused to let her daughter face the same challenges. Instead of fighting the system, she built around it - combining public school with...

Charlynn Chambers didn't set out to revolutionize education. She just wanted to help her kids learn. But somewhere between the pandemic and pancakes, she stumbled upon a profound truth: education isn't separate from real life. For her children, traditional schooling had been a struggle. Sitting still, focusing on worksheets, and regurgitating facts for tests seemed to dim their natural curiosity....

From factory settings to farm life, Apogee Strong founder Matt Beaudreau reveals why traditional schooling may be holding your child back. Learn how real education happens outside the classroom and why parents are better equipped than "experts" to guide their children's learning. Matt shares insights from his journey founding his microschool network, working at Stanford, and transforming education...