LiberatED Podcast
Episodes
A Grandmother's Microschool: After teaching in public schools for over 20 years, Dr. Natalie Summerville created a microschool for her grandchildren
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Natalie Summerville taught for over 20 years in the Virginia public schools before first launching The Grand Magnolia School, a microschool in Ric...
Homeschooling in Brooklyn: Why a former NYC public school teacher created Joyful Learning Academy for homeschoolers
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Yesi Sol, a former New York City public school teacher and founder of The Joyful Learning Academy. Joyful Learning is a learning cent...
An Alternative Education Pioneer: Jerry Mintz founded the Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) in 1989
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jerry Mintz has been a leading voice in the alternative school movement for over 30 years. In addition to his 17 years as a public and independent alt...
"It's life and death to students." An interview with Wade Moore, founder of Urban Prep Academy
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wade Moore runs Urban Preparatory Academy in Wichita, Kansas, a private K-8 school where most of the students attend tuition-free through the state's ...
Rural Microschools: Why a former public school teacher created a microschool in her small Kansas town
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the small town of Abbyville, Kansas, located an hour outside of Wichita with a population of 83 people, lies Re*Wild Family Academy, a microschool ...
A Classical Education Available To All: Kurtis Indorf on the expansion of Great Hearts Online National Academy
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the high-quality virtual learning platforms that I am especially enthusiastic about is Great Hearts, which is expanding this year into a nation...
The Personal & Financial Rewards of Education Entrepreneurship: A former public school teacher explains
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Emily Williams told her parents that she was leaving her job as a certified public school teacher to launch a microschool, they thought she was c...
Choosing Sudbury Valley & self-directed education: A dad explains why he pulled his kids out of public school
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Self-directed education is a tough concept for many people to grasp. It challenges the ways in which many of us were educated, and the ways many of ou...
"The Fringe Is Becoming the Cloth": Becky Elder and Dalena Wallace on homeschooling and microschooling
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For Becky Elder, education entrepreneurship is nothing new. In 1963, her parents founded a private school in Wichita, Kansas. Becky then homeschooled ...
Yes, charter schools are innovating: Sean Harrell at Integration Charter Schools in NYC shows us how
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Harrell is the president of Integration Charter Schools (ICS) on Staten Island in New York City. ICS is a collection of four charter schools focu...
Blocked from Opening a School: Retired Navy officer James Lomax on entrepreneurial barriers
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite his MBA and a B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, as well as a prestigious career as a naval officer and flight test engineer, James Loma...
From Education Professor to Microschool Founder: Dr. Lisa Scott on Creating Art of Words in Brooklyn, NY
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is Dr. Lisa Scott, founder of The Art of Words Community School, a small private school in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn, NY. Lisa ear...
A High-Quality, Purpose-Driven Online School: Founder Michael Strong on creating The Socratic Experience
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Michael Strong, a longtime education entrepreneur and innovator and now founder of The Socratic Experience, an online school that emp...
Breaking the School-To-Prison Pipeline, One Microschool At a Time
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Turan Rush grew up in West Virginia on Charleston's West Side and was a star football player at Capitol High School, going to on to play at the colleg...
From Portland Public School Teacher to Microschool Founder
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 2019, after 15 years of teaching in the Portland, Oregon public school district, Greg Brown resigned to pursue Activate full-time. D...
One Year Podcast Anniversary with Bloom Academy cofounders!
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today marks one year since the launch of this podcast! It has grown so much, with inspiring stories of microschool founders and other education entrep...
No self-directed schools need apply: A physics teacher shares why his state prevented him from opening his school
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Lachen is a former high school physics teacher with a Master's degree in teaching who, along with his wife, decided back in 2020 to launch a self...
A Tour of Adamo Microschools: Tamara Becker takes us on a tour of her second, tuition-free microschool location
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tamara Becker has been an educator for over 25 years, working in both district and virtual schools as a teacher, administrator, special education dire...
Microschool Builders: Mara Linaberger on helping microschools to launch beginning in 2018
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mara Linaberger worked for 25 years as a public school educator, teacher trainer, and administrator. She has a doctorate in Instructional Technology a...
So much more than a typical private school: Melissa Mohr on shifting from private school educator to microschool founder
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa Mohr worked for 17 years as a teacher and an administrator in a traditional private school in West Virginia, but last year she and some of her...
Want to open a microschool by September? Amar Kumar and KaiPod Catalyst can help
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Amar Kumar, founder of KaiPod Learning, recently introduced a new program called KaiPod Catalyst which helps entrepreneurial parents and educators to ...
"Mom, we need to start one!" Why one former public school teacher listened to her daughter and created a microschool
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
JeVonne Tanner worked as a public high school biology teacher but she and her husband Paul grew increasingly frustrated by the constraints of a conven...
Motherhood & Microschooling: Candace Lehenbauer on running a home-based microschool
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After many years of stay-at-home motherhood and homeschooling her 6 children in Florida, Candace Lehenbauer wanted to do something different. She deci...
"The traditional system is antiquated." Longtime public school teacher Susan Safra on creating a schooling alternative
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Susan Safra, founder and director of Flex Learning Academy, a microschool in South Florida and one of the many innovative education ...
Activating Microschools: Elyse Marcellino on what state-based organizations can do to promote microschooling
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Before joining Empower Mississippi and spearheading Embark, a microschool accelerator, Elyse Marcellino helped to launch a classical charter school in...
Texas Tenacity: How Cassidy Younghans is building a grassroots self-directed learning community in Dallas
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cassidy Younghans taught in conventional schools for 5 years before shifting her focus toward self-directed education. She interned at several promine...
Do you love your school? How Jenny Clark is helping to empower parents to find the best learning fit for their kids
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jenny Clark is an Arizona mother of 5 who has been working vigorously over the past several years to expand education options for families, as well as...
A Not-So-Micro School: How former public school teacher Candace Fish opened with 130+ students
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Candace Fish planned to open a microschool with just a few students, but when the former public school teacher launched her low-cost private school, ...
Choice & Access at a Montessori-inspired Microschool: Michael Parsons on opening Vandalia Community School in Charleston, WV
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In August, Michael Parsons opened Vandalia Community School as a microschool in Charleston, West Virginia serving about 10 students with two teachers....
Self-Directed Education at Sligo Sudbury School: Gayle Nagle and Maura Duignan on why they launched a Sudbury-model school in Ireland
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gayle Nagle and Maura Duignan founded the Sligo Sudbury School in Sligo, Ireland in 2018. The Sligo Sudbury School is one of dozens of Sudbury-style s...
Learning Science Through Surfing & Skateboarding: Toni and Uli Frallicciardi on building Surf Skate Science in South Florida
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Homeschooling parents Toni and Uli Frallicciardi run Surf Skate Science in South Florida, offering weekly classes for approximately 250 homeschoolers ...
From Tutoring Center to Microschool: Former public school teacher Pam McEwen talks about the joys of microschooling
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pam McEwen is a longtime educator and former certified teacher in the public schools in Wichita, Kansas who decided to launch a tutoring center in 201...
How My Tech High Helps to Customize Education: Matt Bowman on how and why he built the popular My Tech High platform
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Bowman began his career as a public school teacher and quickly recognized the ways in which educational technology could act as both an accelerat...
A Former Teacher Talks About Leaving the System: Jon England says he felt more micromanaged as a public school principal than he did in the Marine Corps
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like many educators today, including some that have been on this podcast, Jon England was a longtime public school teacher who left the classroom to p...
Retirement Can Wait: Donna Akers on launching a microschool after 30 years as a public school teacher
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Donna Akers had been a public school special education teacher for almost 30 years when she retired in 2020 and decided to launch Ivy Greene Academy, ...
"She's off her anxiety and ADHD meds": Stephanie Harper and Tekeeta Funchess on the magic of microschooling
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Stephanie Harper decided to open Harper Learning Academy in Byram, Mississippi in August, her goal was to create a small, personalized educationa...
A note of gratitude...
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Thanksgiving! There is so much to be grateful for.
A Missouri Microschool: Maria Casco on family-centered education, global travel, and peaceful parenting
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Maria Casco is a former Montessori teacher who launched a microschool, CASCO Learning, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her journey toward education entreprene...
How Prenda Pioneered Learning Pods: A conversation with Prenda founder Kelly Smith
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly Smith launched the first Prenda learning pod in his Arizona home in early 2018 with 7 children, including his son. Today, Prenda has reached ove...
How a "wiggly kindergartener" inspired one parentpreneur: Elizabeth McMeans on launching a Prenda pod
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm sure many parents will relate to the story of my guest today, Elizabeth McMeans. Elizabeth's pathway to education entrepreneurship stemmed directl...
Acton Academy & Learner-Driven Education: Tobin Slaven on launching Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Acton Academy was one of the very first national microschool networks to get started back in 2010, before microschools, or small, mixed-age, personali...
A Microschool Trendsetter: Laurel Suarez on creating Compass Outreach and inspiring others
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During my recent visit to the flourishing hub of microschools and education entrepreneurship in South Florida, my first stop was at Compass Outreach ...
From Teacher to Founder: Jessica Ramsay on her profitable path to building Farmhouse Phonics
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tucked inside her beautiful farmhouse on her sprawling farm property in Wichita, Kansas is Jessica Ramsay's cozy classroom where she offers one-on-one...
Microschooling & Neurodiversity: Molly and Noah Stephenson on their "unschooling" microschool for neurodiverse learners
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's podcast guests are Molly and Noah Stephenson. They have experienced the benefit of small-scale, personalized learning first-hand, initially as...
Connecting Families with Funding & Founders: Joe Connor on how his startup Odyssey bridges the gap
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Connor founded Odyssey to help connect families to the available education choice programs in their respective states, ensuring that all eligible ...
'100 Schools in 10 Years' - Iman Alleyne on her vision for scaling her award-winning microschool
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today created her thriving, award-winning microschool for her own son. He was the catalyst. Like any entrepreneur, especially a "parentprene...
South Florida's Microschool Boom: How entrepreneur collaboration is fueling the surge
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is something extraordinarily special happening in South Florida these days. It has become a hub of education entrepreneurship and emerging K-12...
Sudbury Valley School: Celebrating 50+ years of self-directed education
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Sudbury Valley School is legendary in alternative education and unschooling circles. Founded in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1968, Sudbury Valley ...
BONUS! Hope Returns to West Virginia: Two WV moms weigh in on this week's school choice ruling
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a hope-filled week in West Virginia! Yesterday, the West Virginia Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling against the Hope Scholarsh...
Scaling a Co-Learning Community: Chris Turner on building Moonrise.com
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Turner is a tech entrepreneur turned education entrepreneur who founded Moonrise.com as a colearning space for kids in Decatur, Georgia. I first...
Learning in Las Vegas: Emily Grégoire and Edupreneurship in Nevada
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I have been really excited to see the bundling of education entrepreneurship and innovation in certain regions of the US. You'll recall that we recent...
From Homeschooler to Education Entrepreneur: Hannah Frankman on alternatives to school and college
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah Frankman is the founder of Rebel Educator, a resource hub for parents, teachers, and entrepreneurs who are seeking or building alternative educ...
How School Choice Catalyzes Education Entrepreneurs: Kate Baker Demers on choice and innovation
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do state-level education choice policies influence the amount and variety of education entrepreneurship? Kate Baker Demers and I dig into this que...
Microschool Magic in New Jersey: The Village Electric and education entrepreneurship in the Garden State
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is some microschool magic happening in New Jersey these days. You'll remember that our very first podcast episode back in February was with Jil...
The New Era of Virtual Learning: Julie Young & ASU Prep Digital
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone got a taste of virtual learning in 2020, in the wake of widespread school closures. But the district Zoom schooling that most families encoun...
Supporting Teen Well-being & Empowerment: Lainie Liberti on helping teenagers thrive
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lainie Liberti is an author, speaker, community leader, teen coach and alternative education advocate who helped to spearhead the thriving worldschool...
Disruptive Innovation in Education: Michael B. Horn on current and future education trends
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Disruptive innovations begin on the margins and don't penetrate the mainstream until their quality is proven to be as good, if not better, than more e...
A Hillsdale Education for Kids & Adults: Dr. Kathleen O'Toole on the value of classical education
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hillsdale College in Michigan was founded in 1844 by abolitionists, and gained widespread notoriety when it refused to accept any federal or state edu...
Education Inspiration in West Virginia: Katie Switzer on forest schools and entrepreneurship
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
West Virginia has experienced a dramatic expansion of educational freedom, from the state legislature passing a near-universal Education Savings Accou...
Teaching Kids About Freedom & Responsibility: Connor Boyack on The Tuttle Twins and Education Trends
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many parents today are understandably concerned about what their children may be learning, or not learning, in school. Curriculum battles have been wa...
Building Co-Ops & Co-Learning Communities: Tiffany Pierce and entrepreneurial agility
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From Queens, New York to Charlotte, North Carolina, Tiffany Pierce has been building and expanding homeschooling co-ops and co-learning programs for s...
Launching Investor-Backed Education Startups: Manisha Snoyer on starting and scaling a business
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I love entrepreneurs. They take risks, seize opportunities, invent and innovate, and create abundance for all of us. But I am especially in awe of edu...
Declaring Independence From Government Schooling
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"I do not think governments should be dictating in any way, shape, or form the content of the minds of children, either in the United States or anywhe...
How To Be An Education Entrepreneur: Tips and insights from a mom and business owner
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, recorded live at the 19th annual Porcupine Freedom Festival (PorcFest) in New Hampshire, Michelle McCartney joins the show to talk a...
Live from PorcFest! The Homeschooling Nitty-Gritty
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was recorded live today at the 19th annual Porcupine Freedom Festival (PorcFest) in Lancaster, New Hampshire! It features a conversation ...
Thoughts on Unschooling: David D. Friedman on why unschooling is the best way for kids to learn
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
David D. Friedman, a physicist, economist, and law professor who is the son of the famed Nobel Prize-winning economist, Milton Friedman, is a staunch...
Alternatives to College: Apprenticeships provide another successful pathway to adulthood
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Despite today's dominant cultural messaging that insists that young people must go to college, there are in fact multiple pathways to adulthood and to...
Welcome to America: How one education entrepreneur is transforming refugee education
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I came across the work of our guest today, Luma Mufleh, back in 2019. Even then, I was enchanted by the story of how she created Fugees Academy, a suc...
Networks for Freedom: A new network of learning centers prioritizes educational and family freedom
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lorianne Bolotin, an immigrant physician and midwife who grew up in the Dominican Republic, and Jack Bolotin, a finance executive, never thought that ...
Personalization & Socialization: How one learning pod startup is successfully blending both
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The past two years have seen a rise in education entrepreneurship, as parents have fled district schools for other options including homeschooling, vi...
Black Minds Matter: How Black Education Entrepreneurs, and School Choice, Are Helping Kids
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Advocates of school choice policies that enable education funding to follow students instead of going to school systems are typically motivated by sto...
Microschooling for the Masses: How one network is bringing microschooling to more children
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Microschooling, and its various iterations including learning pods and hybrid homeschools, is swiftly and dramatically changing the face of education ...
Why Universal Government Preschool Is A Bad Idea: Free the early childhood education market
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The push for federally-funded universal preschool and child care programs continues despite new data showing the harms of government preschool program...
If You Build It, They Will Come: How an edupreneur created a thriving learning center
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The exodus of parents away from conventional schooling and into homeschooling has unleashed extraordinary levels of education entrepreneurship, as vis...
Let Children Be Free To Learn: Peter Gray on self-directed education and schooling alternatives
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"School has become a toxic place for children and we refuse to say that publicly," asserts Peter Gray in this illuminating episode. Dr. Gray is a psyc...
Fund Students, Not Systems: Corey DeAngelis on school choice policies
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The past two years of education disruption have catalyzed support for school choice policies that enable education funding to follow students instead ...
Bonus Episode! The Liberation of Education
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Strong has been a longtime education entrepreneur and advocate of free markets and school choice. He has teamed up with Chris Engl to launch t...
The Honest Teacher: Jack Lloyd on education and libertarianism
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Lloyd worked as a lawyer and teacher, which helped shape his views on education early in his career and led him to become a proponent of self-dir...
Hybrid Schools: The learning model that is reshaping education
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hybrid schools blur the lines between schooling and homeschooling, expand education choice access to the middle class, and offer personalized, family-...
'Undoctrinate' Your Kids: Pushing Back Against Classroom and Campus Propaganda
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tolerance of different viewpoints and values is a key principle of a free society, and yet in classrooms and on campuses across the country, young peo...
Live Free & Learn: New Hampshire Education Commissioner (and homeschooling dad) Frank Edelblut
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New Hampshire takes the lead as the freest state in the country, according to a new Cato Institute analysis of personal and economic freedom. Not surp...
American Familia: David Morales on grit, self-reliance, and the American Dream
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The American Dream is alive and well, as David Morales illustrates in his powerful, new book, American Familia: A Memoir of Perseverance. David spent...
Bye-Bye Bureaucracy & Burnout: Teachers and Doctors Build New Alternatives
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Teachers and doctors are confronting similar challenges related to institutional bureaucracy and rising levels of professional burnout. Teachers, in p...
Oh, Canada: A Canadian unschooling mom and entrepreneur on protests and parenting
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a tragic few days in Ottawa, Canada as the Canadian government used rare emergency powers to round up and arrest peaceful protesters and fre...
Should you move? A homeschooling family leaves California
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
According to new data released from the US Census Bureau on Dec 21st, California led the nation in the most population loss in 2021, after years of in...
Breathing Deeply: Teacher Launches Mask-Free Learning Center
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The coronavirus response over the past two years has transformed education, putting parents back in the driver's seat and inspiring education entrepre...