Today I’m speaking with Kerry McDonald. Kerry is a fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, a writer for Forbes and The 74, host of the LiberatED Podcast, and author of Unschooled. Kerry is one of the most well versed people I know when it comes to what is happening in the alternative education movement. In this episode, we talk about the history of education in America, the inception of the public school system, and how we slowly forgot that we knew how to educate ourselves. We also talk about the rise of the homeschooling/micro-schooling movement and the momentum we are seeing in alternative education since the pandemic, exploring the different types and micro-schools, how they are funded, and how the school-choice movement is propelling change in the education system. Kerry is doing incrediblly important work in the education space and provides a compelling and enlightening viewpoint on the future of learning in a landscape of educational freedom.

Chapters:

0:00 - Kerry McDonald

6:00 - How Entrepreneurs are driving the engine of change in education

8:00 - Why is it so hard to innovate in the education space from a legal standpoint?

15:40 - How did public school become mandatory?

22:30 - How the sentiments in the public have changed surrounding education

27:00 - Roadblocks that arise when starting a micro-school

33:30 - Are micro-school regulations side-effects or purposefully implemented

39:00 - Does a lack of regulation lead to poor educational outcomes?

52:00 - What does the ideal education landscape look like?

57:30 - What exactly is a micro-school? What makes it different?

1:07:30 - Are micro-schools and alternative education models available for low income families?

1:14:00 - What cultural narratives need to be changed to continue the momentum of school-choice

1:22:00 - Financial resources for parents looking to pull their kids from public school

1:25:00 - How to connect with Kerry

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Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Engaged Detroit

Connect with Guest:

Podcast | liberatedpodcast.com

Twitter | @kerry_edu

Connect with Hannah Frankman:

Twitter | @hannahfrankman

Website | http://hannahfrankman.com

Follow along for conversations on education, lifestyle, personal development, and freedom. All in ardent pursuit of a life well lived.