LiberatED Podcast

Today's guest is MacKenzie Price, cofounder of 2 Hour Learning and Alpha School, a K-12 private school in Austin, Texas which she launched in 2014. MacKenzie is currently working to scale the Alpha School model nationwide, with additional schools currently operating or opening soon in several states. A graduate of Stanford University, MacKenzie hosts the Future of Education podcast, which focuses on the advent of AI in education and its impact on student learning and discovery.

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In this episode, Kerry chats with Kym Kent, a veteran homeschooling mom of 6 and founder of a Maryland-based homeschooling program who has already graduated 4 of her children and is currently going through the college admissions process with her son Samuel. Kerry's daughter Molly is a lifelong homeschooler who is also going through the college admissions process this year. Kerry and Kym talk about their experience of homeschooling their kids to college—including things to consider regarding high school course preparation, college list creation, and what to think about in junior year and the start of senior year before completing college applications.

This episode is the first in a series of episodes with Kerry and Kym on homeschooling to college!

Check out Kerry's recent Forbes.com article about an internship for STEM-focused homeschooled high schoolers offered at MIT.

Take a peek at Kym's debut FEE.org article, Yes, You Can Homeschool Your Kids to College.

*** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Maria Stalsberg, founder of Our Village School, a creative learning environment for homeschooled kids ages 6 and over in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Maria holds a Master's degree in Teaching and a Bachelor's in Business Administration. She began her career in Corporate America before transitioning to becoming a classroom teacher in the traditional education system, but ultimately stepped away to focus on raising her four children.

After enrolling her oldest in the local public elementary school for kindergarten and first grade, Maria found herself longing for a more dynamic, hands-on approach to learning. Determined to create something different, she pulled her oldest to homeschool and launched Our Village School in 2020. It started as a single day of programming in her backyard with 18 kids and has since grown to now serve roughly 150 students with four-day-a-week programming and flexible attendance options.

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Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

I am so excited to share the news with you that my new book, Joyful Learning: How To Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is now available for preorder!

Published by the big New York City publisher Hachette, under its PublicAffairs imprint, Joyful Learning is brimming with information and inspiration for parents and teachers who are seeking or building innovative schools and learning models.

Joyful Learning will be on bookstore shelves in August, and I am already scheduling book events in various cities at schools and similar learning communities, as well as with parent and policy organizations, and business and entrepreneurship groups. If you're interested in sharing the ideas of joyful learning with your community, please email me at [email protected].

And grab your preorder copy today!

Today's guest is Robert Barnett, a former teacher in both public and private schools, and the cofounder and Chief Product Officer at the Modern Classrooms Project, a nonprofit teaching and professional development resource which he helped to launch in 2018.

*** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Our guest today is Jennie Jones, a former professional ballerina, turned homeschooling mom of four, turned education entrepreneur. In September 2024, Jennie launched The Treehouse Agile Learning Community as a home-based microschool in St. George, Utah that uses agile learning tools to foster intentional community, natural learning, and independence in students ages 5-12.

Read more about Jennie's founder journey in her debut FEE.org article.

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Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Jake Thompson is the founder of Heroes Academy, an Acton Academy in Boise, Idaho that he opened in 2016. Jake is also now the head of the entire Acton Academy network, which includes over 300 learner-driven schools serving thousands of students worldwide.

Check out Kerry's LiberatED interview with Acton Academy network cofounder, Jeff Sandefer.

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Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guests are Taylor Munro and Lacey Fickes, cofounders of Peak Academy, a microschool in Richmond, Texas currently serving students in grades K-8, with a high school expansion in the works. They launched Peak Academy in August 2022, but prior to that both founders worked for many years as public school teachers in Texas.

*** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Tonya Kipe was an elementary school teacher in Florida public schools for over a decade before launching Kipe Academy, a microschool in Polk City, Florida. She grew her microschool from one student in January 2024 to 26 students today, including those with special learning needs.

Read more about Tonya's microschool in Kerry's latest article at The 74.

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Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Latoya Nelson, founder of The Attuned Community School, a hybrid homeschool program in Warner Robins, Georgia. Latoya is an experienced educator who taught in public schools and charter schools for over a decade. She has been especially interested in working with children in foster care, as well as adoptive families. Latoya launched her microschool in August 2022 after participating in the KaiPod Catalyst microschool accelerator program.

*** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.