LiberatED Podcast

Jaclyn Gallo is the founder of Roots Academy in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, a K-5 microschool that she grew from 6 kids in 2020 to 36 kids this academic year. Roots Academy is a recognized private school staffed by certified teachers that emphasizes place-based, child-led learning.

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Johan Norberg is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of more than 20 books, translated into more than 30 languages. Today we talk about his most recent book, The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World, which I highly recommend.

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Jennifer Wolverton is the founder and Executive Director of the Microcollective for AI, Robotics, and the Sciences (known as MARS), a nonprofit dedicated to reshaping education through cutting-edge STEM and creative arts. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, MARS is a hybrid homeschooling program that empowers students with hands-on, project-based learning experiences in technology, engineering, and science. Jennifer also runs Log Cabin Schoolhouse, where her flagship curriculum, the AI Writers Guild, teaches students to harness artificial intelligence in novel writing, blending language arts with advanced tech skills. A passionate advocate for education reform, Jennifer actively engages in policy work to expand access to innovative, tech-forward education for all students in Alabama.

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Andreas Marinopoulos is the cofounder of Brilliant Microschools, a national network of online, accredited K-12 microschools that launched in 2020 and today serves over 1,200 learners in the US, with a special focus on neurodiversity.

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Tiffany Thenor is the cofounder and CEO of WonderHere, a play-based microschool network and research hub touting the benefits of play, personalization, and project-based learning. A public school teacher for 15 years, Tiffany left her job in 2016 to launch the first WonderHere with a handful of children in Lakeland, Florida. Today, that location serves over 100 full-time and part-time learners each day. Through a creative licensing model, new founders are now launching their own WonderHere schools across the US.

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Thomas Dowell was a public school teacher in Arizona for several years before deciding to become an education entrepreneur. He launched Moreana Boys Academy earlier this fall as a home-based microschool located just outside of Phoenix that his students attend tuition-free.

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Scott Gallagher taught in public schools for 17 years before joining the founding team of Raritan Learning Collaborative, a full-time self-directed learning center for homeschooled teens located in Flemington, New Jersey. Raritan is part of a consortium of self-directed learning centers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Liberated Learners network.

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Rebecca Newby taught high school English in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas public schools before becoming principal of Friendship Aspire Academy, a K-5 public charter school in Pine Bluff that is seeing skyrocketing demand from local families looking for new education options.

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A high school math teacher and principal in Montana public schools for over 10 years, Rusty Bowers launched Bozeman Innovation Academy, a K-8 Acton Academy affiliate, in fall 2023. Acton Academy is a fast-growing network of schools focused on learner-driven education. Founded in 2009, the Acton network now includes over 300 independently-operated schools, serving thousands of learners.

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Nathan Fellman was a public middle school teacher and administrator in New Hampshire for about 20 years before leaving his job to launch The Harkness House, a middle school microschool in Nashua, New Hampshire, which opened in fall 2022. Harkness House is a state-recognized private school that also has part-time enrollment options for homeschoolers, and some students attend at a reduced tuition thanks to the state's school choice programs. More families were asking for high school options, so Nate and his team decided to explore dual enrollment options, partnering with a local community college to expand offerings for high schoolers.

Why Teachers Are Finding Meaningful Careers In Microschools (Forbes.com)

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