Jill Brown and Susan Deakins are both longtime public school teachers who quit their jobs and, in 2021, launched the <a href= "https://www.comocale.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Columbia Academy for Learning and Enrichment</a> (CALE), a JK-12 microschool in Columbia, Missouri that has experienced remarkable growth.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at <a href="http://www.fee.org/liberated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fee.org/liberated</a>.

Jill Brown and Susan Deakins are both longtime public school teachers who quit their jobs and, in 2021, launched the Columbia Academy for Learning and Enrichment (CALE), a JK-12 microschool in Columbia, Missouri that has experienced remarkable growth. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Jill Brown and Susan Deakins are both longtime public school teachers who quit their jobs and, in 2021, launched the <a href="https://www.comocale.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Columbia Academy for Learning and Enrichment</a> (CALE), a JK-12 microschool in Columbia, Missouri that has experienced remarkable growth.&nbsp; *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at <a href="http://www.fee.org/liberated" rel="noopener noreferrer">fee.org/liberated</a>.

Why two longtime public school teachers launched a Missouri microschool

The LiberatED Podcast tells the stories of the entrepreneurial parents and teachers who are creating innovative K-12 learning options across the US and expanding education options for families. 

This twice-weekly podcast is hosted by Kerry McDonald, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and leader of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab. A regular contributor at Forbes.com and The 74, Kerry is the bestselling author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), and the author of the forthcoming book, Joyful Learning: How To Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling (Hachette, 2025). She has a BA in economics from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University. A mom of four, Kerry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter at fee.org/liberated.

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The LiberatED Podcast tells the stories of the entrepreneurial parents and teachers who are creating innovative K-12 learning options across the US and expanding education options for families. This twice-weekly podcast is hosted by Kerry McDonald, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and leader of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab. A regular contributor at Forbes.com and The 74, Kerry is the bestselling author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), and the author of the forthcoming book, Joyful Learning: How To Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling (Hachette, 2025). She has a BA in economics from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University. A mom of four, Kerry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter at fee.org/liberated.

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Why two longtime public school teachers launched a Missouri microschool

Why two longtime public school teachers launched a Missouri microschool