LiberatED Podcast
Kerry McDonald
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 edentrepreneur.org.
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 edentrepreneur.org.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 13, 2024 • 50min
From Attachment Parenting to Education Entrepreneurship in Arkansas
Ashley Franz is a homeschooling mother of 5 who founded Cross Creek Academy as a PreK-12th Charlotte Mason-inspired hybrid homeschool program in rural central Arkansas. It currently serves about 100 learners with daily programming. Taylor Guy is a parent of three students at Cross Creek and a staff member. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Sep 10, 2024 • 41min
An On-Campus Microschool at an HBCU
Today's guest is Tanisha DaCosta, founder of Kingdom Kids Empowerment Academy, a K-12 microschool with a project-based, Montessori-inspired approach that operates on the campus of Barber-Scotia College, an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) in North Carolina. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Sep 6, 2024 • 30min
How one teacher is redefining learning in rural South Dakota
Mary Jo Fairhead is a former public school teacher and principal who in 2021 founded Onward Learning, an affordable, child-centered PK-8 school in rural Martin, South Dakota. As her enrollment climbs, she plans to open additional schools throughout South Dakota. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Sep 3, 2024 • 28min
A new school in New Mexico sees soaring enrollment
Vince and Tiffany Torres are the cofounders, along with two other couples, of Santa Fe Christian, a low-cost private school in New Mexico that they launched in 2022. It began with 20 students and has tripled in size over the past two years. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Aug 30, 2024 • 37min
How a new zoning law saved this founder’s microschool
Sabrina Reynolds is the founder of Mastery Learning Academy, a first through twelfth grade microschool in Taylorsville, Utah outside of Salt Lake City that focuses on core academic content within a classical-inspired, project-based learning environment. Sabrina has a Master’s degree in secondary education and taught in both public and private schools for almost 20 years before launching Mastery Learning Academy in 2019. Her school was almost shut down last spring for a zoning issue, but a new microschool bill passed by the Utah legislature saved it. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Aug 27, 2024 • 33min
From Public School to Microschool: A Tennessee Teacher's Bold New Venture
Candice Hilton left her job as a public school teacher last year and just opened her K-8 microschool, Hilton Horizons Academy, in Kingsport, Tennessee. Tuition for the three-day program is $4,900 a year. All 12 of Hilton’s students are legally homeschooled, with the vast majority of them new to homeschooling this academic year after being in public school. Check out Kerry's new article at The 74 on "New Microschools for a New School Year," featuring Hilton Horizons Academy. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Aug 23, 2024 • 27min
Two Young Sisters Share Why They Founded WEquil School
LiberatED Education Associate Nasiyah Isra-Ul interviews Sumay and Aila Lu, the cofounders of the WEquil App educational platform and its virtual school, WEquil School. For Sumay and Aila, ages 15 and 12 respectively, creating a virtual school, and later a wider community platform, was inspired by their journey from public school into unconventional education during the pandemic. Their edtech platform currently has over 2,400 registered users. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Aug 20, 2024 • 45min
A Conversation with Entrepreneur-In-Residence Tobin Slaven
Tobin Slaven is an educator, entrepreneur, and author who has joined our team as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence. He is the co-founder of Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale in Florida, which is part of the fast-growing Acton Academy network of hundreds of learner-driven schools across the US and globally. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Aug 16, 2024 • 44min
How A Christian Montessori School Network Started As A Summer Camp
Michelle Lee Thompson is the founder of Hand In Hand Christian Montessori in Minnesota. She launched Hand in Hand in 1999 as a small summer camp and today it has three campuses serving infants to teens with both full-time private school options and part-time homeschool programs. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
Aug 13, 2024 • 35min
An inclusive, LGBTQIA-welcoming Texas microschool
Dr. Erin Flynn is a longtime educator and founder of the Hedge School Cooperative, an inclusive, secular, LGBTQIA-welcoming microschool for homeschoolers in Austin, Texas. The school offers two to four days of in-person instruction for 8th-12th graders. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
