LiberatED Podcast

Today's guest is Ben Draper, Executive Director of the Macomber Center, a self-directed education center for homeschoolers in Massachusetts. Ben is a graduate of the Sudbury Valley School, where he spent most of his childhood and adolescence before attending college at Tufts University and later earning a studio art degree from the Boston Museum School. Ben is part of the founding team of a new organization, Sudbury International, which seeks to promote the Sudbury model of education as well as individual Sudbury-inspired schools and centers.  Register for Sudbury International's upcoming free webinar on April 5th, featuring graduates from four different Sudbury-model schools. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Dominque Burgess, a former public school teacher, visionary education entrepreneur, and a national leader in the microschool movement. As the founder of Burbrella Learning Academy Inc. in Burlington, North Carolina she has successfully launched multiple innovative microschools, including transforming an old Foot Locker in a mall into a thriving, student-centered learning hub. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Makenzie Oliver, host of the popular podcast Teacher, Let Your Light Shine! and its associated Facebook community. An award-winning public school teacher, Makenzie decided to leave the conventional classroom to launch her own microschool, Lighthouse Learning Microschool and Homeschool Hybrid, in 2020 in Longwood, Florida. She now helps other teachers to let their light shine through education entrepreneurship by offering a "Microschool Masterminds" program and various coaching resources.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

In this second episode in our series, Homeschooling To College, Kym Kent and I talk about some of the common myths around college admissions and affordability, as well as how to navigate the Common App as a homeschooling family.  "A trend colleges might not want applicants to notice: It's becoming easier to get in" (The Hechinger Report, Nov. 2024) "The secret that colleges should stop keeping" (The Atlantic, Feb. 2025) In case you missed it, check out our first episode in this series in which Kym and I discuss preparation for college admissions during the high school years, and the pre-application process.  *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guest is Lauri Muse, a mom of of 7 children who has been actively homeschooling for 27 years. She recently launched World of Wonder Hybrid Microschool and Homeschool Enrichment Program in Union, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, Ohio. Her weekly homeschool enrichment program now serves over 140 kids, while the 3-day-a-week microschool she opened last fall currently has 15 students—and counting! *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.

Today's guests are Katie Kilgore and Michael Frost who are the cofounders, along with a third family, of Three Cords Academy, a student-focused, Biblically-centered microschool currently serving 2nd-6th grades which they launched in Fall 2024 in Carrollton, Georgia. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.    

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

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

Exciting news is shared about a new book focusing on innovative education methods! It encourages parents and teachers to explore alternatives to traditional schooling. The podcast features inspiring stories from those involved in this educational revolution. Listeners are invited to join the movement and participate in upcoming book events in various cities. Preorders for the book are now available, promising a wealth of inspiration for building joyful learning communities.