LiberatED Podcast

Hosted by Kerry McDonald

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Episodes

401

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Aug 2026

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About the show

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 weekly podcast is hosted by Kerry McDonald, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and Director 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 new 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.

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60 recent

August 18, 2026Episode 40137 min

Dr. James Tooley on Low-Cost Private Schooling

Education Entrepreneurship Lab Entrepreneur-in-Residence Kym Kent talks with renowned education researcher and author Dr. James Tooley to explore the power of parent-driven, entrepreneurial education. In his acclaimed book The Beautiful Tree , Tooley chronicled his discovery of low-cost private schools serving families in some of the world's poorest communities—schools created by local entrepreneurs and sustained by parents determined to give their children a better education. Now, in his forthcoming book, The Beautiful Tree in America , he turns his attention to a similar grassroots movement unfolding across the United States and how it is impacting American K-12 education. Visit the Education Entrepreneurship Lab for a steady stream of new articles and fresh content by school founders, for school founders.

August 11, 2026Episode 4003 min

Our 400th episode—and a special announcement!

LiberatED celebrates its 400th episode! Since launching in February 2022, the podcast has featured inspiring conversations with the entrpreneurial parents and teachers who are reimagining K-12 education and building new solutions. We mark this exciting milestone and preview Season 6, featuring a rotating cast of hosts from FEE's Education Entrepreneurship Lab who will bring fresh voices and perspectives to discussions about education entrepreneurship, innovation, and choice. We also tease an upcoming school-starter series launching this fall, made possible through the support of KaiPod . *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

August 4, 2026Episode 39937 min

Building a Thriving Faith-Based Microschool with Emma Rodriguez

Guest host Denise Lever talks with Emma Rodriguez, a former public school teacher and founder of Lighthouse Christian Academy , a faith-based K–8 microschool in Frisco, Texas. Emma reflects on a remarkable first year in which enrollment grew from 2 to 20 students—and shares the story of one student whose academic progress, behavior, and confidence were transformed by the school's supportive environment. Emma explains how multi-age classrooms, small-group instruction, hands-on learning, and a strong sense of community help students thrive. She also discusses the challenges of balancing a founder's educational vision with parents' expectations, the value of mentorship and peer support, and her decision to move from a two-day program to a four-day school model. The conversation also explores how Texas's new Education Savings Account (ESA) program is expanding access to Lighthouse Christian Academy for families who might otherwise be unable to afford it. You can listen to Kerry McDonald's 2025 podcast interview with Emma here . *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

July 28, 2026Episode 39826 min

How One Community Is Connecting Schools, Students, and Employers

In this episode of LiberatED , host Kerry McDonald speaks with Melody Rider, president of ConnectED Polk , a Florida nonprofit helping build stronger connections between education and industry. Rather than creating programs in isolation, ConnectED Polk serves as a community intermediary—bringing together K–12 schools, higher education, employers, and civic organizations to better prepare students for success after graduation. Melody shares how ConnectED Polk has reached thousands of students through career exploration events and is expanding work-based learning opportunities, including internships, apprenticeships, and other real-world experiences designed to help students discover their interests and build durable career skills. The conversation also explores ConnectED Polk's partnership with WonderHere to launch an innovative microschool inside a Title I public elementary school in Polk County, which Kerry wrote about at Forbes . They discuss the importance of helping traditional public schools innovate alongside charter and private school growth, and why durable human skills matter more than ever in an AI-driven economy. Whether you're an educator, parent, policymaker, or employer, this episode offers a compelling look at how community collaboration can create more meaningful pathways from education to employment—and better outcomes for students. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

July 21, 2026Episode 39736 min

Navigating Legal Challenges as an Education Entrepreneur, with ERC's Lynn Swanson

Starting a microschool or other innovative learning environment is about far more than curriculum and community. Founders also have to navigate a maze of zoning rules, fire codes, occupancy limits, licensing questions, and other regulatory hurdles that can make or break their schools. In this guest-hosted episode of the LiberatED Podcast , Education Entrepreneurship Lab senior contributor and Baker Creek Academy founder, Denise Lever, talks with Lynn Swanson, Chief Counsel, Education at Stand Together, about the organization's Edupreneur Resource Center (ERC) and how it helps education entrepreneurs tackle legal and compliance challenges before they become major problems. Lynn explains the ERC's free resources—including microcourses, state-specific compliance guides, checklists, and personalized coaching—and shares practical advice for founders facing inspections, regulatory questions, or enforcement actions. She also discusses the most common compliance pitfalls, why facilities issues are often the biggest obstacle for new schools, and how entrepreneurs can stay informed as rules evolve. Whether you're launching a microschool, hybrid homeschool program, learning pod, or other education venture, this conversation offers actionable guidance to help you navigate the legal landscape with greater confidence. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

July 17, 2026Episode 39635 min

From Democratic School Founder to Urban Nature Educator

For years, Maysaa Bazna led Pono, an innovative outdoor democratic school in New York City, where children followed their curiosity and developed deep connections with the natural world. She saw an opportunity to bring those same experiences to many more children through partnerships with urban Title I public schools. Today, Maysaa is the founder and executive director of City to Sanctuary , a nonprofit that partners with public schools to take students out of the classroom and into nature every month. Through repeated visits to nature preserves, students participate in activities like bird banding, pond ecology, hiking, and ice fishing while building confidence, curiosity, and a lasting relationship with the outdoors. In this episode, host Kerry McDonald speaks with Maysaa about her journey from alternative school founder to creator of a vibrant urban nature education program that is seeing significant, positive results for students and teachers. They also discuss City to Sanctuary's expansion plans, bringing nature-based learning to thousands more students across the country. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

July 14, 2026Episode 39547 min

What If Learning Started with Curiosity Instead of Curriculum?

Guest host Jennie Jones, an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, interviews Tanner Bowman, founder of Optio , a quest-based learning platform that helps homeschoolers and microschools document and personalize student-directed learning. After teaching across public, private, charter, online, and microschool environments, Tanner concluded that traditional education's standardized structure made meaningful personalization difficult. Inspired by experiments with increased student autonomy during and after COVID, he left his public school position to build Optio. Tanner explains how Optio grew out of an in-person lab school where students pursued entrepreneurial and passion-driven projects while earning accredited high school credit. He shares how the platform evolved from a one-size-fits-all learning management system into a customizable tool that adapts to each microschool's unique philosophy and teaching style. Throughout the conversation, Tanner argues that teaching is fundamentally an art form, that students are naturally motivated to learn when given meaningful ownership over their education, and that families deserve systems that recognize authentic learning wherever it occurs. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

July 7, 2026Episode 39435 min

Inside a Youth-Run Microschool in Virginia

Special Summer Episode! Kym Kent, an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Education Entrepreneurship Lab, is the guest host for today's LiberatED Podcast ! Listen in as she interviews Catina Sweedy, a staff member at the Embark Center for Self-Directed Education in Leesburg, Virginia. Catina tells us about this unique, youth-led microschool for tweens and teens. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

June 30, 2026Episode 39335 min

When A Microschool Founder Has To Step Away

When Niki Harris and her husband launched Farm School on their working farm in Northern California in 2018, they were simply looking for a better educational option for their own four children. What began as a part-time co-op quickly grew into a thriving place-based microschool serving dozens of students through multiple programs. But after nearly a decade of growth, unexpected circumstances forced Niki to make one of the hardest decisions any school founder can face: halting operations in the middle of the school year. On this episode of LiberatED , Niki shares the remarkable story of Farm School's evolution, the emotional and operational challenges of pausing a beloved microschool, and the lessons every education entrepreneur can learn from her experience. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!

June 23, 2026Episode 39233 min

How Summit School Grew from 50 to 140 Students in 3 Years

In this episode of LiberatED, Kerry McDonald talks with Peter Holmstrom, Head of School at Summit School in Waco, Texas. Peter shares his journey from social work to public school teaching to leading one of the fastest-growing learner-centered schools in the state. Since becoming head of school in 2023, Peter has helped grow Summit from fewer than 50 students to nearly 140 learners, while expanding staff, facilities, and programs. He explains how Summit blends nature-based, project-driven learning with strong academic outcomes, creating an environment where children develop curiosity, confidence, and a genuine love of learning. Kerry and Peter discuss teacher burnout, school leadership, the challenges of managing rapid growth, and the impact of Texas's new Education Freedom Accounts program. Peter also shares why listening to parents, empowering staff, and focusing on joyful learning have been key ingredients in Summit's success. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org . Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling , is available now wherever books are sold!