LiberatED Podcast
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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Today's guest is Kate Lundquist, founder and principal of Northshore Prep Academy. A former public high school math and physics teacher, Kate opened her secular K-8 hybrid school in Mandeville, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, in 2015. Today, Northshore Prep Academy has 75 students enrolled. *** Sign up for Kerry's
From physician to founder, with Barbara Jauregui Wurst of Acton Academy Falls Church
Today's guest is Barbara Jauregui Wurst, a medical doctor and adjunct professor at George Washington University who cofounded Acton Academy Falls Church in Northern Virginia in 2021. Read Courage To Grow by Acton Academy cofounder, Laura Sandefer. Check out this new article at our Education Entrepreneurship Lab by a r
Today's guest is Cassandra Orozco, the founder of Beacon of Hope Academy, a faith-based microschool serving K–5th grade students with special needs in Lake Worth, Florida, set to open this fall. As a certified special education teacher with experience in both charter and private schools, Cassandra is passionate about r
Alexandra Batista Rodriguez on creating a microschool for students with special needs
Today’s guest is Alexandra Batista Rodriguez, founder and director of Steps Learning Center in Orlando, Florida, a specialized K-8 microschool for neurodiverse learners with moderate to significant special needs. Steps Learning Center takes a nontraditional, student-centered approach to learning, and serves a variety o
Today’s guest is Sara James, a former public school teacher who founded Spark Christian Academy, an Acton Academy affiliate in Harrison, Ohio, near Cincinnati, in 2022. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org.
Today’s guest is Sarah Pevehouse, founder of Apogee Dripping Springs Micro High School in Dripping Springs, Texas, west of Austin, which she launched in 2024. With a background in Waldorf and alternative education, Sarah has served as a teacher, administrator, and enrollment director, shaping real-world learning experi
