Jul 28, 2026

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,...

Jul 21, 2026

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...

Jul 17, 2026

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.

Jul 14, 2026

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,...

Jul 7, 2026

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,...