Ken Danford's guest appearances

Ken Danford

Off-Trail Learning

Modern Education Movement

InspirEd by Kubrio

Gina Riley

Debbie Reber

Michelle Jones

Bryan Caplan

Isaac Morehouse

Ryan Lee

William Deresiewicz

Peter Gray

Blake Boles

Mark Stern

Pablo Gonzalez

Holly Homer

Kelly Davis

T.K. Coleman

Peter Berg

OwlTail

For as long as there has been compulsory schooling, students have asked, “Do I really have to go to school through 12th grade? Isn’t there some other way?”The conventional answer most parents respond with is, “No, there is no other way. You just have to make the best of it.” That was what they did, and they survived.That answer didn’t satisfy Kenneth Danford. In 1996, he left his public school teaching job to help students live, learn, and grow in a different environment. He co-founded what became North Star, an alternative to middle school and high school. It’s not a school itself. It’s a Self Directed Learning education center for Teens.They help teens create a life that is meaningful and relevant to them. This experience includes a customized academic plan, weekly meetings with a personal advisor, quarterly family meetings, plus a variety of classes, workshops and tutorials.And they have provided this support to hundreds of students over the past two decades.Most North Star teens go on to college afterwards.Now Kenneth is spreading the North Star model across the world through Liberated Learners, a network of learning centers. He’s also published a book Learning is Natural, School is Optional, which tells the story of North Star.Yes, there are viable and often superior alternatives to traditional school. Today we’ll dive into what North Star is all about to see if that approach is a better fit for you and your family.Links Mentioned In Episode&gt;&gt;&gt; Learn about North Star&gt;&gt;&gt; Connect with Ken, check out his bookConnect With UsFind us on Facebook and LinkedIn or email podcast AT gerrykirk DOT net.Make sure to subscribe to the show, we release a new episode every Tuesday at 9 am EST.Subscribe to the Modern Education Movement Calendar (and get a sneak preview of upcoming episodes and events)&gt;&gt;&gt; Subscribe to the Modern Education Movement Calendar

For as long as there has been compulsory schooling, students have asked, “Do I really have to go to school through 12th grade? Isn’t there some other way?” The conventional answer most parents respond with is, “No, there is no other way. You just have to make the best of it.” That was what they did, and they survived. That answer didn’t satisfy Kenneth Danford. In 1996, he left his public school teaching job to help students live, learn, and grow in a different environment.  He co-founded what became North Star, an alternative to middle school and high school. It’s not a school itself. It’s a Self Directed Learning education center for Teens. They help teens create a life that is meaningful and relevant to them. This experience includes a customized academic plan, weekly meetings with a personal advisor, quarterly family meetings, plus a variety of classes, workshops and tutorials. And they have provided this support to hundreds of students over the past two decades. Most North Star teens go on to college afterwards. Now Kenneth is spreading the North Star model across the world through Liberated Learners, a network of learning centers. He’s also published a book Learning is Natural, School is Optional, which tells the story of North Star. Yes, there are viable and often superior alternatives to traditional school. Today we’ll dive into what North Star is all about to see if that approach is a better fit for you and your family. Links Mentioned In Episode <a href="https://www.northstarteens.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&gt;&gt;&gt; Learn about North Star</a> <a href="https://kennethdanford.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&gt;&gt;&gt; Connect with Ken, check out his book</a> Connect With Us Find us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/modernedmovement" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrykirk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> or email podcast AT gerrykirk DOT net. Make sure to subscribe to the show, we release a new episode every Tuesday at 9 am EST. Subscribe to the Modern Education Movement Calendar (and get a sneak preview of upcoming episodes and events) <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=Z2VycnlraXJrLm5ldF8wZnJpazNmZ3JlcjFhcGNiMWk0MjZiazNkMEBncm91cC5jYWxlbmRhci5nb29nbGUuY29t" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&gt;&gt;&gt; Subscribe to the Modern Education Movement Calendar</a>

Learning is Natural, School is Optional - the North Star Way with Ken Danford

Ken Danford is the Executive Director of North Star (northstarteens.org), author of the new book "Learning is Natural, School is Optional", and the first guest to ever appear on this podcast. In this episode we discuss the Liberated Learners network through which Ken helps other people start centers similar to his, his advice for starting a new center (hint: talk to everyone in town, and don’t rely on homeschoolers to fill the program), and how L.L. fits into the broader alternative education movement. We conclude by discussing where Ken is headed next and what he would do with a few million dollars. Learn more about Ken and his book at kennethdanford.com, and find his survey of North Star alumni at self-directed.org/tp/north-star-alumni/

Ken Danford is the Executive Director of North Star (<a href="http://northstarteens.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">northstarteens.org</a>), author of the new book "Learning is Natural, School is Optional", and the first guest to ever appear on this podcast. In this episode we discuss the Liberated Learners network through which Ken helps other people start centers similar to his, his advice for starting a new center (hint: talk to everyone in town, and don’t rely on homeschoolers to fill the program), and how L.L. fits into the broader alternative education movement. We conclude by discussing where Ken is headed next and what he would do with a few million dollars. Learn more about Ken and his book at <a href="http://kennethdanford.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">kennethdanford.com</a>, and find his survey of North Star alumni at <a href="http://self-directed.org/tp/north-star-alumni/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">self-directed.org/tp/north-star-alumni/</a>

Ken Danford on Liberated Learners