In this episode, expect to learn about what to look for when choosing a school for your kid. Hannah breaks down the difference between “Institutional” and “child-centric” education and how the latter often leads to improved academic outcomes for children. She also explores how child-centric education utilizes technology and AI to customize curricul…

Kerry McDonald is a Senior Fellow at FEE and the author of Unschooled and the forthcoming book Joyful Learning. Kerry returns to the podcast to talk about the trends in the microschool movement coming out of the pandemic, why homeschooling and microschooling is on the rise, and how school choice policy is affecting innovation and entrepreneurship i…

Dr. Nicholas Ellis is the Founder and CEO of Christian Halls, a local, independent learning community, offering college, skilled trade, and other post-secondary education opportunities. Expect to learn about Nick’s experience growing up homeschooled and going to some of the most elite universities, the genesis of Christian Halls, why the current un…

Connor Boyack is the author of 50 books, including the popular Tuttle Twins children’s series. He is also president of Libertas Network, a family-centric liberty initiative. Expect to learn about the recent acquisition of Praxis by Libertas Network, building an audience in the education space, the future of Praxis and how the market for college alt…

In this solocast, expect to learn why our education system in America is broken and what we can do to fix it. Hannah explores the lack of advancement in public education in the 21st Century, the ed-tech tools that are making the most impact, and the possibility of progress through AI, LLMs, and microschools. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:52 - Twitter Ba…

In this solocast, expect to hear advice for teachers and educators trying to get out of the public education system. Hannah offers options ranging from the micro school movement to one-on-one and online teaching. She also offers direct support by encouraging interested listeners to reach out to her on X. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:14 Leaving the Publ…

We’re finally doing an AMA episode! Expect to hear Hannah answer listener questions on topics like reading, homeschool curriculum, education reform, socialization, and much more.Chapters:0:00 - Intro0:45 - What Do You Think is the Best Way to Teach a Kid to Read?3:18 - What is the Best Way to Create a Well Rounded Curriculum for Homeschooling Kids8…

In this episode, Hannah shares 10 more of her favorite books on education for homeschoolers and their parents. If you’d like to hear Part 1, you can find that here. Chapters: 0:00 - Top Book Recommendations 0:59 - Deschooling Society - Ivan Illich 2:48 - How Children Learn - John Holt 4:36 - Unschooled - Kerry McDonald 6:16 - The Discovery of the C…

In this solocast, expect to learn about the recent Tik Tok ban, the social media driven mental health crisis, whether or not these apps are inherently harmful to kids, and the potential for social media to be used with intention for education and personal growth. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:33 - Why Was Tik Tok Temporarily Banned? 3:34 - What is Socia…

Ellen Fishbein is a full time editor who has worked with writers like Coleman Hughes, Shane Parrish, and David Perell. She and her team offer coaching via Writing.coach and publish short books via Altamira Studio. Expect to learn Ellen’s 3 Principles of Writing that she wishes were taught in school, the importance of having clear goals before you b…

Scott Scheall spent the majority of his academic career at Arizona St. University, the largest university in the world, and is now a professor at the University of Austin, perhaps the smallest university in the world. Expect to learn about the bureaucracy that exists in large academic institutions and the perverse incentives in place that make it s…

Michael Gibson is a co-founder of the Teal Fellowship and then built the investment firm 1517, both of which invest in young people without college degrees to build start ups. Before his academic apostasy, he was working towards a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Oxford. He has written on innovation and technology for MIT’s Technology R…

Laura Williams is a ghostwriter, editor, and the current managing editor at the American Institute for Economic Research. In this episode, we explore the many cases for teaching writing in today's social media and AI-driven world: as a form of self-discovery, a way of building credibility, a tool for developing and refining thoughts, and a means of…

Thomas Hogan is a professor of Economics at the University of Austin, where he is making a return to academia after spending years in the business world. Thomas has worked in finance and business, and served as the Chief Economist for a US Senate Community. In this episode, expect to learn about Thomas’ first term teaching at UATX and the culture t…

Michael Horn is a professor at the Harvard School of Education and author of multiple books including "Disrupting Class" co-authored with Clayton Christensen, and most recently “Job Moves”. Michael’s work focuses primarily on innovation and the future of education. In this episode, you'll learn about the trends Michael observes in K-12 and higher e…

In this solocast, Hannah explores five of the most harmful lessons taught in public schools, examines how these lessons set kids up for failure in the real world, and discusses the process of deschooling and detoxing from traditional education. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:13 - Deschooling 3:43 - The Harmful Lessons That Public Schools Teach 5:17 - Wai…

Matt Bateman returns to the Hannah Frankman Podcast for the third time! Matt is the co-founder of Higher Ground Montessori, one of the largest networks of Montessori schools in the world. Matt was a former philosophy professor at universities and is an expert in early childhood development. This episode is all about AI in education. Expect to learn…

Samantha Westmoreland is a former public school teacher and is currently the writer-in-residence at Guidepost Montessori. She possesses deep knowledge of the Montessori pedagogy and approach. In this episode, you'll learn about the Montessori approach to literacy, its effectiveness in teaching reading, and why Montessori students often surpass aver…

Madison Adkins is a Praxis graduate who currently works with Hannah to help market alternative education programs and brands. Expect to learn about Madison's journey as a high school and college dropout and how it influenced her current work. We explore our approaches to marketing alternative education programs, including common mistakes educators …

Andrew Bernstein is a professor of philosophy at Marist College and the author of “Why Johnny Still Can’t Read or Write or Understand Math And What We Can Do About It”. In his book, he discusses the history of American decline in literacy rates and mathematics, the deterioration of public education quality, and the most promising educational moveme…

In this solocast, Hannah explains why your physical space has such a profound impact on your life, discusses the issues with public education classrooms, and offers insights on how to optimize your environment for both personal and children's education. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 2:47 - Why Environment Design is So Important 5:56 - What is Environment …

In this solocast, Hannah shares her top book recommendations for homeschoolers and their parents. This is the stack she believes is most helpful for understanding how to take charge and facilitate your child’s education experience. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:23 - Don’t Tell Me I Can’t 4:05 - The Intellectual Lives of Children - Susan Engel 6:02 - Fre…

In this solocast, Hannah explains her personal experience as a homeschooler. She discusses the debates surrounding socialization for homeschoolers and explores the distinction between "normal" and "common" in relation to student experiences in public education. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:15 - Update on Hannah’s Life 2:13 - Socialization for Homeschoo…

Kaity Broadbent is the chief evangelist at Prenda, a network of microschools expanding across the country and offering Education Savings Account (ESA) options for students. In this episode, you'll learn about Prenda's culture, how it establishes values of curiosity, and why it emphasizes the process of learning rather than standardized test outcome…

Hunter Dane is a wilderness entrepreneur and outdoorsman who leads guided hunting expeditions across the globe. Expect to learn about the genesis of Hunter's career as a hunting guide, his profound connection to nature, and the life-changing experiences his clients undergo during their expeditions. We also discuss the school Hunter is building, whi…

Robert Pondiscio is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of How the Other Half Learns He has spent the past few decades researching and writing about education reform. In this episode, expect to learn why Robert left a successful journalism career to become a public school teacher in New York City's lowest performing scho…

Claire Honeycutt is a former academic spending 20 years working inside of academia. She was a professor at Arizona St. University from 2015-2024 when she resigned to become a full time homeschooling mom. Expect to learn about Claire's insights on how we learn and why she became so interested in intrinsic motivation and self-directed learning. She'l…

Eric Daniels is the Assistant Director of Clemson University’s Institute for the Study of Capitalism. Eric has worked in multiple levels of education; from middle school science teacher to head of a Montessori school to working at multiple universities. Expect to learn Eric's insights from his diverse educational experiences and how they've shaped …

Joe Connor is the founder and CEO of Odyssey, a platform that helps parents access and utilize their ESA money. Expect to learn about the history of ESA programs, what Odyssey does to help parents access funds, and the patterns and trends in ESA rollouts across the country. We explore why Joe is so optimistic about the future of school choice and h…

Ryan Delk is the founder and CEO of Primer, a network of microschools expanding across the country. Primer is structured in a way that supports teachers that allows them to focus on what they love most. Expect to learn about the systems Primer has built across their network to allow teachers to focus on what they love and streamline the process for…

Steve Patterson is an author and freelance philosopher working outside of traditional academia. He specializes in uncovering foundational errors in “mainstream consensus” and orthodox opinions. Expect to learn about the research Steve has done throughout his career, what it means to be a philosopher, and why he believes we are in a dark age of phil…

Jon England is the Education Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He works to support micro school founders and school choice legislation, and is currently building an association that will allow micro school founders to tap into the economies of scales that public schools are able to leverage. In this episode, expect to learn about John’s experie…

Dan Sanchez is a writer and Senior Fellow at FEE where he is the Director of Content and Editor. Dan and Hannah worked together at Praxis and ran the Cole Summers Fellowship together. In this episode, expect to learn Dan’s journey becoming an intellectual outside of academia through his own studying and learning, his approach to developing fellowsh…

Katelyn Donnelly is the founder and general partner of Avalanche VC, a venture capitalist firm that invests primarily in Ed Tech Companies. Expect to learn what Ed Tech is and how it’s changing the education landscape, how Austin, TX has become a hub for education innovation, and Katelyn’s predictions about the future of the education market. You’l…

Graham Frey returns to the show! Graham is the CEO of Hallcraft School Studio and former CEO of Alpha, an innovative network of K-12 schools based in Austin, Texas. In this episode, expect to learn why the modern education system makes it easier for girls to succeed and is detrimental to boy’s self-esteem and development, the case for same sex scho…

Nat Eliason is a blogger, programmer, entrepreneur, and author of the new book Crypto Confidential, where he tells the story of riding the crypto mania wave of 2021, how he learned how to invest in crypto, become a programmer, and signing onto a project that made and then lost him millions of dollars. In this episode, expect to learn Nat’s process …

John Papola is the founder of Emergent Order and host of the Dad Saves America Podcast. Expect to learn the genesis of Dad Saves America, how John came up with the idea, and why he believes that the family unit is the most important place to build the future of American culture. You’ll also learn how John got started as an independent media creator…

Aquinnah Bree is a full time freelance writer with a very unique and interesting education background. She just released her debut novel, A Tempest of RosesIn this episode, expect to learn about Aquinnah’s unique education background bouncing between different schools, how she developed a love for writing, why she chose to skip college and build a …

Ray Girn is the co-founder and CEO of Higher Ground Montessori, the largest network of Montessori schools in the world. Expect to learn the business side of building and scaling schools, why talent is so important, and how Ray thinks about building a culture that scales. You’ll learn the philosophy of Montessori and how Higher Ground has implemente…

This week we have Peter Gray, a developmental psychologist who studies the important of play in childhood. His book Free to Learn covers the importance of play as a form of education in Expect to learn why childhood play was an area of interest in his research, Peter’s experience raising a son who was rebellious to the traditional education system,…

This week we have Chrisman Frank, the Co-Founder and CEO of Synthesis, an online, game-based school that was originally built as part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX school. It’s now available to the public. In this episode, expect to learn the origin of Synthesis, how Synthesis is using game-based learning and AI to deliver personalized tutoring to it’s stu…

Keri Waters is an inventor, long time entrepreneur and currently the Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Austin, America’s newest private University. In this episode, expect to learn about Keri’s journey as an entrepreneur, how the University of Austin is combining liberal arts and entrepreneurship, what they are looking for in applicants…

Erin Doppelt is a spiritual psychology + meditation teacher and author of the new book Nothing Can Stop You.In this episode, expect to learn what a mindfulness practice can do to improve your life and help regulate your nervous system, why children are innately good meditators, the importance of finding your own path in life, and Erin’s top pieces …

This week we have Laura Mazer on the podcast. Laura, a former surgeon, is now on the leadership team at Guidepost Montessori, the largest network of Montessori schools in the worldIn this episode, you’ll learn about Maria Montessori, the Montessori method, and how Montessori approaches education and development differently from traditional schools.…

We’re doing something a little different in this episode. After nearly 50 interviews, we bring you the first ever solocast. Expect to learn Hannah’s personal alternative education experience, why she chose not to go to college, advice for parents, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and how to think about choosing a school for your chil…

Paul Millerd is the author of the Pathless Path, which tells his story of leaving the high status consulting world to become a nomad, a freelancer, and a writer.In this episode, expect to learn how Paul started to unwind and ultimately reject some of these stories and how we can find the courage to think critically about what we actually want in li…

Jenny Clark is a homeschooling mom of 5 and the founder of Love Your School, an organization that helps families find, access, and figure out their eligibility for ESAs in Arizona and West Virginia. In this episode, you’ll hear about Jenny’s journey from high achieving career to homeschooling mom, the ESA movement’s effect on the education landscap…

Cade Prior is a filmmaker with a passion for creating content that captures the emotion and beauty of life. He is also a real life example of successful homeschooling. In this episode, expect to hear Cade’s experience growing up homeschooled, whether or not being a homeschooler was an asset in his career, and how homeschooling allowed him to become…

Amar Kumar is the Founder and CEO of KaiPod Learning, a network of in-person microschools where students learn at their own pace, explore their passions, and develop their skills to take on the world. Amar has been working to improve education for students around the world for over 15 years. In this episode, you’ll hear about Amar’s experience immi…

Kate, known online as Austin Scholar, is a teenage author writing about education in the 21st Century. Kate is a senior at Alpha High School in Austin, TX, where she started her newsletter, writing about her experience in alternative education and her advice to parents from a teenagers perspective.In this episode, you’ll learn about the innovative …