A Two-Day, Tuition-Free Microschool With Full-Time Impact

I'm Carrie McDonald and this is The Liberated Podcast.

My guest today is Marta McBann, founder of Sonoran Learning Collective, a hybrid

micro-school in Cave Creek, Arizona, which she launched in August of 2024. Students

in grades four to eight attend in-person classes two days a week where they receive direct

instruction and core academic subjects and complete the remainder of their coursework at

home throughout the week. Marta McBann, welcome to The Liberated Podcast.

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm so glad to have you here. I want to hear all about your journey into education

entrepreneurship because this was not sort of something that you had set out to do for

career. You kind of came to education and entrepreneurship in 2020 with kind of your own experience

as a parent in dealing with education disruption in the pandemic. I'd love to sort of start

there if we could Marta and tell us kind of how you found your way into the role of educator

and later entrepreneur. Yeah, like you said, it was not something I had planned or envisioned

but it kind of came up. So in 2020, the 19, 19, 2020 school year, my oldest daughter was

in kindergarten at a district school and we were having a great experience. I loved her teacher.

I was the room mom. We had a great group of little girls and moms. But that spring was,

of course, when all the schools shut down, everything moved to Zoom. And my daughter was six

at the time and so Zoom was just not working for several reasons. And so I was kind of like,

okay, what do we do? Because I'm not going to have her on Zoom. This is not working. So I had

been talking to a friend who had been homeschooling her daughter already at that time and she

was like, you know, why don't you just try my curriculum to finish off the year?

So I was kind of like, okay, let me check this out. And so that was kind of my first step into

just alternative education, home education. So I got this curriculum and I started going through

and I was like, wow, this is so great. And from there, it really just sparked kind of this

this interest and passion of seeing that I was able to teach my daughter and there were all

these resources available. It wasn't that I had to just create things or guess. There were so many

options in terms of using things at home to follow along. So that summer, I decided to just

continue with that rather than go back to the school. And so working with my friend, she was in the

process of of developing a hybrid school. And so I joined her in that and that year we started

out just small at her house with a handful of families meeting once a week from there that grew

the following year into another hybrid school, which was called Highlands Latin Cottage School.

And that was a similar model where students would come once a week, do their core classes,

and then have that flexibility to complete it at home. So from there, I dove right in and just

started learning more about educational philosophies and different learning approaches for different

students, what what they need to know how to teach it, all these things. So I just kind of did this

head dive and yeah, I just started doing that. And then also at that time, I started working with

a local nonprofit called Love Your School that helps me navigate all the school options. So from

there too, I just became really familiar with all the options in Arizona, including the empowerment

scholarship, STOs, how to get evaluations. And so from there, I got to travel all around the city,

talking to families and helping them explore and just really seeing that all these families have

such different needs and their kids are unique. So it just really became passionate about helping

families find not just the right fit, but finding a plan and helping their student. And so

from there, I also linked up with Kipod and joined their catalyst program. So they've been phenomenal

at just helping be this backbone and providing structure. So kind of hitting all these different

aspects. And so now, so in 2024, like you mentioned, I branched off and launched another program called

Learning Collective in Cape Creek where I saw there was a need for some alternatives in the area

and also just helping families really meet those academic milestones, finding goals, especially in

those years between fourth and eighth grade, where you really see some of the areas where students

might have gaps and they need to fill that. So helping families identify those and then what to do

to get their student ready for high school and beyond. I love it. So much there, Marta.

We mentioned two organizations that I absolutely adore. Loveyourschool.org founded by Jenny Clark,

which is such a wonderful resource in Arizona and West Virginia and other states that helps kind of

connect families to various learning environments and kind of supports families as they decide what is

the best educational fit for their children. So they're doing such great work at Loveyourschool

and then Kipod and the Kipod catalyst program specifically that works with prospective founders

like you to help kind of go from idea to launch, you know, successfully and sustainably and really

build long-lasting micro-school programs. So I'm thrilled that you have partnered with both of those

organizations over the past few years. So when you decided to launch your, your own program

in a Sonoran Learning Collective in August of 2024, what was that kind of pre-launch process

like for you as you were going through Kipod's catalyst program and kind of getting ready to open

your doors? So it really, I kind of branched off like I said from another program so I can

have used that as the foundation and kept the core model in terms of the structure, the daily

schedule and really just used their outline for what we're going to offer, which was, you know,

language arts, math, literature, keeping those core subjects because I also saw that in Arizona,

especially there's been an influx of hybrid programs and all these great options for families,

which is amazing. But the need that I saw was those core subjects. So I really wanted to keep that

model of the core subjects. And so I kind of just used that as the structure and then filled in

and then research different programs or curriculum that aligned with what I wanted to teach and how.

And so I, from there, I built that and then at the same time, I had an opportunity to utilize

space at my local church that had some classrooms and a playground. So we launched there because

that opportunity came up. It all kind of just aligned, all the stars aligned in that sense. So I

was blessed to be able to have a space available. I know that's a challenge for a lot of founders

is finding a space. So we were able to do that and then just through my networks of families and

and people I have been in touch with, we started out with a handful of families. We had eight

students to of which were my own daughters. And so we got those students just through kind of word

of mouth and and launched from there. So. And what were those first few months of launch like for

you? You know, you said you were familiar with kind of a similar model that you'd been involved

with the previous couple of years, but it's a game changer when it's your own enterprise.

So what was that that startup experience like for you in those early months of launch?

Yeah, there's a lot of that back end stuff that you have to kind of learn and maybe it kind of

learned to pivot, which you know, Kipod has been so great with supporting and helping me navigate

some of those ins and outs that even though I was involved in another school previously for the

last four years, it was yeah, it was different taking that on. And so I really valued what Kipod

brought because it just helped me navigate just things of okay, what do I need to have this

be a proper business, you know, and making sure we're meeting compliance and all these different

things and they have a great app that we use to communicate with parents with assignments.

So that was really helpful too in learning how do we communicate with parents? How do we make

sure everyone is on the same page and knows what to do, especially in a partnership model where

we really do rely on the parents to be partners as teachers. We want to keep them involved. So how

do we do that? So Kipod has all these tools and resources that were so helpful in answering

those unknowns and having a direct contact to talk to you and also having a community of other

founders across the country who are experiencing similar things. We can bounce ideas off of one another,

be supportive. So when we do run into like a roadblock or a challenge, we know we're not alone. We

can talk to others and get ideas and problem solve. So that was really helpful then just doing it

all alone kind of on the fly. And one of the things, you know, sometimes you plan things and it changes.

Like maybe this textbook isn't working or we need to pivot. And so having that piece of mind that

that's okay. That just because what you have laid out in August, maybe by December, you're going

to change and that's okay. And that's part of part of the nice thing about having a little bit

of a flexible model where you can pivot and do those things and not be so locked in.

Yeah. And tell us about some of the families that are coming to you, Marta, because you've,

I guess, nearly doubled in size since you launched in just 18 months. You have new students joining

all the time, including sort of mid-year school switchers who don't want to wait until next August

to join. They want, they want what you're offering sooner than later. What is attracting families

to Sonoran learning collective? And what types of families are these families? Are they families

who had always been homeschooling? Are they more like you who, you know, someone who hadn't really

considered homeschooling? But once you discovered this whole world of alternative education,

realized it was quite fulfilling and practical. Yeah. We have had some families contacting us this,

you know, this quarter, mid-year, just looking for other options. I know sometimes families try

something. It doesn't work out. So they're looking. And so we do welcome that because we do want to

serve them. And like I said, part of part of the nice thing of these programs is the flexibility.

So we can accommodate learners who are coming in mid-year. So most of the students that are with

us, they actually do come from a wide variety of backgrounds. We have some who have been homeschooling,

some who came out of district schools. They kind of are a mix. But I think the main thing that attracts

them to us is that focus on the core subjects because especially in those ages when they're getting

to be about 10 or, you know, between those fourth and sixth grade years and parents are kind of

realizing, oh, they're struggling in this area. They're kind of noticing those gaps a little bit.

And so because we focus on that and we really want to help students fill in those pieces before

they move on and get to a high school level, whatever that may be, whether they're in a traditional

school or not. We want to make sure that they're getting those things so that by the time they're in

high school, they can take those courses that they need to either get their diploma, get a GED

or go to higher education so that they can get there before they're in those years and then

realizing, oh, I did not do this piece. I need to go back. And so what's bringing the families

is that kind of that core academic piece that we really focus on and we tailor even though we have

set classes. We do tailor the academics to the students individually. So we try to keep our

classes really small so we can give students individualized support. And so I think the other

thing though is, so this year, the school year in August of 25, we moved our campus to an elementary

school that is a district school, but it is no longer used, but our school district, which is

Cape Creek Unified School District, has actually been really supportive of this program and serving

the needs of the community because they do recognize that there are so many options now. And there

are kids in the community who maybe aren't attending a district school, but still need that academic

support. So they opened up their campus that we are using now, which has been amazing. It's a beautiful

campus. We have great classrooms, playground fields. So that's been so great to where our students

just love being there. They love being outside. They have so much room to play and run and so,

that's why we give them a lot of breaks to really use that space. So that's been an amazing

partnership and having that support of the district is huge. And they are also supportive of

growing the program. So we'll see what next year brings. Yeah, so tell us a little bit more about

this partnership because I love to see that collaboration between migrant schools and hybrid schools

conventional district schools and school districts. So right now you're leasing space from them

from a traditional school. Are there are there other types of collaboration other than them

just being supportive of you being there, which is huge, but are there any other sort of tangible

collaborations that are happening or that you foresee happening? Yeah, so right now it's kind of

developing because I think it's a kind of new and innovative thing that we're doing.

We're having a private micro school joining with the district where

you know, they're letting us use the space and we're going to have ongoing meetings to see what

else we can do and how to support. And so one of the ideas we have is to help students,

like I said, identify those gaps and fill them. And so right now we're doing that through tutoring.

So after school tutoring, we also use this school to provide services for students who are in

the district that might need support, but where it differs from traditional just after school

tutoring is we also work with the parents very closely to find those needs and help the parents

identify those, how to talk to the teachers, really tailor that again to their student. And so we

can figure out what's going on, where the student is maybe struggling, where they need help, and then

encouraging the parents. This is what you can do, how to talk to the teacher, how you can be involved

at home and how we can all work together to support one another. And that's something the district has

really recognized is that, you know, it doesn't have to be this, this or that type of setting,

that we can all work together, parents, community members, teachers to support the students because

that's what we all want. We want a great education for students and to have them be well-rounded

and get the support that they need from any of these avenues. And so something I've been

trying to encourage parents to do too is just be involved in their education, whether they're

in the district school or their home schooling, it's, you know, so important for parents to be a part

of that. Yeah, and especially in a state like Arizona, there's so many more choices for families

so they're able to find just the right educational fit for their children. And so many

micro schools and hybrid schools and other learning models that are rapidly emerging and that in

many cases are tuition free or nearly so due to universal school choice policies in Arizona,

Arizona, a long time leader in school choice programs that enable a portion of education funding

to follow students to their preferred educational environment. And that's the case for the families

at Sonoran Learning Collective where most families are able to attend tuition free using

the education savings account program. Could you talk a little bit about that kind of financial

accessibility? Yeah, so in Arizona we have the empowerment scholarship accounts, which like you

said, the funding follows the student. So if a student is not enrolled in a public district school,

they are eligible for the universal scholarship. And that funding allows them to have their

funds to be put towards education in the core subjects. And so that's something that that we

need. And so when students sign that contract and the family gets that funding to be used towards

that, we help them apply that in a very tangible way because we cover those core subjects. And so

a lot of families who come to us, like I said, they are looking for that help in the core subjects.

And so the students that we have who are homeschooled, the parents, they say, well, I do see they

need some help here and there. And same with the district kids, if they're coming out of a district

school, it's because they just needed some help in these foundational areas. And so we align

exactly with what the empowerment scholarship is for for those core academic subjects. And we

provide that support for families who need that in a different setting. And so something I would

love to see happen in the future with us and the district is to have kind of a parallel option

for students who might not necessarily be ready for the next grade if they're in the traditional

school, but they don't need to be held back. So something I would love to develop with them that

we've kind of touched on, but it's just a vision at this point is having that kind of like a gap

closure program just for a year where they could come and they can do it would be like a middle grade.

So if they're maybe ending fourth grade and they're not quite ready, they don't need to repeat

everything in fourth grade, but they could come and do this kind of gap fulfillment year where we

just identify those, get them really ready for the next grade by focusing on just the areas they

need and the other subjects they can continue at their level and then go back to this school.

And so that's something I would love to develop in partnership with them to really meet those

needs and serve more students because especially when class sizes are large, you get this velcro,

you know, and I would love to just help support students to meet those, but not have to repeat or not

be moved on when they're not ready, especially as they move towards high school.

I love that vision. So you mentioned how Sonora and Learning Collective serves grades 4 to 8

and kind of get students ready to launch into high school. I wonder if you can talk a little bit

more about why those grades in particular, why not K to 3 and why not high school or are there plans

to expand lower and higher in the grades you're serving?

Yeah, for now we will focus on those grades. I know both those ends of the educational spectrum

are so unique. So high school course, you just have a different caliber of learning that needs to

happen of skills and the same thing with Kinder through about that second or third. Their focuses

are so different. So in Kindergarten and first grade especially, they really need that strong

foundation in early literacy reading and that's so important, which is not impossible in a hybrid

model, but we focus on the fourth through eighth because at that point they usually do have at least

that. They do have their reading skills, but that's where you see those kind of those smaller gaps,

like maybe they need to go back a few steps in math for example. So they don't need

they're not learning new things necessarily. It's kind of revisiting or really solidifying

these little areas. So those are kind of those crucial years where you have some foundation,

but you need to fill in those cracks. And so we're seeking to fill those because like I said,

it's a lot of times they have a lot of it, but they just have these little pieces that are missing

and they need those pieces before they get to the other side. So really focusing on that helps us

also kind of contain our program to have a specific focus so that we can also group them based

on where they're at. And so our classes are not based on grade or age necessarily. It's what do

you need to learn? What pieces do you need? And we group them there and then we can move them

up and down as needed and as they go really at their individual pace. So it helps us align that

for the students too because for the most part they're in these specific little areas. So

it gives us a little more flexibility but then also structure in terms of these are these are

the areas that we're focusing on. Yeah and I know you're only a year and a half into the program.

Do you have graduates yet? Folks who've gone on to high school and if so how has that transition

gone? We haven't had that yet but in the next couple of years we will so we will see but so far

the way we kind of gauge that we do use the state standards to kind of keep mostly aligned and

know okay this is what they should be learning at this stage keeping in track with that.

We did have a couple of our students last year take just a sample state test just to see where

they're at and they did great so you know as they progress we'll kind of do that and not officially

incorporate formal testing but kind of keeping that you know making sure they are

meeting those standards and so that when they get to that point when they are ready that yes they

they are able to step into that next phase. And are you anticipating that these students most of

them will go on to kind of traditional high schools or are there hybrid high school models in your

area or will you have to build that too Marta? Yeah we'll see right now in Arizona that is that is

another area the high school there's not a lot of hybrid high school options I know there's one

existing one and I know there's another in development but yeah that's kind of unknown I don't know

that's kind you know it's not too far out so we'll see where that goes but I do think for the

most part families do plan to go to some sort of full-time high school at that stage or at least you

know they have them do an online high school something because they will need just different

instruction like I said at that level and sometimes it's nice to have a space to do chemistry or

biology or those types of things so based on the needs but yeah we'll see I know that's something

you know I'm very flexible and open so wherever those paths lead I'm excited to see where it'll go

yeah and you know as we begin to line down Marta I'd love to hear some of your reflections

about being an entrepreneur because you know your background is in corporate media you have a degree

in Spanish and mass communication you you know hadn't set out to be an education entrepreneur but

now here you are doing this for the past year and a half what is it like being an entrepreneur

how has that experience been for you it's been really exciting you know it has its ups and downs

and challenges but it's also you know just I just love being able to follow this passion and really

just help families and students and for me I think it's a great example too that shows

why it's so important for students to be well-rounded because like you said my educational background

and my professional background weren't necessarily in this but because I had the ability to kind of

plan and think and be creative and be innovative all these skills that they're not necessarily

taught as a subject but these are all things that are gained through things that traditional

education gives us with being able to read problem solve do all these things and be flexible

because we don't know where life will take us and we may have a plan and think this is what I'm

going to do and something completely changes but that's something I'm I'm just passionate about

sharing with families is that education for me is really giving children that love of learning

because if they love learning if they love reading and just being challenged they can do anything

and they may think they know what they want to do or where they're going to end up but

life there's as curve falls all the time and so we need that ability to adapt and I don't want

anyone to be stuck or limited in what they can do so we really take the approach of kind of

that classic traditional approach where you're learning all these different things not just specific

things that you know like coding or something we're teaching them to to be critical thinkers

and to be problem solvers which is so applicable you know ironically in this world of all this

technology we need those skills because things do change so rapidly that we don't know what the

world will be like in a couple of years so these kids they need to be able to adapt and and just

think broadly instead of focusing on just you know just little things little projects or

little skills like let's look at the bigger picture and that's when sometimes when students ask

with math especially when they say you know why are we doing this when will I ever be dividing fractions

you know in life and I just tell them it's not it's not about dividing the fractions this is teaching

you how to think how to problem solve be creative all those things and that's exactly what has helped

me just navigate this change in my own path love that so what advice or parting thoughts would you

give to aspiring education entrepreneurs entrepreneurial parents just like you who might be

inspired by your story and want to do something similar in their own communities what advice do

you have for them to get started I think the first step is is just do it take that step it's

sometimes scary or unknown but you know just reach out to your community learn what their needs are

and then find a network whether it's a similar type of organization like love your school if you

have a connection there or kipot you know kipot is is so great like I said they have helped so many

founders nationwide to just take those first steps so it doesn't have to be this lone journey that

there's so much support out there so really just network and do it and if you have that passion

and and want to help that will shine through and you will overcome any of those barriers that you

see such great advice just go for it and connect with others on your journey so if the if my listeners

and viewers want to connect with you Marta and learn more about sonoran learning collective what

is the best way for them to do that they can go to sonoran learning collective dot org and we have

our email on there info at sonoran learning collective dot org and I'd be happy to just speak

more with any parents or founders or school districts just to help support that from all these

different angles that I have been in so I am happy to support the listeners in whatever path they are

on well thank you for that invitation and best wishes to you and the future growth and success of

sonoran learning collective Marta McFan thank you so much for being on the Liberated Podcast

thank you so much thank you for listening to the Liberated Podcast if you like this episode

please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and rate and review us while you're there for more

information about this episode visit LiberatedPodcast.com and to follow my writing and connect with me please

visit me at the foundation for economic education at fee dot org slash carry