Shows
The Future of EducationWhy Friday Night Lights May Hold the Key to Mainstreaming MicroschoolsTwo past guests of mine—Tom Arnett and Tyler Thigpen—joined me on this episode for a wide-ranging conversation on what it will take for microschools, or low-cost private schools, to “go upmarket” and attract more high school students. Our conversation revolved around whether one of the key current stumbling blocks is too many of these schools don’t offer enough “Friday Night Lights” and prom-type events—and if the reason those things are important is because of the critical role they and other such traditions play in identity formation and community connection for high schoolers.Our discussion dove...
2026-02-0946 min
The Future of EducationClay Christensen's Practical Lessons for an Education LeaderTyler Thigpen, CEO and head of school at the Forest School and Acton Academy, joined me again to discuss the powerful impact that my mentor, Clay Christensen, and his theories of innovation had on Tyler’s practical approach to education leadership and innovation. We dove into topics such as identifying and developing capable leaders, designing for sustainability, integrating around a Job to Be Done, and shaping organizational culture through problem-solving.Michael HornWelcome to the Future of Education. I'm Michael Horn. You're joining the show where we're dedicated to creating a world in which all in...
2025-06-1638 min
Learning UnboxedBONUS. Institute for Self Directed Learning with Tyler ThigpenWelcome to a bonus edition of Learning Unboxed, where we will spend two weeks revisiting innovative case studies of student-centered learning. We know that the one-size-fits-all sit-and-get strategy is not the most effective for students. Join us in moving to a system that deeply values the individual. Tune in to get inspired and walk away with tools ready to champion student-centered environments in your own community.Dr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA, and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the...
2025-05-1934 minLearning UnboxedBONUS. Institute for Self Directed Learning with Tyler ThigpenWelcome to a bonus edition of Learning Unboxed, where we will spend two weeks revisiting innovative case studies of student-centered learning. We know that the one-size-fits-all sit-and-get strategy is not the most effective for students. Join us in moving to a system that deeply values the individual. Tune in to get inspired and walk away with tools ready to champion student-centered environments in your own community.Dr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA, and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the...
2025-05-1934 min
Changemaker ED“U”The Power of Community & Self Directed Learning in Microschools with Tyler ThigpenEnjoy this episode with Tyler Thigpen who is co-founder and CEO of The Forest School: An Acton Academy in Georgia, The Forest School Online, and the Institute for Self-Directed Learning. He also serves as Academic Director at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. A Georgia native, Tyler has worked across public, private, and charter schools, as well as national nonprofits like Transcend. He’s helped lead innovative school initiatives including nXu, The Academy Group, and EL Education, and co-founded MENTOR Georgia and Chattahoochee Hills Charter School. Tyler holds advanced degrees from Harvard and Regent College and has...
2025-04-3042 min
The Way of Valor178: Dr. Tyler Thigpen - This New School Model Is Shocking Educators EverywhereSend us a textMore about Dr. Tyler Thigpen: https://theforest.school/our-teamAs a veteran educator with over 30 years of experience, I’ve had countless conversations about what’s broken in our school system—but rarely do I meet someone who isn’t just complaining… but actually building something better. In this episode of The Way of Valor, I’m joined by Dr. Tyler Thigpen—Harvard professor, founder of The Forest School, and one of the most disruptive voices in education today.We dive deep into the pivotal moment that inspired Tyler to reimagine e...
2025-04-2132 min
The Future of EducationTyler Thigpen on Self-Directed LearningTyler Thigpen wears a lot of hats. He’s the co-founder and head of The Forest School: An Acton Academy in south metro Atlanta; co-founder and head of the Institute for Self-Directed Learning; an instructor and academic director at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education; and the coauthor of a new book, The Playbook for Self Directed Learning, which provides strategies for transforming traditional schools into learner-centered environments. Tyler joined me to talk about innovative educational models that emphasize self-directed learning. We discussed everything from what is self-directed learning to the nature of his school and from th...
2025-04-0737 min
Dates, Mates and Babies with the Vallottons112. Rethinking Education with Dr. Tyler ThigpenThe public school system is broken. Too many kids feel left behind, uninspired, and stuck in a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t prepare them for real life—or real relationships. As a dad and leader, Jason believes we need a radical shift. That’s why he sat down with Dr. Tyler Thigpen, an education innovator, to explore a new approach—one that fosters independence, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.In this episode, Jason and Tyler unpack why the system is failing, what’s working in learner-centered models, and how parents can take the lead. These n...
2025-03-271h 00
Living ReconciledEP. 71: Forest Thigpen on Faith and Division in PoliticsWe would love to hear from you! Send us a text message.How can Christians bridge deep political divides? In this episode of Living Reconciled, Forest Thigpen, Senior Advisor for Empower Mississippi, shares how faith-driven engagement can transform public discourse. Drawing from his experience in policy work, he highlights the power of personal connection over political battles, from uniting legislators across racial lines to advocating for real change in Mississippi. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on how faith can guide meaningful action, foster reconciliation, and inspire a new generation of leaders.Special thanks to...
2025-03-1930 min
BraveCo Podcast157: How to Take Control of Your Child’s Education & Future! - Dr. Tyler ThigpenMore About The Forest School: https://theforest.school/The Forest School Online: https://online.theforest.school/The Learner-Centered Microschool Accelerator: https://www.selfdirect.school/acceleratorThe public school system is broken. Too many kids feel left behind, uninspired, and stuck in a one-size-fits-all education model that doesn’t prepare them for the real world. As a dad, educator, and leader, I believe we need a radical shift in how we teach the next generation. That’s why I sat down with Tyler, an education innovator, to explore a new model of learning—one that builds indepe...
2025-03-1759 min
The OpenEd PodcastWhy Traditional Schools Create Dependent Learners with Tyler Thigpen | OpenEd"I've lost patience for boring learning environments for my own children and for kids in general. I've just seen too much at this point - I've seen ways that captivate 17 and 18-year-olds, and I'm just not willing to put up with stuff that I know is going to bore them."– Tyler Thigpen, Founder of The Forest SchoolWhen Tyler Thigpen saw his students help design their own school building (literally), he knew there was a better way to educate children than the traditional system. Tyler reveals why the industrial education model is creating generations of de...
2025-02-1844 min
LiberatED PodcastSupporting self-directed learning in and out of conventional classroomsToday's podcast guest is Tyler Thigpen, co-founder and CEO of The Forest School: An Acton Academy, The Forest School Online, and the Institute for Self Directed Learning in Fayetteville, Georgia. Tyler is also the Academic Director at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a guest lecturer at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and co-author of the new book, The Playbook for Self-Directed Learning: A Leader's Guide to School Transformation and Student Agency. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly LiberatED e-newsletter on education trends at fee.org/liberated.
2025-01-1437 minLearning Unboxed243. Institute for Self Directed Learning with Tyler ThigpenDr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the show today and shares with us key practices he has researched and used to nurture student-led environments.We talk about the concept of mastery and how to measure it with single point rubrics, with an emphasis on longitudinal growth. We discuss the role exhibitions and practicals play in developing student responsibility. We also get into how to create space for students to forge their character and learn how to...
2024-09-0934 minLearning Unboxed243. Institute for Self Directed Learning with Tyler ThigpenDr. Tyler Thigpen co-founded The Forest School in Fayetteville, GA and from there he also co-founded the Institute for Self Directed Learning. Tyler is our guest on the show today and shares with us key practices he has researched and used to nurture student-led environments.We talk about the concept of mastery and how to measure it with single point rubrics, with an emphasis on longitudinal growth. We discuss the role exhibitions and practicals play in developing student responsibility. We also get into how to create space for students to forge their character and learn how to...
2024-09-0934 min
The Empower PodcastBob Davidson and Forest Thigpen: How an Idea Becomes Law "That's the last time I'm going to vote for a bill that I'm against!" shouted a 1970's era Mississippi State Senator from the well of the Senate. In this episode, longtime bill drafter Bob Davidson shares this story and others. You may think that Schoolhouse Rock taught you everything you need to know about how an idea becomes law, but the process is a lot more involved. Before his retirement, Bob Davidson served as Chief Counsel for the Mississippi Senate and Director of the Senate Legislative Services for over 40 years. The institutional knowledge he has and stories h...
2024-04-1748 min
The God MinuteFebruary 10 - Images of MaryMarian SaturdayThe book Lauren references in this episode is A Year with Mary by Paul Thigpen.Music:Hymn to Our Lady of Fatima Into the Forest (Instrumental)Canticle of Zechariah - Sr. Mary Gemma
2024-02-1013 min
Outside/InWhen protest is a crime, part 2: city in a forestAfter the gathering at Standing Rock, legislators across the United States passed laws in the name of “protecting critical infrastructure,” especially pipelines. At the same time, attacks on the electrical grid have increased almost 300%. But that threat isn’t coming from environmental activists. It’s coming from neo-Nazis. This is the second episode in our series examining the landscape of environmental protest in the United States, from Standing Rock to Cop City and beyond. Listen to the first episode here.As the space for protest in the United States shrinks, this year marked...
2023-06-0847 min
Slate Crime and JusticeWhat Next: Atlanta's Battle Over "Cop City"The Atlanta Police Foundation’s $90 million police training facility, a mock-urban space with a nightclub, convenience store, and even homes, has drawn the ire of police reform activists, environmentalists, and even advocates for the homeless. The months-long effort by forest-dwelling protesters to prevent the construction of this facility has left an advocate dead, a state trooper shot, 35 individuals facing terrorism charges, and a community divided.Guest: Madeline Thigpen, criminal justice reporter at Capital B Atlanta.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus me...
2023-03-2126 min
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisAtlanta's Battle Over "Cop City"The Atlanta Police Foundation’s $90 million police training facility, a mock-urban space with a nightclub, convenience store, and even homes, has drawn the ire of police reform activists, environmentalists, and even advocates for the homeless. The months-long effort by forest-dwelling protesters to prevent the construction of this facility has left an advocate dead, a state trooper shot, 35 individuals facing terrorism charges, and a community divided.Guest: Madeline Thigpen, criminal justice reporter at Capital B Atlanta.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus me...
2023-03-2129 min
TeachLab Presents The Homework MachineSubtraction in Action: Wrap UpOur host Justin Reich wraps up our series on Subtraction in Action with his reflections, along with highlights from conversations about the act of subtraction with education thought leaders from around the country. “We're just not that good as human beings at thinking about subtractive solutions. We've thought about stuff that we could add, but have we really taken the time to think about things that we could subtract?” We hear highlights from conversations with:Nat Vaughn, Principal of the Blake Middle School in Medfield, MassachusettsTyler Thigpen, Co-Founder of The Forest School in Atl...
2022-11-1838 min
TeachLab Presents The Homework MachineSubtraction in Action: CurriculumTeach Lab’s Subtraction in Action series continues as our host Justin Reich explores subtraction in curriculum. Justin reflects, “One of the things that happened during the pandemic is that educators had to reduce. There has just not been a way in the last few years to teach everything that we typically teach in a year, or at least if we choose to do that, we're choosing to leave students behind in a way that I think most teachers are unwilling to do. So educators have had to go back and re-look at their curriculum. They've had to go back...
2022-10-2832 min
TeachLab Presents The Homework MachineSubtraction in Action: AdminIn today’s episode, host Justin Reich continues our series on Subtraction in Action in conversation with education leaders around the country. We reflect on the ways that administrators relate to subtraction, and hear stories from the field. Justin is joined by:Beth Rabbitt, CEO of the Learning AcceleratorNicole Allard, Executive Director of Educational Excellence and Innovation in the Vista Unified School District in CaliforniaTyler Thigpen, Co-Founder of The Forest School in Atlanta, Georgia & the Institute for Self Directed Learning Resources and LinksWatch our film We Have to Do Something DifferentE...
2022-10-2129 min
TeachLab Presents The Homework MachineSubtraction in Action: IntroductionOur host Justin Reich is joined by Jal Mehta from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to kick off Subtraction in Action, our new series about the positive impact that subtraction can have on school communities. Justin and Jal have been talking to teachers, school leaders, and design experts from around the country about what we can take away from schools to free people up to focus on the essential. Justin and Jal share their ideas about subtraction, along with highlights from some conversations they’ve had throughout the series. In this episode, Justin is joined by Jal...
2022-09-2346 min
Getting Smart PodcastRelationship Mapping: A Getting Smart Town HallThis episode of the Getting Smart Podcast is a part of our New Pathways campaign. In partnership with ASA, the Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, the New Pathways campaign will question education's status quo and propose new methods of giving students a chance to experience success in what's next. On the recent Getting Smart Town Hall, the team was joined by Julia Freeland Fisher (Clayton Christensen Institute), Edward DeJesus (Social Capital Builders, Inc.) and Tyler Thigpen (The Forest School) for a discussion of innovative approaches to mapping and analyzing students' existing networks as a w...
2022-08-2652 min
In Your Own WordsHead Football Coach Jeremy Jones South Pike High SchoolToday Coach Jones talks about his transition from Forest Hill to South Pike, what he found out in the first day of the job about the expectations, the differences in the two programs and so much more!
2022-07-0643 min
Free Range HumansFree Range Classrooms - A Conversation with Tyler ThigpenTyler Thigpen is the head of the Forest School and Institute for Self Directed Learning. He also teaches at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School. Tyler has led several schools and is one of the foremost champions of agentic learning in the U.S., a model that puts students at the center of learning design. Highlights from the conversation include: how Tyler's background as a minister helped shape his ideas when it came to building a school; the importance of teaching "learning science" and allowing students to make their own rules; extending that same "learning science" to the education...
2021-09-0856 min
Everything InterestingEp. 008 Bass Fishing w/ guest Will ThigpenMy good friend, Will Thigpen, knows most everything when it comes to fishing. We go head to head with my limited knowledge. Whether you're an avid sportsman, or a city slicker, there is a little in here for everybody to learn.
2021-01-0956 min
FuturEdDr Tyler Thigpen from The Forest School : Self-Directed LearningThrough the industrial model of schooling, it is increasingly difficult to prepare children for the real problems and opportunities of life. Fortunately new school models, based on years of research, are starting to provide a larger number of alternatives to traditional schooling.
Our guest on this episode is Dr Tyler Thigpen. Tyler runs the The Forest School outside of Atlanta, and co-founded the Institute for Self-Directed Learning. Tyler also teaches graduates at the University of Pennsylvania and co-founded Transform Teaching which is based at Harvard.
This is the final episode of the...
2020-07-3047 min
Just AskINGWhy Are Boy Scouts Dropping the Word “Boy?"Kurt Thigpen discusses his experience as a gay youngster in the Boy Scouts and what the Scouts could do to truly celebrate diversity.For over 30 years, Steven Ing, MFT, has been a Marriage and Family Therapist with a specialty in forensic work. He is a contributing writer to Psychology Today and the author of two books on sexuality: We're All Like This and Get Busy Living. He is the creator and host of the true crime podcast Sex Crime Central and co-host on the podcast Managing Love Intelligently. In 2022, he was the victim of an attempted murder...
2018-06-0219 min