Casey Kennedy - What Is An Acton Academy? episode artwork

EPISODE · May 13, 2026 · 45 MIN

Casey Kennedy - What Is An Acton Academy?

from The Curious Task · host Institute for Liberal Studies

Matt speaks with Casey Kennedy, co-founder of Acton Academy Calgary Central, about what makes the Acton model different from traditional schooling: guides instead of teachers, Socratic discussions instead of lectures, mastery instead of grades, and an emphasis on letting kids struggle, fail, and become passionate about the process of learning itself. Casey also explains why she and her husband started the school for their daughter, how her earlier work in Dallas and Sierra Leone shaped her view of education, and why she believes every child has a “genius” that education should help uncover. References Acton Academy Calgary Central https://www.actoncentral.org/ Acton Academy https://actonacademy.org/ The One World Schoolhouse - Salman Khan https://a.co/d/0dI4FOkK Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ Montessori education and mixed-age classrooms https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environment Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support The Curious Task, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

Matt speaks with Casey Kennedy, co-founder of Acton Academy Calgary Central, about what makes the Acton model different from traditional schooling: guides instead of teachers, Socratic discussions instead of lectures, mastery instead of grades, and an emphasis on letting kids struggle, fail, and become passionate about the process of learning itself. Casey also explains why she and her husband started the school for their daughter, how her earlier work in Dallas and Sierra Leone shaped her view of education, and why she believes every child has a “genius” that education should help uncover. References Acton Academy Calgary Central https://www.actoncentral.org/ Acton Academy https://actonacademy.org/ The One World Schoolhouse - Salman Khan https://a.co/d/0dI4FOkK Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ Montessori education and mixed-age classrooms https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/mixed-ages-montessori-environment Thanks to Our Patrons Thanks to our patrons, including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald.To support The Curious Task, visit:https://patreon.com/curioustask

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Casey Kennedy - What Is An Acton Academy?

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Matt speaks with Casey Kennedy, co-founder of Acton Academy Calgary Central, about what makes the Acton model different from traditional schooling: guides instead of teachers, Socratic discussions instead of lectures, mastery instead of grades, and...

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