The Future of Education Podcast is the place to find out what's happening in schools. Our guests are wide and varied, from educators, entrepreneurs, athletes, celebrities, influencers and most importantly-our students! They all have one thing in common- they are passionate about reinventing education to make it relevant and efficient. Our host, MacKenzie Price, is the Co-Founder of 2hr Learning ( 2hourlearning.com ) and some of the top-performing schools in the country. 2 Hour Learning is a groundbreaking school model that is reshaping the landscape of K-12 education. It's powered by AI technology, enabling schools to provide personalized curriculum to students. Our K-12 schools perform in the top 2% nationwide by leveraging this personalize model to help students love school, learn twice as much, and build life skills. MacKenzie is at the forefront of educational transformation, striving for a balanced and enriching learning experience for every child. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from Stanford University and resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two daughters. The Future of Education podcast is produced by 7 Lyons Media (7LyonsMedia.com). Please send press inquiries to mkp@2hourlearning.com.
S2E351: Memory Palaces, Spaced Repetition, and Forced Recall: Memorization Tricks from an 11-Year-Old History Expert
30 min
How does an 11-year-old memorize every U.S. president in order, read at an 11th-grade level, and compete in national academic bees? In this episode, Mackenzie sits down with Everest, a fifth-grade student who has mastered the science of learning how to learn. Everest breaks down the exact study techniques she uses to absorb information at lightning speed, including spaced repetition, forced recall, and how to build a "Memory Palace" using wild mental imagery. Beyond study hacks, she shares practical advice for parents on how to build genuine grit in kids, why it's crucial to let children follow their own interests rather than forcing subjects they hate, and how dealing with failure made her a stronger competitor.
S2E350: Philosophy is the New Computer Science (Why the AI Era Needs Deep Thinkers)
24 min
For the last decade, computer science was considered the undisputed king of college majors. But in the age of AI, that script is rapidly being flipped. Now that AI can write code in seconds, the ability to think deeply and critically has become more important than ever. In this episode, Mackenzie is joined by Alpha graduate Maddie Price, who recently traveled to France for an exclusive philosophy conference at Alexis de Tocqueville’s historical chateau. Together, they break down the growing national reading crisis, the fear of "soft despotism" (and a WALL-E -style future), and why the humanities are emerging as the most crucial toolset for the next generation of leaders.
S2E349: The Harvard-Backed Strategy to Motivate Your Kids (Alpha's Secret to Success)
15 min
In this episode, Mackenzie breaks down a groundbreaking Harvard study on student outcomes—which she helped get off the ground—and reveals how Alpha turned those findings into a high-yield motivation model. Plus, she shares practical, real-world examples so you can steal Alpha's exact incentive strategies and apply them in your own living room tonight.
S2E348: Goodbye 3 R's, Hello 4 C's: The Skills Replacing Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
14 min
For generations, traditional education has anchored itself in the "3 R’s": Reading, writing, and arithmetic. But in a world dominated by artificial intelligence, these foundational skills are no longer the ceiling—they are the floor. The skills that secured your career will not secure your child’s. The 3 R’s are still required, but relying on them alone leaves your kid vulnerable to automation. In this episode, MacKenzie breaks down the "4 C’s"—the crucial, uniquely human soft skills that will give your kids an unshakeable edge against automated tech. Packed with micro-habits and practical games you can start playing at the dinner table tonight, this episode is a tactical guide to preparing your children for an unpredictable future landscape.
S2E347: How We Hire Top Talent to Lead Our Classrooms (Most Aren't Teachers!) – with Dr. Stef Baduria
40 min
Out of 40,000 applicants last year, only a fraction made the cut—and 80% of them have never taught in a traditional school before. We have former doctors, lawyers, professional athletes, consultants, veterans, therapists, and, yes, some teachers, leading our classrooms across the country. Our Guide role breaks the traditional mold of a teacher, but the outcome has been groundbreaking. Joining us in this episode is Dr. Stef Baduria, Director of K-8 at Alpha, to pull back the curtain on how Alpha vets and hires its classroom Guides. Whether you are a parent wondering about the elite rigor behind the people mentoring your child, or a high-performer looking to transition into a career with massive impact, this episode provides an amazing insight into the philosophy behind the glue that holds our school model together. By the way, we're hiring! Want to see if you have what it takes? Apply to be an Alpha Guide here .
S2E346: She Was Our Guinea Pig. Did It Work?
25 min
Ten years ago, Elle became one of the very first students at Alpha—essentially acting as a long-term guinea pig for a brand-new school model. Today, she is graduating as valedictorian, heading to Stanford University, and the youngest published female author in NATURE science journal. In Part 2 of this post-mortem, MacKenzie and Elle sit down for an honest debrief on how the experiment actually played out.
S2E345: "I'm Not Smart": How Identity Labels Trap Our Kids
30 min
What happens when a child decides by the first grade that they simply aren’t the "smart" one? When Elle brought home a family portrait labeling her sister as smart and herself as dumb, her teachers and parents feared she had already been put in a box. But an unconventional school model and a tactical "confidence anchor" completely flipped her trajectory. Now a graduating senior, Alpha Valedictorian Elle joins MacKenzie to share her incredible journey from struggling student to history-making researcher. She breaks down the exact psychological shifts that unlocked her potential, the reality of building a massive teen dating app with AI, and what happened when she hounded a top scientist to run a study that is now up for publication in the world's leading scientific journal.
S2E344: Does AI Belong in a Montessori Classroom?
31 min
Many Montessori apologists decry the use of AI in the classroom, claiming this type of technology is harmful to the learning experience. But our latest experiment actually proves the opposite. We just opened Montessorium, a school that combines the learning technology of Alpha Schools with the classical Montessori method of teaching. Anna Smiley, Lead Guide at Montessorium, joins MacKenzie to break down the real-world results of this model so far—and how AI can actually enhance, not replace, child-led learning.
S2E343: The "Pay to Read" Method (+ 4 Other Unconventional Ways to Raise Bookworms)
10 min
In an era of instant dopamine hits like TikTok, YouTube, and ChatGPT summaries, getting a kid to crack open a book feels like a losing battle. But it doesn't have to be! In this episode, MacKenzie breaks down the exact strategies used to build high-agency, avid readers—including a highly controversial, hyper-effective, science-backed weapon: paying kids to read. For parents who want to build a lifelong reading muscle in their kids, this episode's 5 easy strategies are a great way to get started this summer. Austin Scholar’s Age-by-Age Book Recommendations (For the full age-by-age list, including graphic novels, series, and magazines, head over to Austin Scholar’s original post .) Kindergarten — 1st grade: The I Can Read! and Ready-to-Read leveled series. Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff. 2nd — 3rd grade: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. 4th — 5th grade: Holes by Louis Sachar. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan. Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter. Middle School: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. The Giver by Lois Lowry. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Animal Farm by George Orwell. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Legend by Marie Lu. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. Project Hail Mary and The Martian by Andy Weir.
S2E342: Why Traditional Discipline Makes Kids Worse: The Behavioral Science You Need To Know
26 min
Traditional discipline punishes disruptive students by isolating them. But bad behavior is actually just a data point. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Shenker—a licensed therapist, the Lead Guide at Alpha Scottsdale, and a behavioral science expert with years of experience specializing in ADHD. Matt breaks down a massive systemic flaw: the education system doesn't have a knowledge gap when it comes to behavior management...it has an implementation gap. This episode is a goldmine for any parent or educator who deals with challenging behavior (hint: it's all of us!), offering extremely practical shifts that truly change how we achieve positive growth.
S2E341: When Your Middle Schoolers Pitch You a Podcast Episode, You Say Yes
21 min
The story of how today’s episode came to be perfectly illustrates student agency in action: An email from one of our GT School students, Everest, popped up in my inbox asking to come on the show. She wanted to teach our audience the exact tools and techniques her first-year team used to absolutely crush it at the National Quiz Bowl Championship—placing in the top 100 in the country despite having one of the youngest average ages in the entire competition. Because we back student agency 100%, we headed straight to the studio. In this episode, MacKenzie sits down with the entire GT School Quiz Bowl team to break down how a group of rookies out-thought legacy teams that have been drilling for years.
S2E340: We Hired Our Student (From Video Game Obsession to Tech Founder)
29 min
Most schools expel students for hacking their network. We gave this one a job. In this episode, I sit down with Austin, an Alpha High junior who did the unthinkable: he successfully hacked into our academic platform, completely redesigned it over a weekend, and now manages a team of six adult software developers to build a brand new AP exam EdTech tool. Austin's journey began as a typical video game-obsessed kid. But following his passions, affinities, and talents led him to somewhere remarkable and unexpected. If you want to know what happens when you stop underestimating teenagers and start giving them real autonomy, this conversation is a must-watch.
S2E339: The Pygmalion Effect: 8 Rules for Raising Limitless Kids
15 min
Most parents love their kids, but far fewer truly believe in them. In this episode, Mackenzie breaks down the Pygmalion Effect, a powerful psychological phenomenon proving that children will quite literally grow or shrink to fit the expectations we set for them. If you want to intentionally raise the ceiling for your child, stop building comfortable cages around them. Tune in to learn the 8 core principles every parent needs to live by to unlock their child's true, self-driven potential. What we cover: Why casual phrases like "he's just not a math kid" become permanent psychological shackles. The 1968 classroom experiment that proved belief alters academic reality. The 8 "rules to live by" for raising autonomous, motivated, and resilient children.
S2E338: Debt-Free Paths to Six-Figure Careers with Hannah Maruyama (Part 2)
29 min
What are we actually paying for when we write a check for higher education? Is it the elite network? The critical thinking skills? The chance for our kids to meet a future spouse? In Part 2 of this eye-opening interview, Mackenzie continues her conversation with Hannah Maruyama, the founder of Degree Free, to completely dismantle the remaining nostalgic myths surrounding the college campus. Hannah drops a series of shocking industry statistics—from a critical thinking test that 45% of colleges failed, to the reality that 25% of college professors are on welfare benefits. But it’s not all bad news. Hannah shifts the conversation to the incredible, high-paying blueprints available right now for young adults willing to skip the system. From tuition-free watchmaking at the Rolex Institute to remote tech paths that scale into $250k roles within five years, this episode provides the exact roadmap parents need to help their kids launch successfully into the real world.
S2E337: The $100K Mistake: The Case Against College (with Hannah Maruyama)
30 min
Higher education is an $848 billion industry, and families are falling into the default trap of buying degrees that don't match the modern job market. In this episode, Mackenzie sits down with Hannah Maruyama, the founder of Degree Free. Hannah has helped over 18,000 families dismantle the "one-size-fits-all" approach to post-grad paths. She breaks down how only 6% to 10% of jobs in the U.S. actually legally require a degree, and why traditional K-12 schooling has turned into a marketing funnel for universities rather than a place for actual education. Tune in to learn how to help your teenager reverse-engineer a successful career based on the life they actually want to live—without the unnecessary debt.
S2E336: 4 Summer Strategies for Real-World Growth (90s Inspired)
17 min
Summer is right around the corner, and as parents, we always find ourselves in the same debate: How do we keep our kids growing without making their break feel like summer school? In this episode, Mackenzie breaks down four practical, low-pressure strategies to build a genuine culture of learning in your home this summer. Plus, this episode is packed with tangible, actionable examples designed to teach your kids autonomy, resilience, and curiosity. Like letting your kids completely navigate your next family airport trip or starting a weekly "failure report" at the dinner table. Tune in to find out how you can build a family culture of learning this summer.
How do you get the elite academics of Alpha if you don't live near an Alpha School? Enter: Alpha Anywhere! In this episode, Mackenzie sits down with Joe Marone, CEO of Alpha Anywhere, to discuss the official global launch of Alpha’s virtual homeschool model. For years, parents have flooded Mackenzie’s DMs asking for a remote version of the school. Now that it’s here, we’re sharing exactly how it works! Whether you’re a dedicated homeschooling family or a parent looking for a way to opt out of the traditional system, tune in to see what can happen when you choose a model that's built on agency, freedom, and 2x learning. Want to learn more about Alpha Anywhere? Head to Alphaanywhere.co.
S2E334: Can Screens Be Avoided? Why Total Tech Bans Fail Kids (Plus, a Montessori & Waldorf Bomb)
17 min
Can education actually be screen-free? Are chatbots a concern in AI education? Does technology (like personal laptops) lead to isolation for students? We're discussing all of these hot-button questions in this episode. Plus, we step directly into a major educational landmine with a Montessori and Waldorf truth bomb around the 11-minute mark. Tune in to find out why we believe the future belongs to tech-fluent kids, and how smart screens are being used to unlock their limitless potential.
S2E333: Debunking the Screen Time Panic: Smart Screens vs. Dumb Screens
15 min
Should screens be banned entirely? Are screens a necessary evil? Or, are screens a tool that can be used to revolutionize learning? In this episode, we take on the internet critics and break down the crucial distinction between "good" and "bad" digital consumption. We talk about the data showing exactly how much "dumb screen time" is already cluttering traditional classrooms, and one-to-one AI tutors can keep kids in the Zone of Proximal Development. Listen in to find out how we use smart screens to demand more from our students, accelerate their learning by multiple grade levels, and raise high-agency kids in a digital world.
S2E332: 10 AI Tools Your Kids Can Use Today (Alpha-Tested and Vetted)
20 min
The goal of education isn't to avoid new technology, it’s to use it to raise the bar. At Alpha, we’ve battle-tested dozens of platforms across our 20+ locations to find the ones that actually drive mastery, grit, and high-agency learning. If a tool doesn’t produce top-tier results, we cut it. If you’ve been worried that AI might make your child’s brain ‘lazy,’ this episode is for you. We don’t use AI for the sake of it; we use it to supercharge outcomes. And in this episode, we’re unveiling the exact tools we use on a daily basis to ensure our students are reaching their full potential. Our App Stack: 1. Math Academy 2. Teach Tales 3. Twin Pics 4. Fast Math 5. Chat ABC 6. Khan Academy 7. Membean 8. eGUMPP 9. MobyMax 10. Orai
#60
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Observed July 31, 2026.
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