This week on Two Parents & A Podcast, we’re joined by MacKenzie Price (founder of Alpha School) to talk about the future of education — and what parents can do at home right now to help their kids love learning.
MacKenzie is a mom who noticed her daughters going from curious and excited to totally bored in a top-rated traditional school. Instead of accepting “that’s just how school is,” she set out to understand why—and ended up building a new model that puts passion, curiosity, and real-life skills back at the center.
We talk about the practical things parents can try at home: simple ways to make learning feel engaging, how AI can support reading and math by making it more personalized, what “good” vs. “bad” screen time looks like, and why paying attention to your child’s natural interests can make such a difference.
Then we zoom out and talk about what school in the U.S. could look like over the next decade as AI becomes part of the classroom — more personalized, more flexible, and potentially giving kids valuable time back for the skills they use in real life. MacKenzie shares great examples of what happens when kids have a little more space to explore, from public-speaking projects to creative deep dives that turn into something bigger.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Welcome back to Two Parents & A Podcast
00:00:36 Meet MacKenzie Price (Founder, Alpha School)
00:06:05 How is Alpha School doing learning differently?
00:10:32 Why does AI belong in the classroom?
00:15:28 Will this style of learning be the norm in 5–10 years?
00:17:02 What can traditional schools borrow from this model?
00:22:30 What are easy ways to make learning more engaging at home?
00:37:27 What are MacKenzie’s long-term hopes for U.S. education?
00:40:48 Rethinking screen time vs “good” screen time
00:43:45 How can parents help their kids discover their passions?
00:52:58 Why doing things differently matters
00:56:51 Could this learning model work without AI?
00:58:45 Parent resources, apps & where to start
01:00:18 Thanks for listening!
#twoparentsandapod
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Listen to the pod on YouTube/Spotify/Apple:
https://www.youtube.com/@twoparentsandapod
https://open.spotify.com/show/7BxuZnHmNzOX9MdnzyU4bD?si=5e715ebaf9014fac
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-parents-a-podcast/id1737442386
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Website | https://www.draribrown.com/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/futureof_education/
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