Greetings!

Ken Danford had spent six years teaching eighth-grade U.S. history in public school when a colleague handed him The Teenage Liberation Handbook.

In it, he found case studies of teens who left school and turned out... fine!

That was 1996. Danford quit his job, and ever since, he's been running North Star—a physical community center where teens can legally homeschool, connect with mentors, and rebuild their lives outside of compulsory classrooms. 

Let's dive in.

THOUGHT: The Invitation
TREND: School Refugees Need Infrastructure
TOOL: Two Paths for Families with No North Star

The Invitation

When a kid who's struggling in school comes to Ken Danford, his first question comes as a surprise:

"Have you considered not going to school?"

But he backs this question up with an exit ramp that keeps teens safe and on track: file a homeschooling plan, use North Star as your headquarters, keep a weekly advisory to stay accountable, and rebuild a life around interests, jobs, college classes, or rest.

Over the past 30 years, he's helped hundreds of teens trade hall passes for autonomy while keeping their college and career options open.

When critics ask if teens are ready for that autonomy, Ken flips the question: "Why assume they aren't? That's insulting."

Read the full conversation | Watch the clip

School Refugees Need Infrastructure

70% of North Star's teens came directly from school—leaving because of anxiety, bullying, neurodiversity needs, or straight-A culture that was breaking them. They wouldn't have homeschooled without an exit ramp.

Homeschooling used to signal ideology. Now it's one option in a growing ecosystem of learning centers, mentors, and programs that provide structure without rigid requirements.

Ken's Liberated Learners network includes Launchpad (NY), Compass (VA), Lighthouse (NYC), and new centers in Texas, Oregon, and the UK. These are physical buildings with couches, kitchens, and drop-in hours—teen coworking hubs, not virtual programs.

The model is spreading because infrastructure for school refugees didn't exist before. Now it does.

Explore the Liberated Learners network

Two Paths for Families with No North Star

Ken's blunt with parents who say, "We can't pull out—we have no alternative."

His answer comes in two parts:

Path 1: Stay for the social piece, not the grades. If school still provides friendships or activities, use it like a community center. Let your child skip assignments that trigger panic. Assume they'll eventually leave, take a GED, and pursue community college or work. That diploma isn't the only ticket forward. Treat the school as a service provider, not a master.

Path 2: Build a patchwork week. If staying is untenable, stitch together a life from what you already do after 3 p.m.: music lessons, youth theater, church groups, part-time jobs, volunteering, online classes. Yes, relatives will assume you're ruining your kid. They're wrong. The only barometer that matters is your child's health and curiosity.

In both scenarios, the job is to listen when your teen says, "This is hurting me." Ken's advice: Assume they're right. Celebrate that they're standing up for themselves.

Read Ken's full framework

Book of the Week

The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education by Grace Llewellyn is the book that convinced Ken to quit teaching and start North Star.

Published in 1991, it's been called "required reading" and "a dangerous book" that "contradicts all the conventional wisdom about dropouts."

The dangerous idea? Teenagers can design their own education (goats are optional). Missing algebra at 15 doesn't doom your life.

Get the book on Amazon

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