Brad & Michelle Bowen have six children and have began homeschooling them when their oldest was in 7th Grade and the baby was 6 months old! That adventure, while fulfilling, brought a realization that previously held ideas about "education" didn't honor all that Brad and Michelle felt their children needed and deserved to learn! Michelle knew that there had to be a better way, and so she spent her time diving deep into questions like, "what is REAL education?" and "how can I foster DEEP, LIFELONG learning (as opposed to teaching to a test) in my children?" Her research resulted in finding many satisfying answers—that proved very difficult to implement in a home environment, especially with six children. Brad lovingly supported the "crazy way of educating our children" from afar until Michelle began to read to him (we were in the car on a long road trip—he couldn't escape!) from Courage To Grow, a book about how Acton Academy came to be. After a few pages, Brad was hooked too.

“Do we need to start a school so our kids can go there?” Together they decided that although they would miss having all of the children at home, Acton was what their children—AND ALL CHILDREN—deserve; an education that is driven by choice, fosters independence, and results in a deep love for learning and discovery. While this new adventure is taking most of Michelle’s time now, in the past she has owned and operated a Children’s Performing Arts School, worked as an independent graphic designer and photographer and been involved with Community Theater. Brad’s education is in Human Resources and Corporate Training. He also loves musical theater, working with technology and gadgets, marketing/sales and teaching an early morning religion class for teenagers from their church. Together, Brad and Michelle enjoy tropical vacations and traveling.