Hello! We are the Shoemakers. We are originally from Colorado and have lived in Peoria for the last three years. We appreciate the homeschool freedoms that Arizona has to offer and have been blessed with a wonderful community here. Jake is an entrepreneur and has owned a handyman business for the last ten years. Jacqueline has a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education as well as a master’s degree in school psychology. She was a special education teacher for nearly a decade before becoming a school psychologist for another decade. Jacqueline eventually left the public education system to become a homeschool educator to our four children. Our family enjoys traveling, hiking, and just about anything to keep our four boys active!
We decided to start an Acton Affiliate program after trying out a variety of educational options for our own children, including public, charter, and homeschooling programs. We have been researching the Acton program for the last three years while we’ve homeschooled our children. We have seen first-hand the downfall of our public education system. We wholeheartedly believe that the Acton model offers children the greatest educational opportunities to embark on a hero’s journey, find their God given calling, and change the world for the glory of the Lord. We look forward to partnering with families to help children become learners and leaders through this program!
Our final location will be announced soon. Stay tuned!
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."
Begin a Hero’s Journey,
Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
Embrace the forging of a strong character.
Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
