Charter School Superstars

This week, Ryan sits down with Ralph Krauss, the creator of Edutainment learning, a program that livestreams virtual guest speaker programs to students in charter schools throughout the United States. Past Edutainment speakers have included cabinet secretaries, astronauts, movie stars, and Fortune 500 CEOs. On this episode, Ralph talks about his program and the role that technology plays in bringi...

This week, Ryan sits with Fernando Zulueta, the founder and CEO of education service provider Academica. Fernando talks about the transition process for students and educators to virtual learning and digital platforms amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Fernando also talks about some of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the schools the company serves and provides advice for other schools...

This week, Ryan sits with David Osborne, director of the Reinventing America’s School’s Project at the Progressive Policy Institute. On this episode, David talks about how charter schools were largely incubated by the progressive movement and shares his thoughts on reformed government. David also talks about how education issues are being addressed in this presidential campaign. You can find out m...

This week, Ryan sits down with Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena, a video-based teacher coaching platform. On this episode, Adam talks about the development process in creating Edthena, a video-based coaching platform. Adam also talks about the experience and benefits of video-based coaching and gives advice to educational networks when implementing this practice. Tune in! You can find out m...

This week, Ryan sits with Cristina Guerra, the Chief Student Affairs Officer at Doral College. On this episode, Cristina talks about the unique mission of Doral College serving charter school students and the role that dual enrollment plays in K12 education. Cristina also talks about the resources that Doral College provides to help students get ready for college above and beyond the college cours...

This week, Ryan sits down with Dr. Heru Keonte, the Dean of Students at John P. Holland Charter School in Paterson, New Jersey. Recently, JPHCS has received positive acclaim for its innovative Black History Month curriculum that incorporated STEAM learning and project-based learning to celebrate the scientific achievements of Black leaders. Dr. Keonte talks about his school’s experience with the p...

This week, Ryan sits with Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President of State Advocacy and Support for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. On this episode, Todd talks about his work for the National Alliance and his annual report ranking the charter school laws of every state. Todd also talks about the types of legislation that are conductive to charter schools being more effective and wha...

This week, Ryan sits with Amanda Milian of SLAM Miami. Amanda is a senior at the SLAM Sports Leadership and Management Charter High School in Miami, Florida. She is also the student general manager of SLAM Radio, which is operated on the SLAM campus and is the first high school student run SiriusXM satellite radio station. Amanda talks about the SLAM radio station, her experience broadcasting live...

This week, Ryan sits with Carlyn Madden. Carlyn is the Founder and CEO of Good Insight, a consulting firm that works with with mission-driven organizations providing executive search and governance consulting. Carlyn talks about effective governance practices and the elements of a good succession plan. She also talks about resources that boards have at their disposal to ensure that they successful...

This week, we continue our CSS episodes from the 2020 Future of Education Technology Conference in Miami, Florida. Joining us on the program this week is Brianna Hodges. Brianna is an education consultant and advisor for Future Ready Schools. On this episode, Brianna talks about the purpose of instructional coaching and the value it creates for teachers and schools. Brianna also shares her thought...

This week, Charter School Superstars is presenting from the Future of Education Technology Conference in Miami Beach, Florida. Our guest on the program this week is Jeffrey Bradbury. Jeffrey is an educator, speaker, broadcaster, and the founder of the Teachercast Educational Network, a platform that helps teachers with tech integration, instructional coaching, podcasting, and much more. Jeffrey al...

This week, Ryan sits down with Abbas Manjee, the Chief Academic Officer for Kiddom, a provider of software solutions that help schools deliver and manage their digital curriculum and offer personalized instruction. On this episode, Abbas talks about the integration of digital learning in K-12 education and charter schools. Abbas also talks about the benefits of digital learning, and how schools ca...

This week, Ryan sits down with Massie Ritsch. Massie is a communications expert who has worked with the US Department of Education and Teach for America. Today, he is the founder of the communications and branding consulting firm 5e, where he advises a wide range of organizations including education nonprofits. On this episode, Massie talks to Ryan about his personal experience working with charte...

This week, Ryan sits down with Adam Gerstenfeld, the manager of data and research for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. On this episode, Ryan talks to Adam about the latest Data from EdChoice about public opinion of schooling and what it means for the charter school movement. He also presents his point of view supported by statistics and various findings from the EdChoice report. Y...

This week, we conclude our series of CSS episodes recorded from the 2019 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Florida. Joining us on the program is Dr. Kelly Andrews of Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores and Todd Whitlock CEO of Standard for Success. On this episode, Kelly and Todd talk about best practices in teacher evaluation. They also detail various ways to move beyond seeing tea...

This week, we continue our series of CSS episodes live from the 2019 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Florida. Joining us on the program is Ralph Arza, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Florida Charter School Alliance. On this episode, Ralph talks about how charter schools can effectively communicate with parents and make them advocates for the school. Ralph also details variou...

This week, we continue our series of CSS episodes live from the 2019 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Florida. Joining us on the program is Debbie Lister, Chief Transformation Officer of Education Board Partners. Education Board Partners is a DC based non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening non-profit boards in education. On this episode, Debbie talks about Education Board...

This week, we continue our series of CSS episodes from the 2019 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Florida. Joining us on the program is Ron Burton, programing director for Troops to Teachers. Troops to Teachers is a career transition program that helps members of the armed forces began new careers as K-12 instructors--including charter school instructors. On this episode, Ron talks abo...

This week, we continue our CSS episodes from the 2019 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando. Joining us on the program is Dianna Weinbaum, regional director at Cognia. Cognia is a nonprofit organization that provides certification, accreditation, and improvement services for schools. On this episode, Diana talks about Cognia, the accreditation process, and the support services that her orga...

This week is the first of a series of episodes recorded from the exhibit hall of the 2019 Florida Charter School Conference. Joining us this week is Andy Jimenez of Egis Insurance and Risk Advisors. On this episode, Andy talks to Ryan about the unique insurance needs that charter schools have and the categories of coverage that exist to address common liability risks. Tune in! You can find out mor...

Charter School Superstars is at the Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando! Joining Ryan on this week's show is Cassie Dillman, the Gardening teacher at the School of Arts and Sciences on Thomasville in Tallahassee, Florida. Cassie talks to Ryan about her innovative gardening and cooking program, which is a required course at her charter school and exposes students to a "hands on" approach t...

This week, Ryan sits down with Mike Mizzoni, the chief leadership and governance officer for BoardOnTrack, a Massachusetts-based charter school governance platform that helps charter school nonprofits remain academically strong and organizationally sustainable. In this podcast, Mike talks about the BoardOnTrack platform and identifies the unique governance practices and additional challenges that...

This week, Ryan chats with Dawn North and Cait Goss from Bright Star Schools, a LA-based nonprofit that operates seven tuition-free charter schools serving 2,800 students in the communities of West Adams, Koreatown, and the San Fernando Valley. In this podcast, our guests talk about Bright Star’s innovative sexual harassment/assault education curriculum. Our guests identify the positive effects th...

This week, we are honored to welcome Sydney Chaffee, humanities teacher at the Codman Academy Charter Public School in Massachusetts and the 2017 National Teacher of the Year, as our guest on this week’s show. In this podcast, Ms. Chafee talks about the role that social justice should play in instruction. She also identifies practical strategies to reinforce and incorporate effective discussion on...

This week, Ryan interviews Rachel Crouch, the K-8 principal of the Perry Street Prep Public Charter School in Washington DC. In this podcast, Rachel talks to Ryan about how Perry Street went from the brink of closure to a Tier 1 school in just a few short years. Rachel provides actionable strategies for school success, including fostering parent engagement the effective use of data. You can find o...