Charter Central Podcast

In this episode, we hear from two educators who are leading the way by connecting with students through culturally responsive schools. They bring their insights in this area directly to listeners covering everything from ideas for teachers in the classroom to how the entire school community can support students. Join us to learn more about this important topic from Shena Hill-Scott from Pembroke A...

Tune in for this episode as we welcome Dr. Chad Waldron, faculty member and director of The Literacy Center at Central Michigan University. Dr. Waldron shares insights starting from defining literacy and expanding out to student engagement, literacy across the curriculum, and current literacy research. He also discusses his upcoming professional learning opportunities that are available for educat...

As a new school year begins, we are excited to share an in-depth conversation with Dr. Paula Lancaster, the dean of Central Michigan University’s College of Education and Human Services. Dean Lancaster shares her thoughts on the many ways that teacher preparation has evolved and how CMU continuously adapts to meet the needs of future teachers. She also provides her insights on a diverse range of e...

On this episode, we explore cultural competency with Dr. Luay Shalabi, a former charter school leader and current mentor with Global Educational Excellence. He shares insights from his decades in education on the importance of embracing cultural competency in classrooms, including ideas for educators and the impact on students.

On this episode, we learn more about Discover You from Sarah Weisbarth, the organization’s director. She shares insights on the important concepts that they focus on through this positive youth development program. We also learn about the state funding available to support schools that would like to implement the program.

On our first episode of season four, we explore the topic of STEM education with Megan Schrauben, the executive director at MiSTEM Network. Learn more about the state’s STEM strategy, funding opportunities and how STEM connects with our state’s economy. She also shares how a school can develop its STEM programming.

On this episode, we talk with Adam Aberman from The Learning Collective and David Hartman from Venn Education. They walk us through their findings and recommendations that are now available in their report, Examining the Impacts, Changes and Innovations Schools Have Experienced During the COVID-19 Pandemic. This report follows their research, including focus groups and surveys with CMU partner sch...

Tune in for this episode as we are joined by Countryside Academy, the winner of the Center’s third annual Innovation and Vision Award contest. We discuss what makes the school unique, focusing on its curriculum and programming that offers its students a diverse range of opportunities. We also share the schools that are the finalists for the next Innovation and Vision Award.

Tune in for this episode as we welcome Dr. Meghan Block, faculty member and co-director of The Literacy Center at Central Michigan University. Dr. Block shares her insights on a range of topics, including strategies to increase student engagement, how school leadership can support literacy efforts, and how all subject areas teach literacy.

On this episode we talk with Matt Resch from Resch Strategies about why engagement with a range of stakeholders is important to the success of charter schools. He discusses how to share you story and connect with partners serving in your community while also looking at some simple first steps in forming an outreach strategy.

Tune in for this episode as we are joined by Dr. Shawna Patterson-Stephens vice president and chief diversity officer at CMU’s Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She unpacks the differences between diversity, equity and inclusion as well as the importance of raising awareness in schools.

January is School Board Recognition Month and to celebrate we are talking with board directors Steve Grigorian from A.G.B.U. Alex and Marie Manoogian School and Leigh Chandler from Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. Steve and Leigh discuss how they use their professional management skills and experiences in their board governance roles. They also share lessons learned, points of pride and the legacy t...

Tune in for this episode as we follow up with our Research and Data Analytics team to examine student achievement and growth throughout the pandemic. They discuss assessment results and implications, how we as an authorizer are using the data, and our national contribution to educational data research.

On this episode we hear from Holly Gohlke, the state’s School Drinking Water Coordinator. Holly shares why the quality of your school’s drinking water is so important and the resources the state has to assist with supports and testing. We also talk to Stephanie Yassine and Lily LaFevre from Escuela Avancemos Academy about the work they have done in their building and how they engaged with their st...

On our first episode of season three, we talk with Kathy Barker. She is our team’s special education consultant and walks us through a diverse range of topics related to special education. We explore the continuum of services, collaboration in serving students, and the impact of the pandemic.

On this episode we hear from Jess Stone, a teacher at River Heights Academy that serves as an advocate for LGBTQ+ students and staff. They share why it is important to have inclusive and safe classrooms, including specific examples that teachers can implement to provide a supportive environment for their students. Jess also shares insights on what should be considered to ensure staff members are s...

Tune in for this episode as we are joined by Renaissance Public School Academy, the winners of the Center’s second annual Innovation and Vision Award contest. We discuss what makes the school unique, including the evolution of the school, project-based learning and a recent school expansion.

In this episode, we hear from our Research and Data Analytics team on the comprehensive research they have done throughout the last school year on the impact of the pandemic on student performance. We cover many topics related to this research, including the history of our use of benchmark assessments, findings of the research done so far in the pandemic, and what the research will look at in the...

As schools continue to return to in-person learning, we explore the topics of health and safety with a partner school that has been learning in person since the fall as well as a school facility expert. Dan DiBardino from Recon Management Group shares his advice on what schools should be looking at from a health and safety perspective. The topics we discuss with Dan include ventilation, cleaning p...

The team from Distinctive Schools joins us this month to discuss the importance of social-emotional learning. They share insights on their innovative approach, including their use of curriculum and assessments to ensure they are supporting their teachers and students in all of their schools. We also discuss what unique needs students have for social-emotional learning in the pandemic and how to na...