Charter School Connection

Leslie Draper, Executive Director at Inspire Academy, joins us to share her story and the passion behind her community, grassroot approach to education in Muncie, Indiana. By creating a school in her community, Leslie and her team have worked hard to equalize the often uneven playing field of education by putting kids first.

In this episode, Tina Wiles shares incredible insights that she has gained while preparing students to succeed on tests and in life. The insights that Tina shares are priceless; her enthusiasm, creativity and problem-solving technique made for an interesting and uplifting conversation. Enjoy.

In this episode, Nadia Bennett from When Brown Girls Lead gives a unique perspective on race and gender equality in schools. There are things that we all can do to make our schools more inclusive and ultimately more successful. Enjoy!

From being a substitute kindergarten teacher to the CEO of Flint Cultural Center Academy, Eric gives us insight into how he strives to make an impact in the lives of students.

When Anders was just 22 years old, he was by chance thrown into the role of Director of Operations for a brand new school in Baltimore. Without any prior experience, he began to Google everything that he didn't know from how to provide health insurance to his faculty to how to mitigate asbestos risks. After learning form other mentors and from personal experience, he founded School Ops to help giv...

In this episode, Christian Voegeli joins us from Switzerland, to discuss how he fell into the education space as a technology developer and coder. He originally created a software to help a little boy with Dyslexia learn to read and succeed in school. It was such a fulfilling and successful venture that it lead him to grow his platform to help thousands of kids world wide.

In this episode, Amanda Patrie from Bright Beginnings School gives a wide spectrum of insights. From how to hire and train faculty that are dedicated to be a team player and forward education amongst students to the importance of mentorship. Running a charter school never gets easier, but you can become stronger and more skilled. Isolation can be difficult, but can be over come by connecting with...

In this episode, Daniel Casselli, President at BuyQ, gives great insights into how charter schools can save time and money with smart, group purchasing. He also gives great advice in regards to balancing work and family for a strong lifestyle. Make sure to check out their new podcast "Charter School Insider!"

This episode is different from any other format that we have ever done. This is from our inaugural Charter School Leadership Cohort where we discuss what has and has not worked to grow enrollment. We had nine incredible charter school leaders generously give their insights and experience. To be a member of one of our upcoming cohorts, visit: https://www.charterconnect.co/charter-school-connection/...

In this incredible episode, Michelle and Susan from the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind give thought-provoking insights in regards to educating students all across the state of Utah. The compassion and love that they radiate is contagious. Enjoy!

In this interview, Dallan from Charter Connect met with Janna Koch from BookShark. The wide variety of topics lead to insights around community building, the importance of flexible education, including parents in the learning of their children, charter school adaptation and more! You can contact BookShark's school liaison by referencing the show notes below. Enjoy!

In this interview, Jared Bertoldo from Charter Connect spoke with Eric Greendberg who is the CEO and Nate Lowry who is the Chief Academic Officer. Their school has an incredible origin story being started in Tucson by an immigrant woman from Uzbekistan, about 20 years ago. Their original building is still there! Eric has been with this school for almost 5 years, and he was inspired to aid in educa...

Beth Napleton started in the classroom, started her own charter school network and is now "coachsulting" charter school leaders nationwide to help them through the challenges of starting and growing a charter school. She has been in the shoes of leaders and is now helping charter school administrations to make better plans that help schools to reach their goals. Please enjoy this insightful conver...

Dale Keshishian is the CEO and founder of an organization called Health Works Academies. Her objective is to help inspire and incentivize minority youth and girls to pursue careers in STEM fields by holding seminars and inviting guest speakers to schools with such students. The help those kids see a realistic pathway for themselves to achieve respectable careers in fields that can otherwise be ver...

In this episode, Mx. Samuel Gradess enlightens us with incredible insights about the importance of coaching within education, having empathy for those we work with and walking in the shoes of others. I thoroughly enjoyed the new perspective that I gained after this wonderful conversation.

In this episode, Conor Rogers and Trey Garbers from Trinity Basin Preparatory share their experience of working within a charter school that fosters community, family and ideas. I was astounded by how energizing they both were to speak with which speaks volumes of the culture at Trinity Basin. They also dive into their own podcast called The Bolt which I high recommend that you listen to for more...

Although he doesn't speak any Mandarin Chinese, Mike Lally is working with a talented team of administrators and educators to run the wildly successful East Point Academy, a dual-immersion charter school in South Carolina. In this episode, Mike tells his story while giving incredible insights in regards to building a school culture that spreads throughout the community. Enjoy.

Nichole Tredway is the principle for the Paramount Charter School in South Bend Indiana. She has always wanted to be a teacher and says this does so much for her. However she did not always believe in the charter program and never knew much of this educational standard. All of that changed when she was wholeheartedly converted by means of an accidental interview with Paramount Charter School!

Does your school have an Art Director or Brand Strategist? In this conversation, Dallan speaks with the Art Director, David Wallace, from Academy Charter School about the importance of building a brand. David gives some great tips and tricks to build an art department without breaking the bank. Enjoy!

In this episode, Jared meets with Bethany Chaffin who is the Director at the Willow Tree Enrichment Center. We get to hear the story about how Willow Tree transitioned from a Waldorf Charter School to a non-profit Enrichment Center, and why they chose to do so. Bethany also tells us all about her experiences as a director and why she loves what her team is doing.

In this episode, Dallan gets to interview the Director of Marketing at Carbon Valley Academy, Karlee Stratton. Karlee gives some really good advice about how to expand and reach specific communities and cities to grow a school. She gives some tips and tricks about how to expand into new markets using bus transportation and the importance of collaboration with other schools in the area. Enjoy!

Unlike most charter schools, Helix Charter High School didn't start off as a charter! In this episode, Dallan meets with Kathryn Welch, Assistant Athletic Director & Sports Medicine Teacher, to learn more about Helix and how they build their athletics department around their "Why."

In this episode, Dallan interviews Allison Voltaire from ASU Prep Digital, a thriving charter school that pursues awesome core principals like curiosity and innovation. Allison shares the importance of including students, parents and staff in developing and growing. Although not easy, leaving your comfort zone is very rewarding. Enjoy!

Brian Straka from New West Charter Hybrid Learning School shares the importance of connection in education. Students must feel connected on a deeper level for learning to take place. He gives unique and fun examples of activities from when he was a History Teacher and now as a Principal. I found this episode to be a refreshing change of pace and know that you will as well.

In this episode, David Robinson from School Lane Charter School tells his interesting story of how he got involved with charter schools. He has taught through two pandemics which was interesting! He explains how to hire the right teachers and staff along with why the charter school world is an exciting place to be for those looking to make a difference in today's education model. He gives great re...