Charter School Superstars

This week, we continue our series of interviews live from the 2021 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Florida. Ryan sits with Lyman Millard, the founding partner of Bloomwell Group, a national consulting company that works with charter schools and nonprofits to formulate effective solutions to their strategic challenges. On this episode, Lyman talks about charter school enrollment and h...

This week, we continue our series of interviews live from the 2021 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Florida. Ryan sits with Cory Oliver, the Principal of Somerset Jefferson K-12 in Monticello, Florida. On this episode, Cory talks about Somerset Jefferson and his work turning around the school. Cory also talks about their curricular programs and reflects on what the charter school move...

This week, Live from the 2021 Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, Ryan sits with Blaire Jackson, the Director of Community Relations for Chrysalis Health, a provider of behavioral and mental health services for charter schools. On this episode, Blaire talks about talks about how the nature of his work has changed in the past three years and walks us through the services that his company...

This week, Ryan sits down with Anu Mahajan, the CEO of TinkRworks. On this episode, Anu talks about the terminology “STEAM” learning as opposed to STEM. Anu also talks about building effective teachers through project-based learning and how STEAM learning can cultivate entrepreneurship in schools. Tune in! You can find out more about our guest’s work by www.tinkrworks.com . Host: Ryan Kairalla (@r...

This week, Ryan sits down with Rhonda Dillingham, the executive director of the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools. On this episode, Rhonda talks about how the charter school movement has grown in North Carolina. Rhonda also talks about their recent bipartisan legislative success and how that mindset changed the way education policy is made. Tune in! You can find out more about...

This week, Ryan sits down with Jim Lee, the enterprise sales director at Vector Solutions. On this episode, Jim talks about his interest in school safety and common safety issues recurring in school. Jim also shares resources and effective safety strategies to help improve school safety plans. Tune in! You can find out more about our guest’s work by visiting www.vectorsolutions.com Hosts: Ryan Kai...

This week, Ryan sits down with Lynn Norman-Teck, the Executive Director of the Florida Charter School Alliance. On this episode, Lynn talks about how the charter school movement has grown over the past 25 years. Lynn also talks about the increase in charter school enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic and what’s next for the FCSA in terms of legislative advocacy. Tune in! You can find out more a...

This week, Ryan sits down with Tafshier Cosby and Maritza Guridy, the Director of Organizing and the Northeast Regional Organizer for the National Parents Union. On this episode, our guests talk about their work at the National Parents Union and legislative achievements in education equity that are parent driven. Our guests’ also talk about operational and policy goals in schools and share ways to...

This week, Ryan sits down with Dr. Kat Reinhert and Dr. Sarah Gulish, music educators and the creators of the Songwriting for Music Educators books and courses. On this episode, our guests talk about integrating songwriting in music curriculum and shares best practices in teaching songwriting in schools. Our guests’ also provide advice for schools in still being able to emphasize music education d...

This week, Ryan sits down with Christopher Hines, the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Crescent City Schools in Louisiana and Jessica Johnson, the General Counsel for Strive Preparatory Schools in Colorado. On this episode, our guests talk about their interest in the legal side of charter education and legal considerations for charter schools. Our guests also share information on new...

This week, Ryan sits down with Remi Del Mar, a senior product manager at electronics manufacturer Epson. On this episode, Remi talks about her interest in electronics and the rise of augmented reality in K-12 education. Remi also talks about training programs available to help teachers embrace new technology and bridge the technological gap. Tune in! You can find out more about her work by visitin...

This week, Ryan sits down with Indy Goodwin Mack, third grade teacher at Jefferson County K-12: a Somerset Academy Charter School in Monticello, Florida. On this episode, Indy talks about her role at Jefferson Somerset and reflects on her accomplishments as she was awarded the Dr. Brian Dassler Leadership Award from the Florida Department of Education. Indy also talks about her experience as a lon...

This week, Ryan sits down with Alyssa and Mackenzie, two students at the Pinecrest Preparatory Middle High school in Miami, Florida. Alyssa and Mackenzie are officers at PPMH's Student Government Association. Alyssa and Mackenzie talk about their experience in their school's SGA and provide some valuable advice on how other charter schools can build strong student governments of their own. You can...

This week, Ryan sits with Lyman Millard, the founding partner of Bloomwell Group, a national consulting company that works with charter schools and nonprofits to formulate effective solutions to their strategic challenges. On this episode, Lyman talks about how the COVID pandemic has changed the nature of the consulting projects at the Bloomwell Group. Lyman also talks about how the pandemic chang...

This week, Ryan sits with Ayden Jent, a charter school alum and paralympic track and field athlete. Recently, Ayden was honored as a 30 Under 30 Changemaker by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. On this episode, Ayden talks about his experience attending the Herron High School Charter School and discusses their classical education model. Ayden also talks about his track and field ac...

This week, Ryan sits with Victoria Galarraga, an alum of the Doral Academy Charter High School Doral, Florida and a recent graduate of Georgetown University. On this episode, Victoria reflects on her experience at Doral Academy and how this charter has influenced her pursuit to higher education. Victoria also talks about the law school application process and area of law that sparks her interest....

This week, Ryan sits with Josh Ence, the Engineering Educational Technology Specialist at Vernier, and Douglas King, the Engineering and Robotics Teacher at Granada Hills Charter High School in California. On this episode, our guests talk about Vernier and the work that it does to put hands-on STEM education resources into classroom’s. Our guests also shares STEM initiatives and advice for teacher...

This week, Ryan sits with Adam Geller, the CEO of Edthena, a video-based teacher coaching platform. On this episode, Adam talks about the work that Edthena does and shares practical strategies for effective video-based coaching. Adam also talks about support services to prepare educators to combat pandemic-related learning loss in their students post COVID-19. Tune in! You can check out his book “...

This week, Ryan sits with Kristin Martinez, the Clinical Director for Presence Learning, a K12 Teletherapy company. On this episode, Kristin talks about how a typical teletherapy interaction takes place in the K12 setting and how her work has changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Kristin also provides advice on ways to improve school services provided to special education students. You can find out...

This week, Ryan sits with Frank Fernandez, the faculty Executive Producer of SLAM Radio. Located on the SLAM Miami charter school campus, SLAM Radio is the first SiriusXM radio station run by high school students. On this episode, Frank talks about his background in sports media and his experience working with charter school students as part of the SLAM Radio program. Frank also talks about the ed...

This week, Ryan sits with Pamela McDonald, the head coach of the Doral Academy Charter School boy’s soccer team in Doral, Florida. On this episode, Pamela talks about her experience coaching the Doral Charter team for 13 years and challenges she faced in the process in becoming the first female coach in Florida to lead a team to a boys state soccer championship. Pamela also talks about her coachin...

This week, Ryan sits with Mike Teng, the CEO and Co-Founder of Swing Education, a staffing company that connects schools with high-quality substitute teachers. On this episode, Mike talks about what motivated him to start Swing Education and his experience as a school administrator having to navigate finding substitute teachers. Mike also talks about the different roles that substitute teachers ca...

This week, Ryan sits with James Palcik, the Director of Education, Safety, and Compliance at Flinn Scientific. On this episode, James talks about his role at Flinn and goes over effective protocols, activities, and equipment that schools can use to help them re-open safely. James also talks how to keep school science labs safe. You can find out more about our guest’s work (and more about the Flinn...

This week, Ryan sits with Amanda Milian, a charter school graduate and current student at Florida International University studying digital broadcasting. On this episode, Amanda talks about her experience working with the SLAM Radio SiriusXM station and how this has contributed to the work that she does now. Amanda also talks about taking over as the new host of What Happens Next on Academica Medi...

This week, Ryan sits with Dr. Seth Feldman, the Executive Director of the Bay Tech Charter School in Oakland, California. On this episode, Dr. Feldman talks about Bay Tech Charter and what makes his school so special. Dr. Feldman discusses how his school uses assistive technology platforms, such as iReady, to foster strong learning outcomes and a positive school culture. Tune in! You can find out...