Get Schooled on Public Education

Our Dear New Leaders Series continues with a conversation featuring our President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Starlee Coleman. In this episode, Starlee shares the pivotal moments that inspired her 25-year advocacy journey and why public education is essential for a thriving democracy. Hear her personal story as a parent, her vision for educational equity, and what’...

In our Dear New Leaders Series, we’re educating elected officials, policymakers, and the general public on critical topics in public education. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we discuss accountability in charter schools and the vital role of authorizers. The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) is the sole authorizer of all public charter schools in Wash...

The Charter Schools Program (CSP) is the only source of federal funding that supports the growth of charter schools to meet the needs of students and families. In our Dear New Leader Series geared toward educating elected officials on important charter school topics, we break down the CSP and discuss its impact on schools and students. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ Director of...

The Dear New Leaders Series aims to educate elected officials, policymakers, and the general public about important topics in public education. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we discuss how charter schools are funded, and the role federal policies play in shaping this process. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ Senior Director of Government Relations, Ron Rice,...

The Dear New Leaders Series is designed to educate elected officials, policymakers, and the general public about key issues in public education. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we discuss findings from a new report, Do You Know Where The Children Are? A Five Year Analysis of Public School Enrollment Trends. We explore enrollment shifts, significant growth amongst different stu...

In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we focus on strategies charter schools have implemented to create educational environments to improve student outcomes. We talked to Dr. Reneta C. Johnson, the executive director at Legacy Prep in Alabama and Zak Dominello, the executive director from Ricardo Flores Magón Academy in Colorado. They discussed their leadership styles, approach to s...

When it comes to students’ ability to learn, mental health plays a pivotal role in their academic success and personal development. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we learn more about two charter schools and how their teams work together to ensure students receive mental health support to better meet their needs. We hear from the outgoing executive director Carol Bowar and the...

This episode of the Get Schooled on Public Education podcast spotlights two schools dedicated to preparing nurses to enter rewarding careers in the medical field. Amidst a national shortage of healthcare workers, including nurses, these schools are nurturing the healthcare heroes of tomorrow. In our public charter school innovation series, we interviewed two school leaders to learn more about thei...

From hands-on projects to real-world connections and mentorship opportunities, the flexibility of the charter school model empowers students to own their learning. In our public charter school innovation series, we will explore different types of schools and the unique ways they serve students. In this episode of Get Schooled on Public Education, we dive into entrepreneurship education. We intervi...

Raise Your Voice! That’s the theme for the 2024 National Charter Schools Week celebration (NCSW). The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is thrilled to uplift the voices fighting for more students across the nation to have access to a high-quality public school education. During NCSW, the National Alliance honored seven changemakers who’ve gone the extra mile to meet the needs of student...

More than 300,000 students were enrolled in charter schools beginning from the 2019-2020 school year up to the 2022-2023 school year—a nine percent increase. In December of 2023, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released a new report: Believing in Public Education: A Demographic and State-level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends. The co-a...

A purpose in life and a reason for learning, those are the core values at Vanguard Academy. The public charter school serves grades PreK-3 through 12 across three cities in Texas. The superintendent of schools, Dr. Narciso Garcia, joined the Get Schooled on Public Education Podcast to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Dr. Garcia discussed his passion for education and the ways his background and...

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools commissioned the Harris Poll to conduct a national survey of public school teachers to gain insight on their experiences, thoughts, and motivations for staying or leaving the classroom. Both charter and district teachers shared their reality in the classroom—and the majority of educators agree, something needs to change in order to recruit and retai...

Charter Schools are free, public, and open to all. These unique public schools are independently-operated under a contract with a charter school authorizer. Examples of authorizers include, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and/or universities. Charter school authorizers hold schools accountable based on the standards outlined in their “charter.” The public charter school model gives...

Many refugee students and families face a unique set of challenges, including but not limited to, cultural differences, language barriers, a lack of resources, discrimination, feelings of displacement, and trauma. Luma Mufleh is a refugee activist and founder of the nonprofit, Fugees Family. She opened two schools, Fugees Academy in Ohio and Georgia, dedicated to supporting refugee students and fa...

We are facing a nationwide teacher shortage. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 45% of all public schools had at least one teacher vacancy as of October 2022. In May of 2023, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools commissioned a national survey of 1,211 public school teachers to learn more about their experience in the classroom and reasons they may want to stay o...

Teachers from all over the nation gathered on Capitol Hill in May of 2023 to celebrate their impact in education and exchange ideas on how to strengthen the teaching profession. During National Charters Schools Week, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools presented seven changemaker awards for teachers who’ve gone above and beyond to shape the lives of students. They participated in a pa...

Nearly 1 in 36 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the CDC. The National Institute of Mental health defines ASD as a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. Arizona Autism Charter School (AZACS) is the first and only public charter school in Arizona focused on meeting...

The president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools joined the Get Schooled on Publication Education podcast to celebrate Women’s History Month. Nina shared her personal journey into education advocacy starting out as a staffer on Capitol Hill a little more than 30 years ago. Today, Nina runs a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and increasing student access to hig...

A 2022 study conducted by Harris Poll surveyed 5,000 parents in the U.S. indicated parents want to have a say in where their children attend school. Since the pandemic, parents have become more involved in their children’s education. In 2021, 240,000 students were newly enrolled in public charter schools. In this episode, we chat with the CEO of Rainer Valley Leadership Academy (RVLA) in Seattle,...

Did you know charter schools are always public schools? And that there is a national community of public education experts dedicated to advocating for students to have access to high-quality public education nationwide? The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools invites you to Get Schooled on Public Education with podcast host Brittnee Baker. We cover topics such as funding, curriculum, teac...