Providing Choice: A Florida Charter School Alliance Podcast

On this episode, we feature Jonathan Hage, founder and CEO of Charter Schools USA . For three decades, he has focused on expanding school choice and developing charter schools designed to give families more educational options. We spoke to Jon about the inception of charter schools in Florida, how parents drive the movement, the lessons he's learned building schools and communities across the coun...

On this episode of Providing Choice, we turn the reigns over to the incredible students at SLAM Charter Middle/High School and SLAM! Radio - Larry Milian's incredible students talk to Dr. Andrea Zayas, The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools' Chief of Engagement & Partnerships, live on SiriusXM and we've for the fantastic recording of it. SLAM Radio is the first satellite radio station in...

From Educator to Leader: How Doral College's Master's & Modified Programs Fast-Track Your Path to Florida Principal Licensure   Cristina Romero, VP for Student Affairs at Doral College, talks with us about their innovative Master's in Educational Leadership program and Modified Educational Leadership Curriculum—designed to prepare educators who already hold graduate degrees in the field. These pro...

On this episode of Providing Choice, we hear from Rob Warholic, the founder of BRJ Restoration. Specializing in asbestos abatement, water damage, mold remediation, and demolition, they handle multiple trades in-house—cutting delays and keeping projects moving. Their approach is safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible, serving schools across Florida.  Rob is the one you call when the job h...

Join the FCSA for episode 2 of a new three-part series on transforming school facilities into vibrant community hubs. Guests Geri Chaffee (Dreamers Academy), Alma Ollva (United Way Suncoast), Tina Smith (Highmark School Development), and Suzanne Metzgar (Leadwell Partners) share expert insights on designing educational spaces that promote academic achievement and community well-being.   To learn m...

Join FCSA for a new three-part series on transforming school facilities into vibrant community hubs. In Episode 1, hear from Geri Chaffee (Dreamers Academy), Alma Ovalle (United Way Suncoast), Tina Smith (Highmark School Development), and Suzanne Metzgar (Leadwell Partners) as they share expert insights on designing educational spaces that promote academic achievement and community well-being.   ...

On this episode of Providing Choice, we learn about Special Event Risk Management from the experts at the Florida Insurance Alliance and Egis Insurance and Risk Advisors, Ryan Rupnarian & Brent Grimmel. This is an important topic for charter school leaders who plan proms, fundraisers, and special events on and off campus. The Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is a member-driven organization f...

Grades aren't the only measure of success. While they offer a familiar performance benchmark, they don't capture the full picture. On this episode of Providing Choice, Dr. Jessica Barr contextualizes NAEP scores and explores charter school achievements and learning gains that recent NAEP data doesn't reflect.   The Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is a member-driven organization focused on i...

March 2025 marks five years since the COVID-19 lockdowns began. While many headlines focus on what's not working in education, we will highlight what is working at Florida charter schools. In this episode, Adriana Diaz-Garcia, Principal of Somerset Academy Palms in Miami-Dade, talks about student achievement and acceleration on campus and their journey to becoming a "High Performing" school and ea...

 On the episode of Providing Choice, Jim Horne talks about the upcoming 2025 Florida Legislative Session and gives parents and educators tips for reaching out to legislators.   As a State Senator and Commissioner of Education, Jim Horne has played a pivotal role in advancing Florida's school choice movement and policies that empowered students and parents. Throughout his career, Jim's unwavering c...

A quick interview with Teacher of the Year, Shereen Reid, as FCSA Executive Director Lynn Norman-Teck visits her class and they sit for a fantastic talk about what inspires Shereen on Providing Choice: The Florida Charter School Alliance Podcast The Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is a member-driven organization focused on influencing legislative policy and environments with unrivaled succe...

On this episode of Providing Choice, a Florida Charter School Alliance podcast series, Dr. Tony Arza discusses what the Returning Education to Our States Act means to Florida and charter schools. The Bill, introduced by Senator Rounds of South Dakota, proposes the redistribution of programs from the U.S. Department of Education to other federal departments.  The Florida Charter School Alliance (FC...

Last night's results and what they mean for Charter Schools - Dr. Tony Arza on The Florida Charter School Alliance podcast , Providing Choice, discusses last night's election and what it means for schools of choice, with Executive Director Lynn Norman-Teck The voice of the charter school movement, the Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is non-profit, member-driven organization. Our mission is...

Meet Ryan Lamping and his team at Amergis - they are providing long-term solutions to challenging staffing shortages at schools nationwide. In this episode, Ryan explains how they find critical staff — from teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, behavior services professionals, and even cafeteria staff — for Florida school districts and charter schools. Learn more about Amergis at www.amergis.com or...

The FCSA's School Leaders Fellowship trains future charter school administrators. Funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Education, the Fellowship prepares participants to successfully lead a charter school, and connects them with veteran and novice principals to create a network of experts and colleagues they can rely on. In this episode, you'll hear from a recent Fellowship graduate, E...

  The FCSA School Leaders Fellowship trains future charter school administrators. Funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Education, the Fellowship prepares participants to successfully take the reigns of a charter school and connects them with veteran and novice principals to create a network of experts and colleagues they can rely on. On this episode you'll meet Elwood R. Thompson, grad...

The FCSA School Leaders Fellowship trains future charter school administrators. On this episode you'll meet Shavonna Daniels, a graduate of the School Leaders Fellowship, Cohort3. Funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Education , the Fellowship prepares participatns to successfully take the reigns of a charter school and connects them with veteran and novice princpals to create a networ...

The FCSA plays a critical role in ensuring that charter schools -- their students and teachers -- are represented during the state legislative session. On this episode, Dr. Tony Arza provides a recap of the 2024 Florida Legislative Session and highlights key bills that will impact charter schools. The voice of the charter school movement, the Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is non-profit, m...

For National Charter Schools Week - our talk with Christian Graham, a math teacher and football coach at Duval Charters at Baymeadows. He is also an alumnus. In the episode, we speak with Mr. Graham about how his love of football and mathematics brought him back to his alma mater. #CharterSchoolsWeek The voice of the charter school movement, the Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is non-profit...

  Speaking with Razia Ali Hamm, Founding board member and Principal Constellation Charter School and an FCSA School Leaders Fellow.    FCSA's Lynn Norman-Teck speaks with Razia Ali Hamm about her journey to open Constellation Charter School, a parent/educator-led and community-supported initiative to bring Public Waldorf education to Alachua County, Florida. The curriculum supports children on the...

In honor of National School Choice Week, we want to highlight two spectacular charter school teachers, who returned to their Alma Mater to teach: Aiysha Everett and Courtney Herbert. These two young women are making a big impact on their community -- teaching at @Somerset Prep Academy Middle and Somerset Academy Miramar Charter School and connecting with students through a shared experience. #Aiys...

Ashley Cary from Hubrich Construction spoke with FCSA about their unique approach to school facility development -- streamlining the financing, design and construction of educational charter school facilities into a timely, cost-effective and high quality process. Their work begins with preparing the infrastructure, then continuing to manage a project through to the final completion and occupancy...

TechnologyLab, a FCSA Marketplace partner, is the go-to IT experts for many charter schools. Their team not only provides simplified and effective IT solutions for schools but their research and development specialists understand what charter school teachers and students need in the classroom today and what they'll need in the future. Learn more about TechnologyLab on our Marketplace page at flcha...

FCSA got a chance to broadcast LIVE from the Academica Media booth at the 2022 Florida Charter School Conference and here's our talk with Dr. Tony Arza of the District/Charter Collaborative. The FCSA developed the Collaborative with a grant from FLDOE.  The voice of the charter school movement, the Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) is non-profit, member-driven organization. Our mission is to...

FCSA got a chance to broadcast live from the Academica Media booth at the 2022 Florida Charter School Conference. Here's our talk with Julie Stewart, Vice Principal of Everglades Preparatory Academy and 2022 School Leaders Fellowship graduate#Charterschool #FCSC22 #fcsc22 #charter #parents #schoolchoice #parentalchoice #charterschool #parentpower #charterschools #educationchoice #Education #FCSA #...