Charter School Superstars

This week, Ryan interviews Clifton Alexander. Clifton is the owner of Reactor Design Studio, a Kansas City based creative design company. In this podcast, Clifton talks to us about Reactor and the services it provides for charter schools. Clifton also stresses the importance of why a charter school needs to build a brand and how effective branding can enrich a school’s external and internal stakeholders. Great brand building advice this week. Tune in!You can find out more about his work by visiting www.reactorkc.comHost: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan interviews Kelsey Nicole Nelson, the Manager of Campaigns and Publications for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. When our guest is not empowering charter advocates, she is an award-winning sports journalist and broadcaster for FOX sports, the Arena Football League, and other outlets. Kelsey talks to us about her dual background in sports and education alongside the work she does for the National Alliance. Kelsey also provides advice and valuable resources on helping schools get their message out. Tune in to this amazing podcast!You can find out more about her work by visiting www.publiccharters.orgHost: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan interviews Dr. Andrew Jarboe, AP US History Teacher at Match Charter Public School in Boston, Massachusetts. Andrew talks to us about the British Parliamentary debate program that he built at his school (which has now become an inter-school competition) and why he wanted to expose his students to BP debate. Andrew also provides valuable advice on how you can build similar programs at your school. You can find out more about his work by visiting www.matchschool.orgHost: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Charter School Superstars is on the Charter Talks stage at the 2019 National Charter Schools Conference in Las Vegas. Our guest is Douglas Rodriguez, president of Doral College in South Florida. Doral College is unique among higher education institutions in that it is the first and only college to be founded by charter schools to provide college education opportunities to charter school students. Ryan talks to Doug about how the College was created and what lies ahead for this innovative institution. You can find out more about Doral College by visiting www.doral.edu.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Charter School Superstars continues its interview series from the National Charter School Conference in Las Vegas. Ryan’s guest is Jim Houliston, Partnership Evangelist for Helios. Helios provides paperless HR services for K-12 institutions that are designed to be comprehensive for the complete employee lifecycle. In this interview, Jim talks to us about the unique HR challenges that K-12 schools encounter as well as the ways that Helios tries to address these challenges.. You can find out more about his work by visiting https://heliosed.com.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Charter School Superstars is at the at the National Charter School Conference in Las Vegas. Ryan interviews Danielle Riha, 2019 Alaska Teacher of the Year from the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School. In this interview, Danielle talks to us about her inspirational story in education, including her unusual journey into the teaching profession and how she overcame her difficult first year teaching in rural Alaska. You can find out more about her school’s work by visiting https://www.asdk12.org/anccs.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan interviews Debra Boyd and Robert Nickell, managing directors at BB&T capital markets. In this interview, Debra and Robert talk to us in more detail about tax exempt bond financing for charter facilities, including discussing things that charter schools must do to ensure success post-financing. You can find out more about their work by visiting www.bbtcapitalmarkets.com.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan interviews David Holbrook , Executive Director of Federal Compliance and State Relationships for TransACT Communications. In this interview, Dr. Holbrook walks us through key components of the federal legal requirements for serving English language learners under the Civil Rights Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act. You can find out more about his work by visiting www.transact.com.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan sits down with Oscar Sweeten-Lopez, President of College Success Tools for the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. In today’s interview, Oscar informs us about the Dell Scholars Program, a foundation and student resource network that helps low-income students get into, and eventually graduate from, college. Oscar also gives us some insight on preparing students for college and future endeavors. You can find out more about his work by visiting www.dellscholars.org and www.gradsnapp.com.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan interviews guest Bob Bourgault, Executive Director of the Almond Acres Charter Academy in San Miguel, California. In today’s interview, Bob speaks to us about his overall philosophy on education. Bob also talks about strategies on growing the natural leadership skills in every child to cultivate a broader swath of leaders. You can find out more about his work by visiting www.bobbourgault.com and almondacres.comHost: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)Producer: Ross Ulysse

This week, Ryan interviews guest Sue Jamback , Executive Director of RestorativeUS. In today’s interview, Sue talks to us about the idea of restorative justice, a movement that advocates restitution and repair over punishment when managing behaviors. Sue also talks about this approach in a K-12 environment, detailing various methods, procedures, and resources available to educators and families. Her book The Restorative Playbook is available now on Amazon, and you can find out more about her organization by visiting www.restorativeus.comHost: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with Sonia Park, Executive Director of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition. In today’s interview, Sonia informs us about the DCSC, an organization that supports charter schools that embody diversity across race, socioeconomic status, language, and abilities. Sonia also talks about her strategies for and the educational benefits of racially-diverse schools and classrooms and reflects on how her work has effectively evolved over time. You can find out more about her work by visiting www.diversecharters.orgHost: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan talks to Jennifer Reiter-Cook, Director of Southern California School Development for the California Charter Schools Association. In her work for the CCSA, Dr. Reiter-Cook has developed initiatives designed to cultivate the next generation of California charter school leaders. In our interview, our guest reflects on her work and discusses her process for empowering educators and advocates to become charter founders. She also discusses the importance of community engagement in getting effective charter schools off the ground. Find out more about her work by visiting www.ccsa.org.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with Heather Buskirk of K12. Heather is a National Board Certified Teacher and an expert in project-based learning. Heather talks about the model and discusses why it is beneficial for students (and teachers!). She also shares how project-based learning can work in the online environment and across an entire school's curriculum plan. Click here for Heather's recent article in Real Clear Education about project-based learning: https://bit.ly/2IICndw.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)

This week, Ryan sits down with education reform activist and Riverhead Charter School Superintendent Raymond Ankrum. Raymond shares the story of this high-performing charter school, and how his team was able to move Riverhead's proficiency scores from the teens to the high eighties in just a few years. When Raymond is not running Riverhead's inspiring program, he is the co-host of the education podcast 8 Black Hands, We talk to our guest about his show and why he enjoys sharing his insight on the podcasting medium. You can watch Raymond and his 8 Black Hands co-hosts recording their show at the National Charter School Conference, June 30-July 3 in Las Vegas. Find out more and register by visiting ncsc.publiccharters.org.Host: Ryan Kairalla (@ryankair)