Bold By Choice Podcast

Guest: Dr. Sundai Riggins, Head of School — Inspired Teaching Demonstration School (Washington, D.C.)

What happens when students aren’t just served by a school, but help design it?

In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner sit down with Dr. Sundai Riggins, Head of School at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School in Washington, D.C., for a powerful conversation about student voice, belonging, joy, and whole-child design.

Dr. Riggins shares her journey as a career educator and the beliefs that shape Inspired Teaching’s model—where students are treated as co-designers, learning is inquiry-based, and joy is viewed as an act of resistance. From student-led theatrical productions and intersession experiences to small learning environments, two adults per classroom, and open feedback loops, this episode brings listeners inside a school community intentionally built with students, not just for them.

You’ll hear:

How Inspired Teaching empowers students with agency, responsibility, and confidence, including backstage student leadership in school productions

Why children’s individuality and energy are assets, not obstacles

How academics and whole-child learning are balanced through inquiry, feedback, and flexible design

Why mentorship, open practice, and community engagement are central to the school’s mission

How love, relationships, and belonging serve as the school’s true “secret sauce.”

Dr. Riggins reminds us that students won’t be students forever—they’re future citizens. Schools, at their best, prepare young people not just to succeed academically, but to know their voices matter, to advocate for themselves, and to carry confidence beyond school walls

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This is a conversation about designing schools that honor humanity, cultivate joy, and expand what’s possible when we trust students with real responsibility.

If this episode inspired you, share it with an educator or parent who believes schools should be built around curiosity, community, and care—and tell us your own #SchoolBrag story.

Stay bold. Stay mission-driven. Stay in the community.

Bold by Choice, powered by the National Charter Schools Institute, is hosted by Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, and in this episode, they’re joined by Sarah Anderson, CEO & Superintendent of Blackstone Valley Prep, for a conversation about what it truly means to expand opportunity for students and communities.

Season 3 of Bold by Choice is all about schools worth bragging about—and this episode delivers.

We head to Rhode Island to spotlight Blackstone Valley Prep (BVP), a charter school network intentionally designed to bring together students from four neighboring but historically unequal communities. Across six campuses, BVP blends rigorous academics, joyful school culture, and a deeply rooted college-going mindset that begins early and lasts well beyond graduation.

Sarah Anderson shares how BVP’s integrated model, co-teaching approach, strong family partnerships, and intentional design help expand the circle of success for more students—academically, socially, and culturally.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Going beyond college prep to prepare students for life

Designing integrated public schools with purpose

Creating belonging alongside academic rigor

Supporting teachers through collaboration and coaching

Leading with pragmatism, optimism, and heart

Listen in, share with a colleague, and join us this season as we celebrate bold schools, bold leadership, and bold choices.

The Bold by Choice podcast returns for Season Three — and this time, we’re celebrating schools worth bragging about.

In this premiere episode, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner sit down with Sonia Park and Ashley Heard, Executive Director and Deputy Director of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition (DCSC). Together, they explore how DCSC is leading a movement to design public schools that reflect the richness and diversity of their communities.

From its 281 member schools in 26 states and D.C. — serving over 120,000 students — to its 22 Communities of Practice and leadership programs (the Fellows and Explorers), DCSC is redefining what it means to be diverse by design.

Sonia and Ashley share how their backgrounds — from Philadelphia classrooms to Teach For America — shaped their calling to lead this coalition. Their “why” stories reveal how courage and clarity fuel bold leadership in education.

Jim’s Reflection: “When you know your calling, it gives you courage — and courage is contagious.”

DCSC is a member-driven network focused on peer learning, equity, and sustainability. Sonia and Ashley explain how they use data, research, and storytelling to strengthen schools and grow leaders who build belonging through design.

Key stats:

281 member schools across 26 states + D.C.

120,000 students served nationwide

22 Communities of Practice for shared problem-solving

19 new schools launched through the Fellows Program

Annual Convening “Better Together” — an energizing national gathering of educators

DCSC’s member schools span diverse models — from IB to project-based learning — united by shared commitments to excellence, culture, and love. Sonia and Ashley introduce DCSC’s High-Quality, Inclusive, Diverse (HQID) framework, developed with members to define what “excellent and equitable” really looks like.

The coalition is more than an organization — it’s a movement of practitioners. Sonia and Ashley share how listeners can get involved, from joining Communities of Practice to attending DCSC’s next Annual Convening in Washington, D.C.

Bold Question: “What’s the boldest choice you’ve made as a school leader to keep your promise to students — and what did it teach you?”

“Chartering at its best is about community, vision, and equity. Sonia and Ashley remind us that being bold together means designing schools that don’t just reflect our world — they help build a better one.” — Vashaunta Harris

As Season Three begins, Bold by Choice will continue to spotlight diverse-by-design schools across the nation — schools that prove what’s possible when leaders choose courage, community, and creativity.

Until next time — stay bold, stay mission-driven, and stay in community.

In this episode of Bold By Choice Podcast, Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Don Cooper continue the Founders Library series with a tribute to one of the most influential builders in the charter school movement—Linda Brown, founding CEO of Building Excellent Schools (BES).

From the earliest days of Massachusetts’ charter experiment, Linda Brown saw what was missing: a system to ensure that new schools were not just open, but excellent. She founded BES to meet that need—developing rigorous fellowships, training future leaders, and creating schools built on discipline, love, and results.

“Excellence is not accidental—it’s engineered through vision, discipline, and belief in what’s possible.” — Linda Brown

Brown’s philosophy pushed beyond authorization or enrollment numbers; she believed success was only real when students achieved world-class academic outcomes. Through her leadership, BES has launched and supported more than 50 schools nationwide, and her imprint can still be felt in classrooms where high expectations meet deep care.

“Poverty is not a limit on potential. The limits we accept are the ones we place on ourselves.” — Linda Brown, Founders Library Interview

Linda Brown didn’t wait for permission. When she saw no clear pathway for ensuring excellence in new charter schools, she built one—from scratch.

“If it doesn’t exist, build it. That’s what founders do.” — Linda Brown

Brown rejected the idea that innovation alone was enough. For her, rigor, accountability, and consistency were non-negotiables. She championed longer school days, family engagement, and relentless follow-through.

She challenged deficit thinking head-on. Her mission: to prove that literacy, access, and opportunity were the real game-changers, not circumstance.

BES’s Fellowship model was demanding by design—long hours, constant feedback, and the requirement to move to where the need was greatest. Those who finished the program emerged ready to found and sustain great schools.

For Linda, the win wasn’t authorization or funding—it was when third-grade reading and math scores outpaced district averages. Student results were the measure of excellence.

Don Cooper:

“Linda Brown’s story reminds us that excellence doesn’t emerge by accident—it’s engineered through vision, discipline, and belief in what’s possible.”

Vashaunta Harris:

“Her legacy lives on in every BES-trained leader and every classroom where high expectations meet deep care. To be bold by choice is to build systems that last.”

Interview: Interview of Linda Brown

Collection: The Linda Brown Collection

Organization: Building Excellent Schools (BES)

Founders Library – Main Archive: charterlibrary.org

Call to Action:

Closing Line:

In this episode of the National Charter Schools Institute's Bold By Choice Podcast, we spotlight another great story from the Founder Library. Hosts Vashaunta Harris and Don Cooper sit with the story of Don Shalvey, the California superintendent-turned-founder who helped launch the nation’s first charter management organization — Aspire Public Schools.

Beginning in San Carlos, California — home of the state’s first charter — Shalvey describes how an unexpected lunch with Reed Hastings, then a tech entrepreneur and future Netflix CEO, turned into a decades-long partnership that changed public education. Together, they formed Californians for Public School Excellence, wrote new charter legislation, and set the stage for scalable, high-quality innovation in public schools.

From that collaboration came a quiet but revolutionary innovation: allowing a single nonprofit board to oversee multiple schools — an idea that would forever reshape how charters could operate and grow.

“An infinite number of charters all needing a board… was both inefficient and probably could create more problems with governance.” — Don Shalvey, Founders Library Interview

Don Shalvey’s policy insight — enabling multiple schools under one governing board — made Aspire Public Schools possible. That framework became the foundation for charter management organizations (CMOs) across the country.

“I think anybody who ever does school work has to be open to uncertainty as well as the sort of art of possibility.” — Don Shalvey

Shalvey didn’t work alone. He brought together teachers, policymakers, and innovators like Reed Hastings to turn policy into practice. It’s a model of bipartisan, collaborative reform still relevant today.

“It wasn’t just about law — it was about leadership, relationships, and being willing to try something new.” — Don Shalvey

Throughout his career, Shalvey saw himself as a learner first — curious, adaptable, and generous in sharing what worked. That humility created the conditions for scale without losing soul.

“She asked us for only one thing in return ever. And she’s like – just share everything openly with everybody.” — Don Shalvey, referencing the ‘share everything’ ethos that also shaped KIPP and Aspire.

The Aspire story is not just about a network — it’s about momentum. Shalvey’s work at Aspire, and later at the Gates Foundation, reminds us that sustainable reform starts with shared purpose, not just structure.

Vashaunta Harris:

“Don Shalvey didn’t just build schools; he built a bridge between sectors. His ability to see innovation not as a threat, but as an invitation, is something every leader can learn from.”

Don Cooper:

“That one clause — one board, multiple schools — may seem small, but it transformed the entire field. Don’s story is proof that policy design and human vision have to work hand in hand.”

Interview: A School Founder’s History: Don Shalvey, Aspire Public Schools

California Context: California’s Charter Schools Story

1992 Enabling Law: Senate Bill 1448, Chapter 781 (1992)

Policy Background: Hart, Gary K. & Burr, Sue. “The Story of California’s Charter School Legislation.” Phi Delta Kappan (1996). Access required

Founders Library – Full Archive: charterlibrary.org

In this episode of the National Charter Schools Institute Bold By Choice Podcast, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Don Cooper continue the Founders Library series with one of the most personal and powerful stories yet — the story behind KIPP: The Knowledge Is Power Program, and the teacher whose wisdom and love shaped its DNA.

David Levin, co-founder of KIPP, shares how one extraordinary educator, Harriet Ball, changed the course of his life — and in doing so, changed the course of public education. From his early struggles as a first-year teacher in Houston to his partnership with Mike Feinberg, Levin recalls the lessons Harriet taught him: “It’s never the kids,” “Meet them where they are,” and “Teach with love.”

What began as mentorship became a movement. Harriet’s famous classroom chant —

“You gotta read, baby, read. The more you read, the more you know. Knowledge is power. Power is freedom.”

Levin’s reflections remind us that at the heart of every bold reform is a human connection — one teacher passing the baton to another.

When a struggling teacher met a master educator, magic happened. Harriet Ball didn’t just teach lessons — she modeled joy, rigor, and unconditional love. Her mentorship turned frustration into inspiration and helped launch one of America’s most recognized charter school networks.

“She taught in 45 minutes what I had failed to teach all year long.” — David Levin

Levin credits Harriet with teaching him three enduring truths:

It’s never the kids — success begins with the teacher’s mindset.

Meet students where they are — academically and emotionally.

Teach with love — even when students don’t make it easy.

These principles became the moral framework of KIPP, and countless schools were influenced by its model.

Harriet’s chant — “Knowledge is power. Power is freedom.” — became KIPP’s name and mantra. It also symbolized the larger idea behind chartering: that knowledge liberates, and educators have the power to reimagine how students learn.

Harriet’s only request was simple: “Share what I’ve taught you.” Levin and Feinberg carried that ethos forward, creating an open-door policy where any educator could visit KIPP schools, observe, and learn. That spirit of collaboration extended to partnerships with Uncommon Schools, Achievement First, and the creation of Relay Graduate School of Education — a modern relay of teaching excellence.

From Harriet’s fourth-grade classroom to KIPP’s national network and beyond, this story is about legacy — educators passing wisdom, courage, and compassion from one generation to the next.

“It’s never the kids. It’s on us.” — David Levin

Vashaunta Harris:

“This story resonates with me deeply as a former TFAer. Dave’s realization that ‘it’s not the kids — it’s me’ is one of the most powerful shifts any teacher can make. That mindset is where leadership begins.”

Don Cooper:

“Harriet Ball’s mentorship didn’t just shape KIPP — it reshaped the movement. Her lessons on joy, rigor, and love became the DNA of great teaching everywhere.”

Together, the hosts reflect on how mentorship, humility, and shared purpose continue to define the best of the charter movement — and how Harriet Ball’s legacy remains a guiding light.

Explore the stories and archives mentioned in this episode:

A School Founder’s History: Dave Levin

Interview of Richard Whitmire – The Founders

The Founders – eBook PDF

The Linda Brown Collection

Pioneers and Practitioners: Freedom Preparatory Academy

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow educator who believes that knowledge is power — and that power is freedom.

In this installment of the National Charter Schools Institute's Bold by Choice Podcast, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Don Cooper sit down with education journalist Richard Whitmire, author of The Founders — a deep, human story of how collaboration, not competition, built the nation’s most successful charter school networks.

Commissioned by The 74 Million and drawn from the archives of the National Charter Schools Founders Library, The Founders traces the rise of networks like KIPP, Uncommon, and Achievement First. Whitmire reveals that their shared success came from an open-source culture rooted in generosity — a legacy that began in Harriet Ball’s Houston classroom.

“The founders didn’t guard their playbooks—they swapped them.”

Whitmire’s project began after a casual conversation with Don Shalvey, who encouraged him to look past test scores and policies. What started as a journalistic curiosity became a national chronicle of the people and relationships driving educational transformation.

“Don Shalvey said, ‘If you really want to know what happened, talk to the people who built it.’ That changed everything.” — Richard Whitmire

Whitmire found that the most effective charter networks didn’t compete — they shared everything: lesson plans, data, mistakes, and breakthroughs. Instead of guarding intellectual property, they lifted one another up.

“They were rivals for teachers and funding, but they shared their secrets anyway. It was collaboration that made them successful.” — Richard Whitmire, The Founders Interview Transcript

The culture of sharing began with legendary teacher Harriet Ball, whose mentorship of Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg inspired KIPP’s creation. Her only request: “Share what I’ve taught you.”

Through these networks’ collaborative models, Whitmire witnessed schools where low-income students of color achieved at levels matching their affluent peers — what he called “one of the most hopeful, under-told stories in American education.”

Supported by an Emerson Collective Fellowship, Whitmire used the Founders Library archives to document a movement still unfolding. His conclusion? The future of education depends on leaders who share what works.

“Movements endure when people choose to collaborate instead of compete.” — Don Cooper

In this episode, Whitmire reminds us that the real innovation behind chartering wasn’t just autonomy or accountability — it was community.

Listen now, and explore The Founders Collection at the Charter Library.

Explore these featured resources from the episode:

Interview of Richard Whitmire (Founders Library Collection)

The Founders – eBook PDF

A School Founder’s History: Dave Levin

The Linda Brown Collection

Pioneers and Practitioners: Freedom Preparatory Academy

As Season Two comes to a close, co-hosts Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, Don Cooper, and Ember Reichgott Junge reflect on 30 years of chartering — the bold ideas, courageous people, and enduring lessons that continue to shape public education today.

This conversation isn’t just about history — it’s about the future. Together, the hosts look back on the movement’s biggest themes and ask how we can continue to honor the original charter promise: freedom, accountability, innovation, and equity.

They explore what’s next for chartering as a living, evolving idea — one that still challenges leaders to think differently about policy, people, and possibilities for kids.

What have the last 30 years of chartering taught us about policy, people, and kids? How do those lessons prepare us for the next generation of change?

Chartering was designed to make space for innovation. What have we learned from the compromises of the past — and how can we refine our frameworks for what’s next?

From pioneers to policymakers, chartering has always been fueled by people. What leadership traits stand out across decades of change?

Behind every law and policy are students whose lives have been transformed. How do we keep them — not politics — at the center of the story?

Echoing Ted Kolderie’s insight — “the solutions come from those closest to the action” — the conversation reaffirms that the next era of chartering will depend on listening to teachers, families, and communities.

Vashaunta Harris:

Final Message:

Explore the people, papers, and policies that shaped 30 years of chartering through the Founders Library:

Interview of Ember Reichgott Junge

Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story

The Founders: Inside the Revolution to Invent (and Reinvent) America’s Best Charter Schools

Charter laws created permission, but people created possibility.

In this episode of Bold by Choice, co-hosts Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, Ember Reichgott Junge and Don Cooper spotlight the first generation of charter founders who didn’t just respond to the system — they reimagined it.

These leaders turned ideas into schools, blueprints into movements, and challenges into opportunities. Their approaches were diverse — entrepreneurial, justice-driven, classroom-centered — but all were bold by choice.

Dave Levin – Co-founder of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program), who turned one Houston classroom into a national model for academic rigor and character education.

J.C. Huizenga – Founder of National Heritage Academies, who brought a business-minded approach to scaling quality and sustainability across public schools.

Don Shalvey – Founder of Aspire Public Schools, one of the first CMOs, who partnered with entrepreneurs like Reed Hastings to pioneer scalable innovation.

Linda Brown – Founder of Building Excellent Schools, who built leaders, not just schools—training hundreds of founders through her rigorous fellowship model.

Roblin Webb – Founder of Freedom Prep in Memphis, who grounded her work in justice, equity, and the unwavering belief that Black students deserve excellence.

Vision Meets Execution: The founders proved that laws don’t change lives — people do.

Scale Requires Design: From CMOs to fellowships, structure became a tool for sustainability.

Equity Is Innovation: Justice-centered schools redefined what it means to serve every child.

Courage Is Contagious: Each founder’s risk paved the way for thousands of others.

As Jim and Vashaunta reflect, the first wave of charter founders reminds us that real innovation isn’t uniform — it’s courageous.

Explore the stories and interviews mentioned in this episode through the Founders Library and the resources below:

The Founders: Inside the Revolution to Invent (and Reinvent) America’s Best Charter Schools — by Richard Whitmire

A School Founder’s History: Dave Levin

Interview of J.C. Huizenga

A School Founder’s History: Don Shalvey, Aspire Public Schools

The Linda Brown Collection

Pioneers and Practitioners: Freedom Preparatory Academy

Passing the first charter laws was only the beginning. Someone had to make those laws real. In this episode of Bold by Choice, co-hosts Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, and Don Cooper take us back to the messy, courageous, and often misunderstood beginnings of charter school authorizing.

In Washington, D.C., Tom Nida and Jo Baker recall how two boards were formed to oversee charter schools—without a playbook, precedent, or even the word authorizer in common use.

In Minnesota, Pat Sandro raises questions about district-based authorizing and whether districts were ever the right entities to serve as neutral stewards.

Together, these stories highlight the leadership, trial-and-error, and bold problem-solving it took to move chartering from policy on paper to practice in schools.

Lead without a playbook – Early authorizers had no blueprint; they had to define the role as they went.

Balance support and accountability – Even today, authorizers wrestle with being both partner and regulator.

Question the structure – Minnesota’s district-based model raised conflicts of interest that still spark debate.

Reimagine, don’t just repeat – Authorizing is not just compliance—it’s custodianship of the charter promise.

Explore the full oral histories and research in the Founders Library

Interview of Josephine (Jo) Baker and Tom Nida

Interview of Pat Sandro

Interview of Robert (Bob) Mills, Ph.D.

The Politics of Charter School Authorizing: The Case Study of New York by Jonas Chartock (2012) – Read here