Charter Central Podcast

Tune in for this episode as we are joined by Dr. Shawna Patterson-Stephens vice president and chief diversity officer at CMU’s Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She unpacks the differences between diversity, equity and inclusion as well as the importance of raising awareness in schools.

January is School Board Recognition Month and to celebrate we are talking with board directors Steve Grigorian from A.G.B.U. Alex and Marie Manoogian School and Leigh Chandler from Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. Steve and Leigh discuss how they use their professional management skills and experiences in their board governance roles. They also share lessons learned, points of pride and the legacy they hope to leave on their schools.

Tune in for this episode as we follow up with our Research and Data Analytics team to examine student achievement and growth throughout the pandemic. They discuss assessment results and implications, how we as an authorizer are using the data, and our national contribution to educational data research.

On this episode we hear from Holly Gohlke, the state’s School Drinking Water Coordinator. Holly shares why the quality of your school’s drinking water is so important and the resources the state has to assist with supports and testing. We also talk to Stephanie Yassine and Lily LaFevre from Escuela Avancemos Academy about the work they have done in their building and how they engaged with their students to understand the importance of water quality.

On our first episode of season three, we talk with Kathy Barker. She is our team’s special education consultant and walks us through a diverse range of topics related to special education. We explore the continuum of services, collaboration in serving students, and the impact of the pandemic.

On this episode we hear from Jess Stone, a teacher at River Heights Academy that serves as an advocate for LGBTQ+ students and staff. They share why it is important to have inclusive and safe classrooms, including specific examples that teachers can implement to provide a supportive environment for their students. Jess also shares insights on what should be considered to ensure staff members are supported through an inclusive environment. Beyond serving as a teacher, Jess is also a member of the Distinctive Schools Michigan Regional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum Committee and shares about the work that this group of educators is doing in this crucial space.

Tune in for this episode as we are joined by Renaissance Public School Academy, the winners of the Center’s second annual Innovation and Vision Award contest. We discuss what makes the school unique, including the evolution of the school, project-based learning and a recent school expansion.

In this episode, we hear from our Research and Data Analytics team on the comprehensive research they have done throughout the last school year on the impact of the pandemic on student performance. We cover many topics related to this research, including the history of our use of benchmark assessments, findings of the research done so far in the pandemic, and what the research will look at in the future when spring assessments are completed.

As schools continue to return to in-person learning, we explore the topics of health and safety with a partner school that has been learning in person since the fall as well as a school facility expert. Dan DiBardino from Recon Management Group shares his advice on what schools should be looking at from a health and safety perspective. The topics we discuss with Dan include ventilation, cleaning protocols and ideas for keeping students socially distanced. To conclude our episode, we hear from Ivywood Classical Academy. They share with us some of the innovative technologies and policies they utilized this year to keep their students and staff safe.

The team from Distinctive Schools joins us this month to discuss the importance of social-emotional learning. They share insights on their innovative approach, including their use of curriculum and assessments to ensure they are supporting their teachers and students in all of their schools. We also discuss what unique needs students have for social-emotional learning in the pandemic and how to navigate the return to in-person learning during this challenging time.