In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Shawn visits Da Vinci Tree Academy in Tucson, AZ. While doing an in person visit, Shawn sits down with Matt Roll, Principal and Founder to record a podcast. This episode is unique because they cover a variety of topics that we haven’t discussed on the podcast before.

As with many of our guests, Matt did not intend to be in the charter school industry. He had a very interesting journey from going to college for business to now being a founder and principal at Da Vinci Tree Academy. Da Vinci Tree Academy is a STEM school that is known for creating a CDC compliant model classroom during the covid pandemic. The only one in the country. Tune in to hear this incredible story!

Matt shares a book and a person that have both influenced him and his school. Listen in to hear what they are and how they have impacted him!

Matt shares some advice he has for other charter school administrators starting with the importance of networking. So many different aspects of the charter school industry can be benefited by networking. A challenge that Da Vinci Tree Academy has faced is a teacher shortage. Can you relate to this challenge? Check out what Matt has found as a solution to the problem and how you could also! Reach out to Matt to learn more about his advice he shares in the episode.

Time Stamps:

1:48 Who are you (Matt Roll) and what is your background in Charter Schools?

7:59 What gave you (Da Vinci Tree Academy) the ability to pivot and be innovative so quickly?

14:20 What are some books or people that have influenced you (Matt Roll)?

19:20 Any challenges or successes that other charter school administration could benefit from?

Show Notes:

Da Vinci Tree Academy https://www.davincitree.academy/

Matt Roll [email protected]

“Driven By Data” by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo https://a.co/d/5giWT1N

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with behavior health specialist, Leila Farshchian, from ABA Toolbox. This episode is a bit different but very helpful for charter school administrators looking for improvements in special education.

In this episode you will learn more about what brought Leila to the behavioral health field and how ABA Toolbox came about. She also shares some challenges they have faced and overcome. But the highlight of this episode is learning about ABA toolbox and how it can help improve your special education department. Tune in to see how your school can benefit from this!

ABA Toolbox is a special education software for schools to help support and focus on the learner. It provides a unified, collaborative and cohesive experience. By having this software there is less time spent on reports and more time spent on the students and providing them the support they need.

Time Stamps:

00:45 What is ABA Toolbox?

3:58 How did Leila get involved in behavior health?

7:49 For charter school administrations that want to improve special education, why is ABA Tool Box a good fit?

9:25 Share some challenges ABA Toolbox has faced and how they were overcome.

11:33 What are some challenges that schools face that ABA Toolbox can resolve?

13:25 Final Thoughts and Resources

Show Notes:

ABA Toolbox https://www.abatoolbox.com/

Science of Teaching from Columbia University

In this episode “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Rachel Garner, Executive Director at Armadillo Community Charter School in Oregon. Although she originally wanted to be a vet, Rachel has found her way to charter school administration. Rachel is focused on making a change from the top and she shares her journey with Dallan.

Armadillo Community Charter School was one of the first charter schools in southern Oregon and continues to be unique by keeping the size small. The student body hovers around 75-80 students and while there is room for more, the importance of the small class size remains a priority. Not all students fit in large mainstream classrooms, so Armadillo is there for students who need a smaller, more individually oriented program. They focus on teaching hands on critical thinking with community learning.

Rachel shares some valuable advice for all administrators. Listen in to see her tips on how to build a strong school board. In Oregon, charter schools are seen as a negative competition for public education. To counter this, Rachel and her team at Armadillo are continuously sending out the message that they are working for the same goal of having successful students. It is not a one size fits all situation.

Rachel ends the episode by sharing a book that has taught her to find the positive each day. Tune into the episode to see where you can learn this also!

Time Stamps:

00:47 How did Rachel get involved in the charter school space?

1:52 What schools got you to where you are today?

2:42 What is it like working with high school students in today’s world with so much technology access?

4:36 What makes Armadillo Community Charter School unique?

5:50 How many students are at Armadillo Community Charter School?

6:50 What can students expect from the classroom environment?

8:08 What challenges has Armadillo faced and how have they been overcome?

9:30 Tips to find a good board

11:30 Any other challenges?

12:47 How have you tried to deal with the challenges?

13:50 Final thoughts and resources

Show Notes:

Armadillo Community Charter School https://www.armadillocharter.org/

“365 Days of Awesome” by Monica Genta https://monicagenta.com/365-2/

There is a trend in these last few episodes and this one is no different. In this episode of the “Charter School Connection” Dallan sits down with another one of the amazing connections we found at the NCAPCS Conference, Lynette Stevens from BC Construction Group. We bonded at the conference talking about donuts from one of the local beach towns and are happy to have her as a guest on the podcast.

BC Construction Group does construction in a few different areas but one core area they specialise in is the education division. The biggest pitfall they have seen for charter schools is making plans without knowing the budget they have or how much their plans will cost. To help with this issue they have come up with the Rapid Rise solution to help try to ease the construction process. Tune into this episode to hear more about this project. By working with BC Construction group they will be your one stop shop for construction on your school.

Time Stamps:

1:00 How did Lynette get involved in the BC Construction Group?

2:07 How did BC Construction Group fall into the charter school industry?

3:25 Check out the education division section on their website.

5:35 What makes BC Construction Group unique for charter schools and what mistakes have you seen the administration make in terms of construction?

8:50 First step to move forward?

10:10 What are some success stories you have seen?

14:21 Final thoughts

Show Notes:

BC Construction Group https://www.bccgp.com/

In this episode of the “Charter School Connection” Dallan sits down with another one of the amazing connections we found at the NCAPCS Conference, Eddie Goodall, President of Goodall Consulting. This one is extra special because he founded the association in 2009. Eddie shares his journey to how he became president of Goodall Consulting.

Eddie started in the charter school world on the political side of charter schools in 1995. By 1999 he met with a small group of people in a Sunday School classroom to discuss opening “Union Academy.” Eddie is so proud of this school and shares what makes him proud. He went on to run for senate with a “School Choice” Campaign where he stayed for six years. Tune in to see what challenges he ran into along the way and advice he has for anyone looking to help charter school policies.

Eddie went from politics to consulting to help others within the charter school community. It is important to remember that we are here for the students, not the system. Goodall Consulting is about charter school advocacy and school choice. Eddie and his team help charter schools navigate all the different challenges they might come across so that they can succeed. This is a challenging time for charter schools and Eddie plans to write an article about his views on the current climate. Be sure to keep an eye out for this article because it will be beneficial for all. We will make sure to share it when we receive it.

While they work primarily with North Carolina Charter Schools at the moment, anyone interested in charter schools (opening a school, politics, helping a school, etc), Eddie is always willing to hop on a call with you at any time. A list of all their services and how to contact them can be found at www.goodallconsulting.com.

Time Stamps:

00:40 How did Eddie get involved in the Charter School industry?

4:00 Advice for people looking to make changes in Charter School policies?

6:50 What made Eddie proud of Union Academy?

11:35 How did you go from politics to consulting?

16:40 When will your article about the 10 things hurting Charter Schools be posted?

17:56 Anything else to add?

22:32 Eddie shares the name of his book - Charter Diary: North Carolina’s Second 100 Charter Schools

23:21 Learn more about Goodall Consulting?

24:48 Do you have clients outside of North Carolina?

25:40 Final thoughts.

Show Notes:

Goodall Consulting: https://goodallconsulting.com/

Charter Diary: North Carolina’s Second 100 Charter Schools: https://www.amazon.com/Charter-Diary-Carolinas-Second-Schools-ebook/dp/B07PXT67LX

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with another administrator he met at the NCAPCS Conference in Wilmington. Mary Jawabreh, Assistant Principal of Academics - K-4 at TMSA Apex shares her experiences in the charter school world.

After working 9 years at private catholic schools, Mary wanted to grow in her career. Previously having worked in Dubai and Abu Dhabi at international schools she was looking for a similar feel. She started at TMSA Apex when it opened in 2022 as a kindergarten teacher. A year later she was moved into an administrator position.

While working overseas, Mary worked at schools within the British school systems. She was able to bring back some of the different teaching techniques back and implement them here. The most important thing she learned while overseas was cultural awareness. She was able to travel to 11 countries during her 4 years abroad and experience many different cultures, religions and languages.

TMSA Apex is like a mini UN, having students from all over the world. The different cultures and languages all come together to build a special type of community. Although all charter schools are essentially competitors they also form a close knit charter school family. TMSA Apex is a STEM - project based school with a “leader in me” model. This “leader in me” model helps to teach kids how to carry leadership from kindergarten to graduation.

The biggest challenges she has faced are making sure to maintain strong leadership in an always changing environment (especially in regards to policies). Reminding the team to always use teamwork will go a long way in facing any challenges that arrive.

Mary shares three books that have impacted her and she recommends them to all. She is always willing to talk to anyone who would like to connect. Her email address and links to the books are in the show notes below.

Time Stamps:

00:35 How did Mary become involved in the charter school world?

1:07 Differences between private catholic schools and charter schools?

1:34 Mary’s experiences and what makes TMSA special?

2:43 Mary’s international teaching experiences and what she has learned and brought back.

5:14 What makes TMSA unique?

6:33 Challenges and how they overcame them.

8:40 Recommendations for other leaders.

10:10 If you could go back in time 4 years ago, what wisdom would you give yourself?

11:13 Final Insights

Show Notes:

TMSA Apex: https://www.tmsaapex.org/

Mary Jawabreh’s email: [email protected]

“Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1591845327

“Be 1% Better” by Ron Clark https://a.co/d/iCHx9Cj

“Improving Schools from Within” by Ronald Barth https://a.co/d/azvoR3G

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Sam Fleming, Co-Founder and Executive Director from 100 Gardens. We met Sam at the NCAPCS Conference in July in Wilmington and thought it would make a different but interesting podcast.

100 Gardens is an educational non-profit company with a goal of building 100 aquaponic gardens in schools. Their mission is to empower school communities and students to be smarter, healthier and more compassionate. Smarter by having hands-on applied learning; healthier by growing your own fruits and vegetables year round; more compassionate by understanding the world's ecosystems and cycles better. Learn how they got started in the TED talk in the show notes.

100 Gardens works well with charter schools because of charter schools' entrepreneurial spirit and accessibility for all people. Especially in STEM based schools, the methodology behind aquaponics is great for hands-on STEM learning. What students eat up to the age of 12 determines their eating habits for life and 50% of what a student eats is done at school. So by changing how students eat at school, can change public health as a whole.

If you are interested in starting an aquaponic garden at your school, visit the 100 gardens website and send in an application. A meeting will be sent up to make sure the schools mission aligns with 100 gardens.

To finish the episode, Sam shares some things he learned at the NCAPCS conference from the keynote speaker, Ron Clark.

Time Stamps:

00:50 What is 100 Gardens?

3:25 How did 100 Gardens get started?

6:00 Charter Schools and 100 Gardens

10:26 Next Steps for Admins wanting to start aquaponics.

Show Notes:

100 Gardens https://www.100gardens.org/

Ted Talk ​​https://youtu.be/df5OrJptsWU?feature=shared

Ron Clark https://www.ronclarkacademy.com/

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Allison Galvin, Executive Director at Oregon Charter Academy. Allison shares about the dynamic responsive approach to learning found at the award winning school.

Allison started as a math teacher and never expected to end up in a charter school but here she is. She shares how the culture at Oregon Connections Academy drew her in and that virtual schools are the best kept secret. “Once you go virtual, you don’t go back.” Being virtual, it is important that the team still has a bond so the leadership team has created an always present culture. Making sure to learn and check in on more than just work related things, and meeting in person every so often.

Oregon Charter Academy started in 2005 as Oregon Connections Academy, part of a corporate management company group of schools. This group of schools was some of the first in Oregon. After a while they learned that they needed to break off on their own to get to where they needed to be and become Oregon Charter Academy on 1 July 2020, right in the heart of covid. Tune into the episode to learn how they overcame many challenges that arose during that time.

Oregon Charter Academy has a dynamic responsive approach to learning and the teachers adjust weekly to meet the needs of the students. Listen to the episode to hear all the things that make Oregon Charter Academy unique and provide students with the community and school feel all while being a virtual school.

Time Stamps:

00:37 Allison’s journey to charter schools

3:55 How do you build strong relationships being fully virtual?

6:15 What makes Oregon Charter Academy Unique?

9:28 How do you convince parents to choose Oregon Charter Academy?

13:20 How many enroll from traditional looking for alternative schools vs virtual being their primary option?

14:24 Challenges and how they overcame them?

18:18 Final thoughts

Show Notes:

Oregon Charter Academy: https://www.oregoncharter.org/

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Scott Mendelsberg, Executive Director and Annemarie Mahan, Elementary Principal at Cherry Creek Academy in Englewood, CO. Getting to speak with two different administrators at once makes this episode special.

We learn the journey they each took to get to their current positions. They couldn’t be more different. Annemarie has been at Cherry Creek since 2012 and Scott has only been there since April 2025. Annemarie shares her experience of going from a peer to the teachers to their supervisor. Trust and respect are her keys to making this successful.

Charter schools in general are special because they are able to differentiate themselves from others. Hook people in by identifying your outcome and fully believing it. If you do this, success always works and it always matters. Dallan uses this to discuss a theory from the book “The Dip” by Seth Godin and if they agree or disagree with it.

Cherry Creek Academy was one of the first charter schools in Colorado and is celebrating 30 years of existence this year. They are a core knowledge school that focuses on their connection/partnership with the parents and students. They are a diverse school with over 600 students and 60 different languages spoken. They have been awarded the John Irwin Schools of Excellence every year since the award started in 2001. Although they are an excellent school, they are constantly looking to see how they can improve and fix gaps.

When it comes to challenges and how to overcome them, the advice given is to remember the common goal is to do what is best for the students. If you do this, you can overcome most challenges. Do not let yourself get off course with things you cannot control.

To end the episode Annemarie gives some great advice for administrators. Build genuine connections and find people you can connect to and be honest with. Tune in to learn how to put this to use!

Time Stamps:

00:46 How did you get involved in the charter school world - Annemarie’s Story

1:55 What position did you start working as at Cherry Creek Academy

2:22 What was the transition like from classroom to administration

3:43 How did you get involved in the charter school world - Scott’s Story

6:22 How do you explain to a charter school how to differentiate themselves?

8:55 If a school is not first or second, should they pivot how they do things, do you agree or disagree?

10:07 What makes Cherry Creek Academy unique?

16:08 What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?

19:24 Final thoughts and insights

Show Notes:

Cherry Creek Academy https://www.cherrycreekacademy.org/

“The Dip” by Seth Godin https://a.co/d/1EAlzTB

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Sheryl Zimmerer, Executive Director at Logos Public Charter School in Medford, Oregon. Logos Public Charter School is a personalized learning hybrid school. With 1300 students and a waitlist over 800 long, Logos has the special sauce.

Sheryl started as a teacher at Logos when it first opened in 2010 and in 2017 she took over as executive director. She shares how the school has changed during this time and what makes Logos unique. Logos found a unique niche of students and has made a name for themselves. In the episode you will learn how Logos has become a 2024 school of distinction! Sheryl gives lots of advice for other charter school directors so make sure to take a listen!

Nothing prepares you to be an executive director and you need to handle the bumps as they come. Grow and change with the school to create the environment you desire. When feeling discouraged, remember to look back at how far you have come and give yourself grace. For the second week in a row “clear is kind” is the biggest piece of advice given. Sheryl shares two books that have changed and improved the way she leads. Tune in to see how these books can help you! Links in the show notes.

Time Stamps:

1:01 How did Sheryl get involved in the Charter School World?

2:20 What was it like going through the different positions and how did it prepare Sheryl to be executive director?

5:25 How has Logos Public Charter School evolved since Sheryl became executive director in 2017?

10:40 What is the special sauce for Logos Public Charter School?

13:59 What are some challenges faced and how were they overcome?

18:51 Final thoughts and resources

Show Notes:

Logos Public Charter School https://logoscharter.com/

“Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756

“Good to Great” by Jim Collins https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996