Florida’s recently expanded Schools of Hope law requires school districts to permit certain charter schools to occupy vacant or underutilized district buildings for free. According to public records obtained by Jacksonville Today, at least 25 schools have been targeted by one charter network alone, a move that stands to impact students and teachers, especially on the city’s north and northwest sides. (Seventy-five percent of the currently occupied traditional public schools slated for occupation are in School Districts 4 and 5, represented by the School Board’s two African American members.) We talk to the reporter about how school choice is shaping local educational options.

Guest:

• Megan Mallicoat, education reporter, Jacksonville Today.
  

Then, whether it's her work on NPR's lighter programs like It’s Been A Minute and Pop Culture Happy Hour, or her more serious duties as host of Weekend Edition Sunday and Up First, Ayesha Rascoe’s career mirrors the breadth of her reporting. Before and during her time at NPR, Rascoe covered energy policy during the Deepwater Horizon and Fukushima disasters and worked as a White House correspondent during three presidential administrations. More recently she edited a book of essays about the impact of historically Black colleges and universities called HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience. We talk to Rascoe about the business of reporting the news — and finding her voice.

Guest:

• Ayesha Rascoe, host of Weekend Edition Sunday and Up First on NPR.
  

And, from networking strategies to simulated board rooms, we’ll tell you about a program teaching adult success skills to tweeners. We talk to the organizers of the annual event about what it takes to stage the What A Leader Competition, and ask a previous winner what lessons remain after the victory.

Guests:

• Jason Peoples, executive director, Jacksonville Arts and Music School. 
• Roy Harvison, 2024 What a Leader Competition winner.
• Jessica Lumpkin, director of mental health outreach and engagement, Jacksonville Arts and Music School.
  

Plus, from his work as an oncologist to his career as an Air Force colonel, his evolution as an artist and his eventual emergence as a writer, the Jacksonville-based author of Portrait of a Kaleidoscope Life traces a path of creativity through a life of adventure. We ask him what makes a good life story.

Guests:

• Dr. Douglas Johnson, author, Portrait of a Kaleidoscope Life.