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S4 E2 Not Passengers. Crew
Guest: Belicia Reaves, Executive Director, Two Rivers Public Charter School (Washington, D.C.)
Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim Goenner
Guest Host: Don Cooper
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute | Sponsored by The Founders Library
In Episode 2, we move from theory to practice — exploring how the democratic purpose of education comes to life inside real schools.
Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, and guest host Don Cooper are joined by Belicia Reaves of Two Rivers Public Charter School, a community-rooted school designed around inquiry, diversity, and shared responsibility.
From preschoolers designing and building a bench for their school garden to middle school students leading service projects across their city, this conversation highlights how students learn democracy by practicing it — through real problems, real decisions, and real relationships.
Belicia shares how Two Rivers was founded to meet a deeper civic need: developing not just academic skills, but compassionate, responsible citizens. Through project-based learning, student-led conferences, and a strong culture of “crew, not passengers,” the school intentionally builds both individual agency and collective responsibility.
Together, the hosts reflect on a central tension in public education: how to balance family choice with shared norms, and how schools can serve as true civic infrastructure — preparing students not just for careers, but for participation in community and democracy.
As Belicia reminds us, when schools are designed with purpose, students don’t just learn about the world — they learn how to shape it.
Show Notes
• Theme: The Democratic Purposes of Public Education
• Reading: Rediscovering the Democratic Purposes of Education (Moe, Ch. 6)
• Guest host: Don Cooper
• Featured school: Two Rivers PCS (Washington, D.C.)
Host Framing Questions:
• What is most misunderstood about democracy’s role in education today?
• Are schools designed as democratic institutions—or delivery systems?
• What did chartering originally make possible around voice, pluralism, and participation?
• What tensions do schools avoid: choice vs. coherence, diversity vs. consistency?
• What would change if we truly designed schools for democratic purpose?
In Practice at Two Rivers:
• Inquiry-based, project-based learning
• Diverse, community-rooted design
• “Crew, not passengers” culture
• Students solving real problems (garden bench project)
• Middle school service learning grounded in civic engagement
• Student-led conferences and standards-based grading
Big Ideas:
• Democracy is learned through participation, not abstraction
• Schools can serve as civic infrastructure
• Balancing family choice with shared community values
• Preparing students to be active participants in society
#BoldByChoice
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By National Charter Schools InstituteGuest: Belicia Reaves, Executive Director, Two Rivers Public Charter School (Washington, D.C.)
Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim Goenner
Guest Host: Don Cooper
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute | Sponsored by The Founders Library
In Episode 2, we move from theory to practice — exploring how the democratic purpose of education comes to life inside real schools.
Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, and guest host Don Cooper are joined by Belicia Reaves of Two Rivers Public Charter School, a community-rooted school designed around inquiry, diversity, and shared responsibility.
From preschoolers designing and building a bench for their school garden to middle school students leading service projects across their city, this conversation highlights how students learn democracy by practicing it — through real problems, real decisions, and real relationships.
Belicia shares how Two Rivers was founded to meet a deeper civic need: developing not just academic skills, but compassionate, responsible citizens. Through project-based learning, student-led conferences, and a strong culture of “crew, not passengers,” the school intentionally builds both individual agency and collective responsibility.
Together, the hosts reflect on a central tension in public education: how to balance family choice with shared norms, and how schools can serve as true civic infrastructure — preparing students not just for careers, but for participation in community and democracy.
As Belicia reminds us, when schools are designed with purpose, students don’t just learn about the world — they learn how to shape it.
Show Notes
• Theme: The Democratic Purposes of Public Education
• Reading: Rediscovering the Democratic Purposes of Education (Moe, Ch. 6)
• Guest host: Don Cooper
• Featured school: Two Rivers PCS (Washington, D.C.)
Host Framing Questions:
• What is most misunderstood about democracy’s role in education today?
• Are schools designed as democratic institutions—or delivery systems?
• What did chartering originally make possible around voice, pluralism, and participation?
• What tensions do schools avoid: choice vs. coherence, diversity vs. consistency?
• What would change if we truly designed schools for democratic purpose?
In Practice at Two Rivers:
• Inquiry-based, project-based learning
• Diverse, community-rooted design
• “Crew, not passengers” culture
• Students solving real problems (garden bench project)
• Middle school service learning grounded in civic engagement
• Student-led conferences and standards-based grading
Big Ideas:
• Democracy is learned through participation, not abstraction
• Schools can serve as civic infrastructure
• Balancing family choice with shared community values
• Preparing students to be active participants in society
#BoldByChoice