School: After Hours

School Boards! School boards are a major part of our national conversation right now but many people aren't even familiar with the kind of power, authority, and effect they have on school policies, budgets, student outcomes, and more. Today we're going to explore this together.

In this episode, AJ Crabill (School Board Coach) talks with us about the areas where school boards fall short and how they can improve to better serve their communities. He also talks about his new book, Great On Their Behalf: Why School Boards Fail, How Yours Can Become Effective”.

Guest Bio

Improving student outcomes is Airick Journey Crabill’s relentless focus. He currently serves as the Conservator at DeSoto, Texas, Independent School District. During his guidance, DeSoto made double-digit literacy gains and improved from having F ratings in areas of academics, finance, and governance to the district earning B ratings. He’s also Faculty at the Leadership Institution of Nevada; a Collaborator with the Effective School Boards Initiative; and a National Director of Governance at the Council of the Great City Schools in Washington, DC. He served as Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency, and he spearheaded reforms as board chair of Kansas City (MO) Public Schools that doubled the percentage of students who are literate and numerate and eventually led KCPS to full accreditation for the first time in decades. Crabill received the Education Commission of the State's James Bryant Conant Award, which recognizes extraordinary individual contributions to education.

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In this episode, we talk with grant collaborator Shavon Dotson about how to write a slam-dunk grant proposal. 

In this conversation, we talk about: 

• The importance of knowing the grant requirements before you apply
• Creating a realistic budget for program expenses (ie. professional development, curriculum, supplies, salaries, etc.) 
• The power of proofreading
• and so much more

Join the conversation and let us know what you think! Also, School: After Hours Podcast online shop opens TODAY! Click the link below to check out our store. All proceeds will go to supporting the show. 

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The Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School-Time (VPOST), is a statewide public-private partnership committed to developing and expanding academic, social, emotional, and physical supports and services to school-age children and youth in Virginia during out-of-school time hours.

In this episode, we talk with Christine Jones Monaccio, the Quality and Professional Development Coordinator of VPOST to discuss:

• Community involvement in advocating for OST programs needs
• The increase in OST program funding during the pandemic 
• VPOST teaming with community partners to extend reach
• The VPOST Annual Conference

Guest Bio

Christine Jones Monaccio is the Professional Development and Quality Coordinator for the Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time (VPOST). Her primary role is to support out-of-school time programs by providing them with professional development, quality support, and resources. Christine also assists with advocacy efforts and leads the network’s STEM initiative. Prior to her role at VPOST, Christine was an afterschool specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools. She began her career in community-based afterschool programs. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family.

Website

VPOST - www.v-post.org

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In this episode, we are shedding light on the wonderful impact mentoring programs have on our youth and our communities. In recognition of National Mentoring Month, I thought it would be great to have two young people share their experience with mentoring and how it has added to their lives.

Our two guests today are high school students from the Richmond area that participate in R.E.A.L Girlz (a character development and leadership program for young girls). Zahbella and La'Nae will share with us how real girls have nurtured their personal growth and how they will use their skills and life experiences to impact the next generation.

Guest(s) Bio

 La’Nae is a sophomore at Douglas Freeman High School. She participates in various groups like; the Black Student Union, Girl  Scouts, and R.E.A.L Girlz! She works on the farm part-time at CHAT. La'Nae enjoys spending time with family and friends. She also loves to dance and make Tik Toks as well as meet new people.

Zahbella is currently attending Midlothian High. During her free time, she loves to draw and paint. She also loves to write stories for school or just for fun. She truly enjoys being a part of the R.E.A.L Girlz Leadership program and looks forward to being a mentor.

Tammie has an undeniable passion for empowering women and youth. Over the past 13 years, she has empowered women through coaching, public speaking, and domestic violence peer counseling. She has facilitated hundreds of workshops on forming healthy relationships, conflict resolution, effective communication, teen dating violence, and sexual responsibility. Her workshops have been facilitated in women’s groups, public schools, and juvenile correctional facilities. 

In 2008, Tammie founded Mentor, Encourage, Lift and Love, Inc., a community-based organization providing life skills, educational workshops, and mentoring to teen parents. Between, 2008 and 2009 the organization hosted a diaper drive delivering over 4,000 diapers and baby wipes to a women’s transitional home. 

Tammie has been interviewed on several local radio stations and newspapers,  including Urban Views and Richmond Times Dispatch. In November 2008, she was interviewed as a Comcast Newsmaker for her work with teen parents.

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In this episode, I re-introduce myself to the audience and share how I got started in afterschool programming. Also, I talk about my new business and the podcast being featured at a major afterschool conference in 2023. 

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From camp counselor to founder, Dr. Sonia Toledo shares with us her career journey in afterschool programming and how she started her program, Dignity of Children. Join us as we talk about the impact of her program and how it's empowering youth to explore their entrepreneurial spirit and create positive change in their communities!
 
Guest Bio
Dr. Sonia Toledo is a writer, speaker, researcher, and social entrepreneur passionate about bringing positive change to education. She is the founder & CEO of Dignity of Children, a training and development organization that promotes 21st-century learning. She holds a Ph.D. in education (with a focus on global training & development) and has more than 25 years of experience working in the after-school field. Dr. Toledo is a creator of iDEAS Empowered by Youth, a revolutionary youth development program designed to teach young people social entrepreneurship.

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In this episode, we talk about the important aspects of partnership with Keyshawn Phelps and Tony Stanford from The Academy of Goal Achievers.  In our last conversation with the founder of  The Academy of Goal Achievers, Courtnie McIntosh, she mentioned expanding her program and helping more youth with career and college prep.  With much success, The Academy of Goal Achievers has developed new cohorts and we are talking with the gentlemen that were part of that expansion process.  

We discussed the importance of having aligned goals and values, dividing responsibilities based on the strongest skill set,  establishing culture and expectations with the new cohort, and much more.

To learn more, hit the play button and enjoy!

Related Episodes

Episode # 7: Achieving the Goal feat. Courtnie McIntosh

Guest(s) Bio

Keyshawn Phelps is a System Architect Engineer for a defense company in Melbourne, Florida. He graduated from Virginia State University earning a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering in 2019 and is actively pursuing a Master’s in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. 

He is highly respected amongst his peers as a role model, trailblazer, and community leader at work and in his local and childhood community.  Keyshawn desired to be a positive role model for his family by being a difference-maker.  To achieve his desired outcome, he realized that completing his education was essential as his mom taught him to focus on the bigger picture, and not to let their economic circumstances dictate his future.

Post-graduation, his self-determination and his passion for inspiring others in his community led him to create the organization “Just Want to Inspire Inc, a non-profit. Through this non-profit, Keyshawn influences underprivileged and disadvantaged youth within his community to pursue higher learning especially STEM.

Tony Stanford Jr., originally from Buffalo, NY has been a Charlotte, NC resident for 10 years where he is a now full-time entrepreneur which allows him to focus on his passion for helping people through real estate, youth development, and travel. In 2007, he graduated from Alabama A&M University with a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. 

Upon graduation, Tony joined Eaton Corporation in the operations leadership development program. While there he managed projects of increasing responsibility supporting a $3.1 billion organization composed of 28 plants worldwide in continuous improvement activities. He left Eaton for Communications Test Design Inc (CTDI) where he served as the Quality & Safety Manager.

In 2019, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Entrepreneurship at North Carolina State University. A lifelong community servant Tony is always seeking out ways to give back and is involved with a host of organizations including Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., National Society of Black Engineers, First Book, and The Academy of Goal Achievers.

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In this episode returning guests, Curtis and Yolanda Hall, talk to families about using different parenting styles to guide their pre-teens through their teenage years.  

We talked about:

• Identifying your parenting style through experience and observation
• Creating a safe space for the child(ren) to talk about their feelings
• The power of transparency
• Consequences vs Punishment
• and so much more

Tune in to the conversation and let us know what you think. Leave us a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser.  

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In this episode, Nathan talks with us about his career path in Out-of-School-Time programming and how he was introduced to social emotional learning (SEL) and restorative justice. We also discuss:

• the importance of building relationships with students to impact program culture
• how to use SEL and restorative justice practices in your life to model for your students
• how he came up with the idea for #iAmImpact
• what healing circles are and the affect they've had on people in his training
• and  so much more

Guest Bio

Nathan is the Founder of #iAmImpact as well as the Director of Youth Development in charge of  training and Program Engagement for Mentor CA. Nathan loves facilitating workshops to help  individuals become better and believes in the power of connectedness.  

Gallup Strengths are: 

Connectedness/Context/Strategic/Ideation Adaptability.  

Nathan holds over 20 years of experience with Expanded Learning Programs that serves diverse  communities in the Sacramento and California. Nathan possesses over 5 years of experience as  previous Director of Professional Development at the Center for Fathers and Families. In  addition, he worked on numerous committees with the California Afterschool Network and  California Department of Education Expanded Learning Division to increase the quality of youth  programs. He has conducted trainings and multiple workshops and seminars that have focused on teaching Expanded Learning Program Quality Standards, Restorative Justice, Social Emotional  Learning (SEL) and the After-School Education & Safety (ASES) grant compliance to various  organizations throughout California. 

“As a former Site Coordinator, I recognize the profound impact that after school programs had in  on my life. I attribute much of my success to afterschool programs and staff. It is now my  personal mission to bring positivity and optimism to all of my work spaces.  As much as it's about me, it's not about me"– Nathan Houston 

Visit www.Nathanhouston.com for more information

We want to hear from you! Leave us a message at [email protected] and let us know a)what you think of the show, b) what topics you want to us to discuss. Also, follow us on our social media platforms below to keep up with the show. 

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Building relationships in a school setting can be tough after dealing with the side effects of the pandemic.  A lot of protocols have changed in the school system.  Therefore, afterschool leaders and staff have to learn how to operate in this new environment.  To help with this process of restoring program culture and building relationships within the school building: we brought educator, afterschool program consultant, and advocate, Cornelia Calliste Cooper, to the show. 

In this episode we’ll talk about:

• The importance of being visible and available during the school day
• Knowing your role as a site coordinate/director and how it plays into the school's success plan
• Blending afterschool culture with the school’s core principles 
• And much more

Guest Bio

For over fifteen years, Cornelia Calliste Cooper has experience working in the Baltimore City Public School System and the charitable non-profit sector. Cornelia has uniquely developed and implemented innovative programming consistent with best practices in socio-emotional learning for out-of-school time programs for youth. She earned her M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Walden University and a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from Towson University.

Cornelia is a wife and a proud mother of an inquisitive toddler, who enjoys hiking with her family, word puzzles, sports, and earning her green thumb in her spare time. With a combined interest in education, advocacy, and social change, she continues to travel the country inspiring leaders to aid in the mission of closing the achievement gap.

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