24 episodes

The CharterNation Podcast is a monthly podcast produced by the California Charter School Association. Episodes feature our Changemakers interview series in which CCSA's President & CEO Myrna Castrejón interviews influential charter public school leaders and allies on high-priority topics in K-12 education. Hosted by Ana Tintocalis, a former K-12 education journalist, the CharterNation Podcast also features news/analysis, perspectives and uplifting charter school stories in the Golden State. The CharterNation Podcast is the only podcast dedicated California charter school movement!

CharterNation Podcast California Charter Schools Association

    • Education
    • 5.0 • 2 Ratings

The CharterNation Podcast is a monthly podcast produced by the California Charter School Association. Episodes feature our Changemakers interview series in which CCSA's President & CEO Myrna Castrejón interviews influential charter public school leaders and allies on high-priority topics in K-12 education. Hosted by Ana Tintocalis, a former K-12 education journalist, the CharterNation Podcast also features news/analysis, perspectives and uplifting charter school stories in the Golden State. The CharterNation Podcast is the only podcast dedicated California charter school movement!

    S3 Ep1: Black History Month Special: Changemaker Maya Woods-Cadiz; An Affirming School Culture at Learning By Design; The Living Legacy of Julia Lee

    S3 Ep1: Black History Month Special: Changemaker Maya Woods-Cadiz; An Affirming School Culture at Learning By Design; The Living Legacy of Julia Lee

    CCSA's CharterNation Podcast is back with Season 3 in 2024!

    In February, we bring you a special Black History Month episode featuring perspectives of dynamic Black charter school leaders in California.

    Changemakers: CCSA President and CEO Myrna Castrejón interviews Maya Woods-Cadiz, Superintendent of AIMS K-12 College Prep Charter District in Oakland. She became leader of AIMS-K12 about a decade ago and is credited with turning around that charter school. Under her leadership, AIMS now has three campuses – a elementary, middle, and high school – all of which consistently earns top honors for advancing the academic performance of its Black students.

    An Affirming School Culture for Black Students: CCSA Director of Local Advocacy Los Angeles David Ritcherson interviews Charla Austin-Harris, the Founder and Executive Director of Learning by Design. LBD is a charter public school that’s bringing a student-centered learning approach to families of color in South Los Angeles. She talks about the importance of cultivating a school environment in which Black students can thrive.

    Postcards from Charterland: For Season 3, we’re rolling out a new segment called Postcards from Charterland, short audio stories set to music featuring the voices of charter school students, parents, teachers and leaders across the state.

    Our first “postcard” comes from Tanya Lee-Taylor, Founder and CEO of Julia Lee Performing Arts Academy, a TK-8th grade charter that’s growing artistically-minded scholars in Riverside County.  The theme of national Black History Month this year is African Americans and the Arts. Tanya says that theme hits close to home because the inspiration behind her school is her great aunt, Julia Lee, a Kansas City Blues legend. 

    • 42 min
    S2 Ep10: Changemakers feat. Marcos Aguilar, Anawakalmekak; Spreading the Joy of Tiny Houses; Learn4Life's Skip Hansen on Personalized Learning

    S2 Ep10: Changemakers feat. Marcos Aguilar, Anawakalmekak; Spreading the Joy of Tiny Houses; Learn4Life's Skip Hansen on Personalized Learning

    Episode 10:

    Changemakers: To cap CCSA's observance of Native American Heritage Month, we’re bringing back a special Changemakers interview from Season 1 in which CCSA’s President and CEO Myrna Castrejon sits down with Marcos Aguilar, Head of School at Anawakalmekak International University Preparatory of North America. Anawakalmekak is a charter public school with three campuses in East Los Angeles. It’s one of the most unique charter schools because it focuses on indigenous cultures, histories, and native ways of knowing. Anawakalmekak also partners with local tribes on social justice issues such as land rights. 
    Spreading the Joy of Tiny Houses: During the holidays, we often pause to reflect on what we’re grateful for, like having a place to call home. But owning a home is still out of reach for most individuals and families living in California. One charter public school helping alleviate the problem at a local level is The Learning Choice Academy (TLC), a public hybrid charter school in San Diego County. For the past four years, high school students enrolled in the school’s career tech program have been building and selling “tiny homes” as part of its “Tiny House Project.”

    My View From Here (audio commentary): Learn4Life is one of the most prominent charter public school networks in California that specializes in personalized learning. Its mission is to curb the state’s high school dropout rate by offering some of the most vulnerable students another chance to earn their diploma through a flexible, independent study option. In this “My View From Here” audio commentary, we hear from Skip Hansen, Co-Founder and President of Lifelong Learning, a nonprofit which manages the Learn 4 Life charter public school network. He says personalized learning is critical in K-12 public education because its transforming the lives of countless students who have given up hope. 

    • 24 min
    S2 Ep9: Changemakers feat. Brian Bauer, Granada Hills Charter; Charter School Facilities; Hispanic Heritage Month Student Profile

    S2 Ep9: Changemakers feat. Brian Bauer, Granada Hills Charter; Charter School Facilities; Hispanic Heritage Month Student Profile

    Episode 9:

    Changemakers: CCSA's President & CEO Myrna Castrejón interviews Brian Bauer, CEO and Superintendent of Granada Hills Charter, a TK-12th grade charter public school that gained its independence 20 years ago and grew to be an academic and athletic powerhouse. Gain insight as he reflects on how his school broke away from district control to become a charter. 
    Charter School Facilities: Finding a permanent school facility is the dream of many charter school leaders in California. But the lack of affordable real estate, the lack of space in big cities, and certain school authorizers can make finding a site extremely difficult. Pacific Charter School Development is a real estate development firm that's helping solve that problem. Tune in to hear PCSD's CEO John Sun offer his expertise.  

    Building a "Zoo School": Former NFL player Robert Golden is tackling his biggest challenge yet -- building a new state-of-the-art facility for Golden Charter Academy, his TK-8th grade charter school that has unique partnership with the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

    Hispanic Heritage Month: We honor Hispanic Heritage Month by bringing you the story of Angelica Sandez, a Latina charter school student in Fresno who’s  determined to be a NASA engineer.

    • 36 min
    S2 Ep8: Best of CharterNation Podcast feat. Antonio Villaraigosa, Nina Rees & Dr. Cristina de Jesus

    S2 Ep8: Best of CharterNation Podcast feat. Antonio Villaraigosa, Nina Rees & Dr. Cristina de Jesus

    The 2022-23 academic year has officially come to a close in California. We reflect on the past year by bringing back three of the most popular Changemaker interviews on the CharterNation Podcast featuring:  


    Dr. Cristina de Jesus, president and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools CA.Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles and charter school allyNina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter SchoolsJoin Myrna Castrejón, President and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association, as she interviews these three influential leaders who have helped or are helping grow high-quality charter public schools options in the Golden State. 

    • 31 min
    S2 Ep7 Changemakers feat. Dr. Ana Ponce, GPSN; The Face of Charter School Teachers Report; Dr. Steve Olmos, Visions In Education

    S2 Ep7 Changemakers feat. Dr. Ana Ponce, GPSN; The Face of Charter School Teachers Report; Dr. Steve Olmos, Visions In Education

    Episode 7: 
    Changemakers: CCSA's President & CEO Myrna Castrejón interviews Ana Ponce, Executive Director of GPSN, a nonprofit intermediary organization working to improve the public school system in Los Angeles. She discusses the importance of measuring the effectiveness of programs in LAUSD, engaging students outside the school day, and how families and community members need to continue pushing for changes.

    Research Spotlight: CCSA's new report, The Face of California's Charter Public School Teachers, offers the first comprehensive look at the charter educator workforce in California in recent history. We highlight the findings and hear from two veteran charter school teachers who offer insight as to why teachers are attracted to and remain working at charter public schools.

    My View From Here (Audio Commentary): As they school year comes to an end, Dr. Steve Olmos, the Superintendent of Visions In Education, share his thoughts on why school leaders need to be honest with themselves about what's working for their students, and what needs to change. 

    • 37 min
    S2 Ep6: What is Personalized Learning? Changemakers feat. Cameron Curry, The Classical Academies

    S2 Ep6: What is Personalized Learning? Changemakers feat. Cameron Curry, The Classical Academies

    What is Personalized Learning? 

    It can mean different things to different people within the charter public school movement. In this episode, we get a better understanding of personalized learning through the perspectives of three people at three different kind of personalized learning schools: 


    Cameron Curry, CEO, The Classical Academies (San Diego) Anthony Durham, parent leader, Summit Public Schools Tamalpais (Richmond)Neil McCurdy, The School of Entrepreneurship and Technology (San Diego)  

    • 29 min

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