CharterFolk X

Today, we are excited to profile the extraordinary Jazmine Allen, Principal and Superintendent, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy.  Jazmine Allen didn’t originally plan to devote her career to education.  Today, she is the Principal and Superintendent of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, which was founded in 2011 by Detroit-native and former NBA/University of Michigan basketball legend Jalen Rose.   JRLA is a tuition-free, open-enrollment public

Today, we are excited to profile the extraordinary Lagra Newman, Founder and Head of School, Purpose Preparatory Academy.  For Purpose Preparatory Academy, this spring marks a full-circle moment more than a decade in the making. Unanimously authorized by the Metropolitan Board of Education, the school opened its doors to an inaugural class of 90 Kindergarteners in fall 2013. Those scholars are

We are honored to share the story of the extraordinary Nicole Goodman, Superintendent of Scuola Vita Nuova Charter School. Nicole Goodman knew she wanted to teach since second grade. As a child in Davenport, Iowa, she spent summers climbing into dumpsters behind local schools, pulling out discarded workbooks, teacher editions, and half-used supplies. She stacked

Today, we are thrilled to profile the extraordinary Sanjay Mitchell, Executive Director, César Chávez Public Charter School  Sanjay Mitchell believes that any type of student can be successful in a charter school environment.  “There is no prototype,” Sanjay said. “This is a model that centers student voices and allows them to have more agency over their learning experiences and the type of

Today, we are honored to share the extraordinary story of Dr. Sundai Riggins, Head of School at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.  Originally from New York City, Dr. Sundai Riggins began college with dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. She earned degrees in English and journalism from the University of Maryland, imagining a future behind a microphone. Instead, she now jokes about using that “broadcast voice”

Today, we are excited to spotlight the extraordinary charter school leader Matt Tyson, CEO of Tapestry Public Charter School. Matt Tyson never quite fit neatly into the education system. As the oldest of four neurodiverse boys, he witnessed how inconsistent education could be. His father worked for the Boy Scouts, a role that required constant relocation.

Today, we are honored to share the story of Rhonda Baldenegro, Executive Director at Gabriella Charter Schools. Rhonda Baldenegro stepped into her role as Executive Director at Gabriella Charter Schools following the retirement of founder Liza Bercovici, previously profiled on CharterFolk. Her appointment marks the culmination of a long-standing passion for community engagement and the arts. “I

Today, we are thrilled to profile the extraordinary Mary Cox, Superintendent, CORE Butte Charter School in Chico, California. A third-generation teacher, Mary Cox grew up in a family where classrooms felt like a second home. From an early age, she knew teaching was her calling.  “When I was in kindergarten, and they ask you what you want to be when

Today, we are honoring the extraordinary Brian Diamante, senior director of data and research for the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association.   This is our second of a new type of CharterFolk X story—where we honor those “unsung heroes” who have made big impacts on the charter school movement. If you have someone you think we should write about, please

Today, we are thrilled to honor the extraordinary Bette Morff, who spent over 50 years working in education, including as federal programs director for the Missouri Charter Public School Association.   This is our first of a new type of CharterFolk X story—where we honor those “unsung heroes” who have made big impacts on the charter school movement. If you have someone you think we should write about, please reach out to