Greetings, Charterfolk!
As we shared over the weekend, we are thrilled to be re-starting our CharterFolk X series alongside our friends at Larson Communications. CharterFolk X is intended to celebrate the extraordinary people who are the heart of the charter school movement. When we are in the thick of it, when our work is most taxing, it is even more important to celebrate those who inspire us all to keep going in support of the students and communities we are privileged to serve.
If you have ideas for people who should be added to the CharterFolk X pantheon, please email us!
Jennifer Goodman – No School is an Island: An Extraordinary Leader’s Journey to Charter School Advocacy
This week we are honored to profile the extraordinary efforts of Jennifer Goodman, the Superintendent of Odyssey Academy operating three schools in and around Galveston,Texas.
When Hurricane Ike hurtled towards Galveston, Texas in September 2008, Jennifer Goodman waited in dread. She had led Odyssey Academy as superintendent for less than three years, and she was starting to see remarkable progress. But the storm presented the greatest threat yet. Galveston, after all, is on an island—offering independence, to be sure, but also vulnerability.
Unfortunately, Jennifer’s greatest fears were realized. The storm was devastating. 74 people lost their lives. Nearly $30 billion in damage was experienced across the region. Odyssey Academy’s building was among those that were completely destroyed by flooding.
The community stepped up to keep the school going. Most notably, Moody Methodist Church offered a temporary facility until they could find a longer-term option.
That experience was transformative for Jennifer. She had previously kept her head down as a school leader, ignoring outside noise and staying focused on what was happening between Odyssey’s walls. But the hurricane showed her that schools exist within a larger context—and so part of her job as a leader was to engage with the structures and systems that affect her students. The English poet John Donne famously wrote “no man is an island.” Neither, Jennifer learned, is a school.
A Charter Leader by Accident
Jennifer knew from a young age that she wanted to work with kids. A native of Dickinson, Texas and a graduate of Dickinson ISD, she was deeply affected by the great teachers she had in school—and wanted to do her part to ensure that all students had adults in their life who loved them. She greatly enjoyed her time working with children as a lifeguard and tennis coach, and initially enrolled in college with the intention of becoming a pediatrician. Unfortunately, in her words, she “kept passing out” in her pre-med classes–and so pivoted to education.
After earning her degree at Texas A&M University, she began teaching middle school math in Clear Creek ISD. She loved working with her students and seeing them grow, and had no ambitions to become an administrator. But in 1999, her principal was offered an opportunity to lead a school at Alvin ISD, and begged Jennifer to come along as an assistant principal for instruction. Turns out she was a natural for leadership—just a few months later, she was promoted to associate principal.
After family matters required that she relocate to Austin, Jennifer spent several years consulting with schools. But in 2005, she received a call from Odyssey Academy asking her to step in as interim principal and superintendent. When the school mentioned they were a public charter school, she responded with a myth that is all too familiar for charter advocates: “A charter school? I don’t know if I want to work in a private school.”
Rising to the Challenge
Odyssey Academy was launched with an emphasis on STEM education. It was founded by Robert A. Mosbacher, the Secretary of Commerce under President George H.W. Bush. Its longtime Board President was George Abbey, who was the Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in nearby Houston. Students enjoy a diverse array of educational experiences, taking full advantage of the culturally rich area.
But when Jennifer stepped into the superintendent role, Odyssey was struggling. There were just 183 students, and the school culture was inconsistent. Yet she fell in love with the school and its community, along with the autonomy she had as a charter leader.
Things were looking up. But then came the hurricane, devastating the larger Galveston community along with her school.
That experience helped to propel her towards advocacy. She saw firsthand how policy, funding structures, and even zoning laws had very real effects on her students—and so to be the leader she wanted to be, she couldn’t stay on the sidelines. “Early in my career I felt like I couldn’t afford to give any time or other resources to advocacy,” she said. “But over the years, I’ve found that I can’t afford not to.”
An Award-Winning Advocate
She took as quickly to advocacy as she did to school administration. She became involved with the Texas Public Charter Schools Association, eventually joining the Board of Directors. In 2019, she was named as the TPCSA Leader of the Year.
In her mind, a key part of her success in advocacy is her ability to build relationships. Throughout her career, she’s built deep connections with educators and leaders from all sectors. As she sees it, everyone working to educate children—whether working in a charter or a traditional public school—is on the same team. She’s developed a reputation as a great educator who always does what’s best for kids, and that helps her to sidestep the vitriol that sometimes follows charter advocates.
One of her most prominent advocacy victories was her work in support of facilities funding for Texas charter schools. Prior to 2017, Texas charters didn’t receive a dime for facilities—an injustice that made it much harder for Odyssey to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ike. She had the opportunity to give testimony about that experience in front of the legislature—and ultimately Texas charters won facilities funding for the first time ever. While the fight for equitable charter funding is far from over, that victory was a critical starting point.
Jennifer’s leadership is driven by her commitment to service. She is focused on doing right by others, not glory or recognition. “At Odyssey, we have such amazing people,” she says. “From the students, to the parents, to the staff, to our Board, to our partners at TCSA and Region 4, we are truly blessed.”
This spring, Odyssey completed the development of its third campus.
The network will be serving 1,800 students from pre-K through 12th grade—a tenfold increase from when Jennifer started. Nearly all of Odyssey’s graduates meet Texas state standards for college, career, and military readiness. When she was hired, she was told she was only needed for a couple of months. She has now led the school for 21 years. Her remarkable success—both at her school and in advocacy—is a testament to the power of looking past the coast of your “island” to what lies beyond.