Bold By Choice Podcast

What if adolescence wasn’t just about preparing for the future—but contributing to the present?
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, joined by guest host Don Cooper, explore what happens when schools trust young people with real responsibility. They’re joined by Dan Porter, an experienced educator and leader at Kwiyagat Community Academy, alongside student Naomi Cowboy.
Rooted in partnership with the local Ute community, Kwiyagat was created to address a critical need: a school where Indigenous students are seen, supported, and connected to their culture. Through language, storytelling, and community-based learning, students are not only building academic skills—they’re developing identity, confidence, and voice.
From capstone projects tackling real community issues to students learning directly from elders, this episode highlights a powerful shift: when students are treated as contributors, not just learners, education becomes deeply meaningful.
Show Notes
Guests:
Dan Porter, Leader, Kwiyagat Community Academy
Naomi Cowboy, Student, Kwiyagat Community Academy
Hosts:
Vashaunta Harris
Jim Goenner
Guest Host: Don Cooper
In This Episode:
Rethinking adolescence: from compliance to contribution
The founding of Kwiyagat Community Academy and its community roots
Revitalizing Ute language and culture through education
Student capstone projects and real-world problem solving
The role of elders, storytelling, and identity in learning
Measuring success beyond academics: belonging, voice, and resilience
Key Takeaway:When students are grounded in culture, trusted with responsibility, and given a voice, they don’t just prepare for the future—they help shape it.

What if teachers didn’t just work in schools—but helped lead them?
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, joined by guest host Don Cooper, sit down with Amy Junge (Education Evolving) and Dr. Julie Cook (Teacher Powered Schools Network) to explore a growing movement redefining the teaching profession.
Across more than 300 schools nationwide, teacher-powered models are shifting decision-making from top-down systems to collaborative teams of educators. From hiring and budgeting to curriculum and culture, teachers are not just implementing decisions—they’re making them.
Julie brings this model to life through her experience at Souderton Charter School Collaborative, where co-teaching, shared leadership, and collective responsibility create a dynamic, student-centered environment.
The result? Stronger teacher retention, deeper professional ownership, and learning experiences that better meet students’ needs.
This episode challenges a core assumption in education—and offers a powerful alternative: when teachers are trusted as professionals, schools—and students—thrive.
Show Notes
Guests:
Amy Junge, Senior Director, Teacher Powered Schools (Education Evolving)
Dr. Julie Cook, Teacher Leader, Souderton Charter School Collaborative
In This Episode:
What “teacher-powered” schools really are
How shared leadership changes school culture
The shift from compliance to professional ownership
Co-teaching, collaboration, and distributed decision-making
Why teacher retention improves in this model
What this means for the future of school design
Key Takeaway:When teachers have the authority to lead—not just implement—schools become more responsive, collaborative, and effective for students.

In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Jim Goenner, Ph.D., Vashaunta Harris, and Don Cooper from the National Charter Schools Institute explore what it means to design a school around community, purpose, and the whole child.
Joined by Alastair Pullen, Executive Director of Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, the conversation brings educational pluralism to life—showing how public education can reflect the unique values and needs of the communities it serves. What began as a parent-driven vision in Grant Park has grown into a thriving, community-rooted school where learning extends far beyond the classroom.
At ANCS, students engage in constructivist, experiential learning—from cultivating food on a school farm to designing real-world projects tied to their interests. The result? Students who don’t just attend school—they want to be there. As one student put it: “I get to go to school.”
Through this conversation, the Institute team highlights a powerful idea: when schools are intentionally designed around relationships, collaboration, and student identity, motivation isn’t forced—it emerges.
Episode Highlights
Educational pluralism and why public education shouldn’t look the same everywhere
The origin story of a parent-founded, community-driven school
How constructivist and experiential learning shapes student engagement
Why culture is built through relationships, morning meetings, and advisory systems
The impact of collaborative teaching teams and high retention
What it means when students say, “I get to go to school”

Season 4 continues with Episode 4: “Personalized, Not Programmed”, a conversation about what happens when schools stop acknowledging student differences and start designing around them. Hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, joined by guest host Don Cooper, ground the episode in Ted Kolderie’s argument that student motivation rises when personalization becomes structural, not aspirational.
From there, we travel to Learning Community Charter School (Jersey City, NJ) with Dr. Colin Hogan, Pavit Thakkar (8th grade), and Mrs. Thakkar (parent). Hear the “before/after” moment: a bold acceleration decision—supported by a trial period, mentoring, and family partnership—designed to increase challenge without sacrificing belonging.
In the reflective synthesis, Don connects the story back to the charter idea: autonomy used not for novelty, but to build civic infrastructure—schools that create the conditions where excellence and human flourishing can thrive. Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute | Sponsored by The Founders Library. 
Show notes
Featured school: Learning Community Charter School (Jersey City, NJ)—a diverse, community-rooted model approaching its 30th anniversary (2027). 
Guests: Dr. Colin Hogan (Head of School), Pavit Thakkar (8th grade student), Mrs. Thakkar (parent partner).
Season frame: Season 4 asks what the charter idea still makes possible—pluralism, innovation, democratic purpose, and intentional design tradeoffs.
Reading anchor: Kolderie, Split Screen — “Above All, Try Personalized Learning to Maximize Student Motivation.” 
Classroom story hook: Pavit’s acceleration experience (4th → 6th) reveals personalization as a careful, supported system—not a one-off decision.
Design tradeoff explored: increasing academic challenge while protecting social belonging (trial period, peer mentor pairing, counselor supports, and ongoing feedback loops).
Personalization structures: learning lab supports, flexible acceleration, teacher collaboration, and mechanisms that respond to students in real time—so motivation can emerge rather than be manufactured.
Reflective synthesis: Don and Jim zoom out to the civic purpose of autonomy—structure matters, design matters, freedom matters—when schools are built around learners instead of forcing learners to conform.

Guest: Michelle Trojan, Principal, Intrinsic Schools (Chicago, IL)Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim GoennerGuest Host: Don CooperPowered by the National Charter Schools Institute | Sponsored by The Founders Library
What does innovation in education really mean?
In Episode 3, the conversation challenges a common assumption: innovation isn’t always about inventing something entirely new — it’s often about trying, improving, and adapting what works.
Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, and guest host Don Cooper explore key ideas from this week’s readings, including the tension between uniformity and pluralism and the role of innovation happening closest to students — in classrooms, not policy.
Then, they turn to practice.
Joined by Michelle Trojan of Intrinsic Schools in Chicago, the episode highlights a school where innovation is not a program — it’s a mindset. From its Montessori-inspired design to its team-teaching “pod” model and flexible use of time, Intrinsic continuously evolves to meet student needs.
Students take ownership of their learning through structures like C Day, where they choose academic support, enrichment, and leadership opportunities based on real-time data and personal goals. The school also expands what success looks like — connecting students to careers, trades, college pathways, and real-world experiences.
Michelle’s story brings it full circle: leading a school in the same neighborhood where her own family once struggled to find the right educational fit — now creating access and opportunity for the next generation.
As Don reflects, Intrinsic embodies a core truth: innovation happens closest to the problem — and closest to students.
Show Notes
• Theme: Innovation as Iteration — Trying, Improving, Adapting• Readings:
Kolderie: Innovation is Schools and Teachers Trying New Things
Berner: Uniformity vs. Pluralism
• Guest host: Don Cooper• Featured school: Intrinsic Schools (Chicago, IL)
Key Model Elements:• Team-teaching “pod” structure (gen ed + special ed collaboration)• Montessori-inspired design adapted for secondary students• Flexible learning spaces and real-time data use• Weekly “C Day” for student choice, support, and enrichment
Student Experience:• Ownership of learning through goal-setting and choice• Exposure to careers, trades, and postsecondary pathways• Networking nights, career shadowing, and partnerships• $1.5M annual scholarship support + alumni coaching
Big Ideas:• Innovation is continuous improvement, not one-time change• Pluralism allows schools to reflect different student needs and communities• Structure — not just choice — shapes what’s possible in education• Schools should prepare students to be confident, capable contributors to society
#BoldByChoice

Guest: Belicia Reaves, Executive Director, Two Rivers Public Charter School (Washington, D.C.)Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim GoennerGuest Host: Don CooperPowered 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

Featuring: Brett Peterson, Director at High Tech High Mesa (San Diego, CA)Student Guest: Isabella Coralez, Junior at High Tech HighHosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim GoennerGuest Host: Don CooperPowered by the National Charter Schools Institute | Sponsored by The Founders Library
Season 4 of Bold by Choice begins with a new lens. Rather than focusing only on individual schools, this season explores the ideas behind the charter movement — the thinking that makes new and different kinds of public schools possible.
The charter idea was never meant to create a separate sector of education. It was intended to introduce pluralism, innovation, and new possibilities within public education, allowing educators and communities to design schools around how students actually learn.
In this opening episode, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner are joined by guest host Don Cooper to frame the season’s central question: What does the charter idea make possible today? Drawing on foundational readings including Reinventing America’s Schools and other core texts shaping the season, the hosts explore how chartering emerged as a movement to rethink the structure and purpose of public education.
To bring those ideas to life, the conversation turns to High Tech High in San Diego, one of the country’s most influential project-based public charter schools.
Director Brett Peterson reflects on the founding purpose of High Tech High — responding to concerns that students were graduating without the skills, confidence, and real-world experience needed for the modern world. High Tech High responded with bold design choices: integrated courses, project-based learning, exhibitions of student work, and strong relationships between teachers and students.
Junior Isabella Coralez shares the student perspective, describing how internships, projects, and integrated coursework connect learning to the real world and help students see themselves as creators, problem-solvers, and contributors.
Together, the hosts and guests explore the tradeoffs behind intentional school design — including High Tech High’s choice to prioritize project-based learning and authentic demonstrations of learning rather than traditional structures like AP course tracks.
The episode closes with a reflective conversation about what High Tech High reveals about the charter idea itself: that the true promise of chartering lies in creating space for educators to design schools differently while remaining accountable to students, families, and communities.
Season 4 invites listeners to think deeply about the future of public education — not by searching for a single model to replicate, but by exploring the ideas that make meaningful innovation possible.
Show Notes
• Season Theme: The Charter Idea Today — What’s Possible• Chartering as a movement for educational pluralism, not simply a sector of schools• Core reading: Reinventing America’s Schools by David Osborne• Guest host: Don Cooper• Featured school: High Tech High — San Diego, California• Key design elements:
Project-based learning
Integrated coursework
Small schools and teaching teams
No academic tracking
Student exhibitions and real-world projects• Student voice: learning connected to community, internships, and authentic problem-solving• Tradeoffs in school design and why intentional choices matter• Season 4 explores pluralism, innovation, student agency, and the evolving charter idea
#BoldByChoice

Guest: Christie Huck, CEO, City Garden Montessori School (St. Louis, MO)Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim GoennerPowered by the National Charter Schools Institute
In this episode of Bold by Choice, we travel to St. Louis to spotlight City Garden Montessori School — a public charter school built on the belief that Montessori education should be accessible to every child.
CEO Christie Huck shares the story of how City Garden began — not as an education reform initiative, but as a group of parents asking a powerful question: What kind of school do our children and our city truly deserve? What began with living-room conversations and a tiny preschool eventually grew into a public charter school serving more than 600 students across early childhood, elementary, and adolescent programs.
Grounded in the Montessori philosophy, City Garden creates prepared environments where students build independence, responsibility, and a deep love of learning. In classrooms filled with hands-on materials, collaboration, and student ownership, children learn not just academics — but how to care for their community and for one another.
City Garden reminds us that when schools trust children’s curiosity and design learning environments around their humanity, extraordinary things can happen.
Stay Bold by Choice.
Show Notes
• Season 3 Partner: Diverse Charter Schools Coalition• City Garden Montessori School — St. Louis, Missouri• Montessori philosophy: autonomy, independence, and individualized learning• Prepared environments designed for beauty, order, and student ownership• Public charter model expanding Montessori access to diverse families• Grew from 53 students in 2008 to more than 600 students today• Teachers undergo rigorous Montessori certification and training• Students stay in multi-year classroom communities, strengthening relationships• Student lesson of the year: children show profound compassion and care for one another in times of hardship
#SchoolBrag

Guest: Rachelle Martinez, Operational Leader, Odyssey Charter Schools (Altadena, CA)Host: Vashaunta HarrisPowered by the National Charter Schools Institute
In this episode of Bold by Choice, we head to Altadena, California, to spotlight Odyssey Charter Schools — a community built around active learning, strong relationships, and a workshop model designed for how students actually learn.
This season, in partnership with the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, we’re highlighting intentionally designed public schools across the country. Odyssey lives deeply into that promise — centering student voice, social-emotional well-being, and academic rigor in equal measure.
Operational leader Rachelle Martinez shares how behind-the-scenes leadership shapes students’ daily experience — from navigating renewal years ago to leading through COVID and the devastating Eaton fire. Through it all, Odyssey remained focused on what mattered most: creating safe, responsive spaces where students feel known and supported.
We explore the school’s workshop model, restorative practices like the Peace Path, and beloved traditions like Stone Soup Day — all grounded in community, collaboration, and resilience.
Odyssey reminds us that great schools aren’t accidental. They are built — and rebuilt — on purpose.
Stay Bold by Choice.
Show Notes
• Season 3 Partner: Diverse Charter Schools Coalition• Odyssey was founded in 1999 to challenge one-size-fits-all instruction• Workshop model: mini-lessons + collaborative learning + “organized chaos”• Responsive Classroom & restorative practices embedded from TK• Peace Path conflict resolution system across campus• Stone Soup Day community tradition rooted in collective responsibility• Led through COVID and the Eaton fire with a focus on safety and belonging• Operational leadership as a driver of student experience• Student lesson of the year: resilience, flexibility, and hope
#SchoolBrag

Guest: Tresha Ward, CEO, Prospect Schools (Brooklyn, NY)Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Jim GoennerPowered by the National Charter Schools Institute
In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, we travel to Brooklyn to spotlight Prospect Schools — one of New York City’s first intentionally integrated charter school networks, grounded in the International Baccalaureate framework and designed around inquiry, identity, and belonging.
This season, in partnership with the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, we’re highlighting schools that are intentionally diverse by design — and Prospect lives that commitment every day.
CEO Tresha Ward shares how her journey as the daughter of West Indian immigrants and a first-generation college student shaped her leadership and her commitment to ensuring students are not just college-ready, but life-ready. From shadowing students each year to building systems where every child is known by at least one adult, Tresha unpacks how intentional diversity and inquiry-driven learning prepare students to thrive in complex, global spaces.
Prospect reminds us that excellence and belonging aren’t opposites — they’re partners.
Stay Bold by Choice.
Show Notes
• Season 3 Partner: Diverse Charter Schools Coalition• Prospect Schools is one of NYC’s first intentionally integrated charter networks• Grounded in the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework• Students engage in interdisciplinary, inquiry-based learning• CEO shadows students annually to lead through a student lens• Strong adult culture with 80%+ staff retention• Expanding focus on life-ready skills: digital literacy, financial literacy, college persistence & career preparation• Alumni partnerships supporting students beyond high school graduation
#SchoolBrag