SHOW NOTES
GUEST
Episode Guest:
Websites:
EPISODE SUMMARY
Lana Ewing, Executive Director of the Maine Charter Commission, discusses the landscape of charter schools in Maine and the role of the authorizer. She shares her transition from being a school operator to an authorizer and highlights the importance of transparency and communication between schools and authorizers. Lana emphasizes the need for authorizers to provide support while maintaining accountability. She also provides resources for schools and authorizers and invites individuals to consider opening a charter school in Maine.
EPISODE TAKEAWAYS
RESOURCES
National Charter School Institute: https://nationalcharterschools.org/
National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA): https://qualitycharters.org/
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Overview of Charter Schools in Maine
04:28 Role of the Maine Charter Commission
05:37 Transition from School Operator to Authorizer
07:25 Relationship between Schools and Authorizers
10:30 Different Perspectives on the Role of Authorizers
13:09 Responsibilities of an Authorizer
21:30 Supporting Schools as an Authorizer
25:42 Recommendations for School Leaders in Working with Authorizers
28:31 Resources for Authorizers and Schools
30:37 Opportunities in Charter Schools in Maine
ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Lana joined the Maine Charter Commission in January 2022, where she serves as Executive Director. Before joining the Commission, Lana was the Chief Academic Officer at Excel Academy Charter Schools, a high-performing charter network in East Boston, Chelsea and Providence. Prior to joining Excel, Lana was the founding principal of UP Academy Dorchester, a turnaround charter school in Boston, where she continues to serve on the board. Before UP, Lana served as the Managing Director of The Achievement Network. Lana was an elementary school teacher at Edward Brooke Charter School, teaching 1st and 2nd grades. She began her career teaching 2nd and 3rd grades in NYC as a 2003 member of Teach for America. Lana holds degrees from Connecticut College and Fordham University.
ABOUT OUR HOST
Daniel Casselli is a life-long learner whose passion for education has driven his professional endeavors. He is a former classroom teacher and youth ministry director whose entrepreneurial spirit landed him in the world of education technology. At EVERFI Inc., Daniel helped run the business development efforts for EVERFI’s Financial Education Program and the company was eventually sold to Blackbaud for $750M in 2021. Shortly before EVERFI’s acquisition, Daniel joined Class Technologies as one of the earliest sales hires and went on to lead K12 Enterprise Sales and helped the company land its first 100+ K12 customers across public, charter, and private schools. Daniel brings his unique experiences to BuyQ where he is focused on growth, operational excellence, business strategy, and client satisfaction. He is a graduate of Grove City College where he studied Religion and History.
You can listen to Charter School Insider: Lessons from the Nation's Top Charter School Operators on your favorite podcasting platform...