6 min read
SHOW NOTES
GUEST INFO
Episode Guest:
Maryann Li, CEO at Ascend Public Charter Schools
Website:
https://www.ascendlearning.org/
EPISODE INTRODUCTION
What does it actually take to move a charter school network from incremental progress to transformational results — in a single year? That is the question at the center of this conversation, and Maryann Li, CEO of Ascend Public Charter Schools, has a compelling answer.
On this episode of The Charter School Insider Podcast, host Daniel Casselli, President at BuyQ, sits down with Maryann to unpack how Ascend achieved historic academic highs across its 17 Brooklyn K–12 schools — 71% ELA proficiency, 72% in math, and 62% in science, outperforming both New York City and New York State public school averages by 17 points, and surpassing local charter benchmarks across the board. That represents a more than 20% increase from the prior year. And Ascend is on pace to do more this year.
But this conversation is not just about the numbers. It is about the leadership philosophy, cultural transformation, and operational systems behind those results. Maryann walks through the three-pillar framework — Mindset, Talent, and Execution — that has driven Ascend's transformation, and challenges a deeply embedded assumption in the charter sector: that incremental progress is either safe or sufficient. For charter school CEOs, COOs, and operations leaders looking for a practical and transferable roadmap, this episode delivers.
EPISODE SUMMARY
Ascend Public Charter Schools achieved more than 20% academic growth in a single year across 17 Brooklyn K–12 campuses — and CEO Maryann Li credits three interconnected pillars: shifting organizational mindsets about what students can achieve, investing strategically in talent at every level, and building execution systems that enable rapid, data-driven intervention. Maryann challenges the assumption that incremental improvement is either realistic or responsible, arguing that a few bold decisions executed relentlessly — not a hundred disconnected tweaks — are what drive transformational outcomes. This episode is especially relevant for charter school CEOs, COOs, network leaders, and operations teams ready to move from incremental progress to step-change performance.
EPISODE TAKEAWAYS
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Transformational outcomes are the result of a few bold decisions executed relentlessly — not a hundred disconnected tweaks.
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Culture is defined by what leaders tolerate, not what they aspire to. Explicit belief systems — anchored in what all students can achieve and what all adults are responsible for — must be reinforced consistently.
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Schools are human-powered organizations. Talent is the most important resource, and defining who you want to attract, how you develop them, and how you retain them is a strategic imperative.
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Real-time leading indicators beat lagging data. Moving from benchmark-cycle reviews to 48-hour intervention cycles gives leaders the ability to support schools before gaps compound.
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Performance and staff engagement are force multipliers, not competing forces. A winning environment is more energizing and more sustainable than managing incremental losses year over year..
KEY DISCUSSION TOPICS
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Why incremental progress is a trap — and why transformational outcomes require bold decisions, not disconnected tweaks
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The Mindset → Talent → Execution framework Ascend used to drive 20%+ academic growth in one year
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How to shift organizational beliefs about student potential at a cultural level
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Defining the profile of your ideal leader and teacher — and building systems to develop people into it
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Flipping professional development on its head: applied instructional labs that connect training directly to the classroom
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Real-time data systems vs. lagging indicators — and how to move from post-mortem reviews to 48-hour intervention cycles
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The connection between staff engagement and academic performance — and what it looks like when both move together
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR CHARTER SCHOOL LEADERS
Enrollment drives financial sustainability. Talent determines instructional quality. But the belief systems inside an organization determine both — because they set the ceiling on what leaders are willing to ask for and what staff believe is possible. Maryann Li's work at Ascend demonstrates that culture, talent strategy, and operational execution are not separate workstreams. They are interconnected levers that, when pulled together, produce outsized results.
For charter school CEOs, the mindset framework offers a concrete way to diagnose where an organization has normalized low expectations — and what it takes to dismantle that. For COOs and operations leaders, the data systems discussion is directly applicable: building infrastructure that delivers leading indicators rather than lagging results is an operational discipline, not just an academic one. And for finance leaders, Maryann's framing of schools as human-powered organizations reframes talent investment as a core financial strategy — not an overhead cost.
WHO SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE
This episode is particularly valuable for:
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Charter school CEOs and founders
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Charter school COOs and operations leaders
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Charter school finance and budgeting leaders
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Charter school network leaders managing multiple campuses
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School administrators responsible or instructional quality and staff engagement
NOTABLE QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE
"Transformational outcomes are not the result of a hundred disconnected tweaks. They are the result of a few bold decisions — and they have to be executed relentlessly."
"Culture is a collection of your shared beliefs. It's not rising to a feeling as a destination. It's rising to the level of expectations that then enable people to feel a certain way."
"It is more exhausting to work this hard and see minor incremental results in kids than to see a kid accelerate in their growth."
"If mindset sets your target, your talent is your capacity. That is how far you can shoot the arrow."
"Data was something to respond to — not something we reviewed and were presented at. By the time we heard the review, there was already correction and a deep understanding of the state."
EPISODE RESOURCES
James by Percival Everett — Maryann's current recommended read. A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that retells Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the enslaved character Jim, now named James. Maryann connects it to her leadership practice: examining familiar situations from an entirely different perspective changes what you know, what you decide, and what you determine. Available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
EPISODE FAQs
How can a charter school network break out of incremental progress and drive transformational results?
Maryann Li recommends stepping back and observing your organization as a neutral participant — listening to how people talk about goals, pace, and expectations. The goal is to surface hidden assumptions that have normalized insufficient progress. From there, transformation requires shifting mindsets first, followed by intentional talent strategy and disciplined execution systems. A few bold decisions, executed relentlessly, drive step-change outcomes — not a hundred small adjustments.
What is the most effective professional development model for charter school teachers?
Ascend replaced theoretical, off-site PD sessions with weekly two-hour instructional labs that include pre-work, direct training from network experts, and immediate classroom application. Teachers translated each session into a lesson plan and taught it within days. This narrow, data-driven focus on specific instructional moves — applied in real time — accelerated performance across the entire system significantly faster than traditional PD models.
How should charter school networks use data to improve academic outcomes?
Maryann emphasizes the difference between lagging data — state test results, end-of-cycle benchmarks — and leading indicators that allow for rapid intervention. Ascend built systems that gave school leaders real-time performance data, shifting the question from "what do we do next cycle?" to "what do we do in the next 48 hours?" Combining quantitative data with regular qualitative observation, including weekly school visits by the CEO, ensures leaders have a complete and accurate picture.
How do charter school leaders build high staff engagement while raising academic expectations?
Performance and engagement are force multipliers, not competing forces. Staff engagement at Ascend reached its highest recorded level in the same year the network achieved historic academic results. The key is investing in leadership quality, professional development, and compensation — and creating an environment where people can see evidence of student growth in real time. A winning culture is more energizing and more sustainable than managing incremental losses year over year.
What does a strong charter school leadership pipeline look like at scale?
Ascend ran a formal process called the Ascending Leader program, through which 21 new leaders received structured development — four times the number from previous years. Leaders were evaluated and developed simultaneously, received formal training, and built real on-the-ground experience before officially stepping into their roles. Selecting for the right profile and developing people into it — simultaneously — is how Ascend has scaled leadership quality across 17 campuses.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Maryann Li and Ascend Public Charter Schools
02:28 Personal Journey and Motivation Behind Education Leadership
06:49 Academic Achievements and Team Transformation at Ascend
08:29 Staff Engagement and Leadership Efficacy
10:33 Driving Change: Mindset, Talent, and Execution
17:08 Shifting Mindsets and Building a High-Performance Culture
20:07 Talent Development and Retention Strategies
26:23 Execution: Data-Driven Decision Making
32:00 Reflections on Leadership and Lessons Learned
34:13 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Maryann Li is the Chief Executive Officer of Ascend, where her leadership marks a dynamic new chapter for the organization. Since joining Ascend in 2021 as Chief Operating Officer, Maryann has also served as the organization's President and led key initiatives that have shaped the organization’s growth and stability. Maryann led and developed Ascend’s executive team to drive internal alignment, strengthen the financial foundation and organizational systems, and developed strategies to support long-term sustainability.
Before Ascend, Maryann held senior leadership roles in national education organizations and scaling at the largest CMO in NYC. She began her career on the trading floor at Barclays Capital in Interest Rate Derivatives.
Maryann holds a degree from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and a certificate in social sector leadership from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She is a Pahara Fellow and a proud mom of two.
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.
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