Igniting Progress: Six Catalysts for Positive Change

By Kim Daly

Despite the diverse backgrounds of our sector's most successful leaders, many shared traits emerge with one in particular standing out: a relentless commitment to self-reflection and adaptation. Our 2024 Leadership Summit challenged attendees to reexamine how they show up for their students and staff daily. While the Summit yielded countless valuable takeaways, today, we focus on six key principles that can empower any school leader to be a catalyst for positive change.

1. Dispel the myths. Despite the strides made over thirty years within the charter school sector, myths remain. It is the responsibility of those in the sector, particularly our leaders, to dispel these myths. Doing so entails educating our families, communities, and legislators. More importantly, it means that as a sector, we must “remain united because the political obstacles we are up against are vast,” says Dan Schaller, President of the Colorado League of Charter Schools. 
2. Raise the bar. The post-pandemic years have been marked by many studies and data points comparing educational outcomes pre- and post-COVID-19. However, as Nicholas Hernandez, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Transform Education Now, shares, “If you are black or brown or IEP, you have always struggled in our education system. Let’s be honest with ourselves that pre-COVID was not good. We set the bar low.” Now is the time to raise it.
3. Support our schools by not asking them to do more. Our students may need more than education to be successful, but the best way to do so is by providing wrap-around support and structure, says Krista Kafer, Columnist for The Denver Post. “Welcome community programs and providers into our schools. This allows our teachers to be teachers.”
4. Embrace technology. The vital impacts of technology have been true since the beginning and are still true now, says Mickey Revenaugh, Co-founder of Connections Academy. It provides schools with the ability to be small but infinite and the opportunity to be both here and anywhere. This is only becoming more pertinent with younger generations. Educators must find a nuanced use of tech that doesn’t cut short the ability for people to connect in real life but also allows them to connect to all they are learning.
5. See AI as an advantage. Many of the questions that we have today around AI are not unlike those we were asking when the web first came about. While our impulse may be to ban them because our generations did not grow up with them in the same way, we must allow students to use the mediums they are most comfortable with. Virtual reality and AI can be powerful tools for both teaching and learning.
6. Focus on Kindness. The top 100 “happiest” companies have outperformed the S&P 500 and Dow Jones by 20% since 2021, shares Dr. Kelli Harding, Assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and Author of "The Rabbit Effect."  Every single person can be the change by choosing the energy that you bring into a space. Being mindful of positive energy means taking a pause to recognize it, even when unkindness sneaks up on a bad day. Moreover, kindness doesn’t have to be a big action; it can be as small as a smile. “As leaders in your schools, express gratitude to your staff members and be intentional in your actions. You have no idea how your act will change someone else’s trajectory. For the students and staff you serve, it truly makes a difference in the quality of everyone’s lives,” says Dr. Harding. 

The charter school sector's success hinges on leaders who are not only knowledgeable but also adaptable and compassionate. By dispelling myths, raising the bar, embracing technology, and prioritizing kindness, leaders can create environments where students thrive and communities flourish. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of the future, these principles will continue to guide the sector towards a brighter and more equitable educational landscape.