School turnaround doesn't always require a leadership change. Discover how RiseUp Community School, after four years in turnaround status, reached performance level in just one year.
This workshop offers a fresh perspective, delving into the story of RiseUp Community School, a school that defied expectations. Rather than a leadership change, they chose a different path: a partnership that empowered their existing leader. Karen Ikegami, the school's leader, will share her journey alongside Ron Schumacher, her executive coach, and LiberatED Way, the nonprofit organization that facilitated their strategic planning process.
You'll learn about:
- The mindset shifts that can unlock transformative change.
- The power of systemic approaches to build lasting improvement.
- Practical strategies to support leaders and teams in their growth.
This workshop is an invitation to rethink turnaround. It's about building capacity, fostering collaboration, and creating sustainable change. Together, we'll explore how partnerships can be the key to unlocking your school's full potential.
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Karen Ikegami
Karen believes that learning is most meaningful when it is embedded in a meaningful context. She has spent over 20 years ensuring that students have access to great teachers and innovative curriculums. She grew up in the Northwest and attended the University of Oregon, before earning her masters at Seattle University. Moving to Colorado in 2008, she worked at Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center as a Math Instructional Specialist. Aside from her work in schools, Karen spends her free time rock climbing, playing tennis, gardening, and floating rivers.
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Ron Schumacher
Ron has over 30 years of service in Colorado schools at all levels from PK to 12th grade, serving as principal of Elkhart Elementary in Aurora Public Schools for the past 12 years. Elkhart, a "Priority Improvement" school with a history of academic challenges, high teacher turnover, and behavioral issues, achieved a "Performance" rating, Colorado's highest, within two years under Schumacher's leadership. This high-performing status was maintained throughout the pandemic. No other neighborhood elementary school in Colorado with 95%+ poverty rates and 65%+ English Language Learners has achieved multiple "Performance" ratings. It's a distinction they've kept for eight consecutive years while also earning "Center of Excellence" twice.
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Sarah Cohen
Program Director Sarah Cohen provides project oversight to ensure LiberatED Way seamlessly meets and exceeds client expectations. Prior to joining the LiberatED Way team, Sarah served as a nonprofit leader, programming designer, state education specialist and teacher. In these roles, she has overseen organization-wide strategy, scaled high quality teacher preparation programs, and managed multi-million dollar grants. Her passion for liberated learning is rooted in her experiences teaching third and fifth grades at a dual-language elementary school. Sarah believes in the power of communication and relationships to create systemic change and disrupt inequities.
