Michael Vaughn

Coffee Break: North Carolina’s Wanda Legrand Knows Students Can’t Be Successful Unless They Feel Loved
“We’ve not done enough to make students feel valued for their differences,” says Wanda Legrand, the new chief schools support officer for Guilford County Schools…

Superintendent Tom Boasberg Is Stepping Down After Nearly a Decade of Bringing the Community Together for Better Schools
I suppose Tom Boasberg is a successful “education reformer.” The policy resume (charters, accountability, innovation) certainly checks out. And Denver Public Schools invariably gets mentioned…

Coffee Break: Yamuna Menon on Connecticut Choice and Cinnabon Coffee
It’s been a four-year dry spell for charter schools in Connecticut. Yamuna Menon is working to put an end to that. As Northeast Charter Schools…

Coffee Break: De’Shawn Wright on Being Destined for Public Service and Finding Purpose in Education
De’Shawn Wright has spent more than 15 years serving in senior leadership posts in government and the nonprofit sector and is a part of the…

Coffee Break: This Florida Educator Has Opened Her County’s Doors to the World
Leslie Brown is Chief Portfolio Services Officer for Broward County Public Schools in Florida. She is also part of the Future Chiefs program with Chiefs…

Coffee Break: Andrea Castañeda on How Tulsa Is Earning a Place on the Map
Andrea Castañeda recently joined Tulsa Public Schools as the district’s chief innovation officer, working alongside Chiefs for Change member Superintendent Deborah Gist. Castañeda brings with…

Coffee Break: Broward Supt. Bob Runcie on How Public Schools Can Carve the Path to the American Dream
Bob Runcie has led Florida’s Broward County Public Schools (the nation’s sixth-largest district) since 2011, after serving in several leadership positions in the Chicago Public…

Colorado Is Showing Everyone Up in Funding Its Charter Schools
Can you feel that tension? It’s just about everywhere in this country. A mighty tug of war between traditional public schools and public charter schools.…

Parents, Educators and Community Members Speak Out Against the NAACP’s Charter Moratorium
“All over the country, dedicated educators of color are leading charter schools that cultivate the minds of children too-often locked out of success in traditional public schools.”…

Coffee Break: Charter Leader Vanessa Rodriguez on the Real Difference-Maker We Should Be Talking About
Vanessa Rodriguez has deep experience working with the students of New York City. She started her career as a bilingual teacher at a Bronx elementary…