Community Conversations with NACSA
By: National Association of Charter School Authorizers
Language: en-us
Categories: Education
The only podcast that tells the stories of charter school authorizing and the people that strive to ensure students and families have access to quality public schools.
Episodes
2025 Change Makers
Dec 15, 2025We’re excited to recognize NACSA’s 2025 Change Makers—individuals whose leadership and dedication are helping to move authorizing forward. From improving systems and policies to supporting schools and students on the ground, these Change Makers exemplify what it means to lead with purpose and impact. Congratulations to our 2025 Change Makers:
Talia GerstleSenior Policy and Communications Manager, BluePrint LabsDr. Richard Seigler-Carter
Managing Director, LeveragED FoundationRaj Thakkar
Founder & CEO, Charter School Business ManagementRobin Lake
Director, Center on Reinventing Public EducationColleston Morgan, Jr.
Inside NACSA's State Policy Recommendations
Nov 24, 2025Dive deep into NACSA's recently released 2025 State Policy Recommendations with Veronica Brooks-Uy, NACSA's Senior Vice President of Strategy, Policy & Research.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:50:49Leaders in Community: A Charter School Growth Fund Collab
Nov 10, 2025This episode takes you inside NACSACon 2025, where NACSA President and CEO M. Karega Rausch, Ph.D. delivered powerful remarks about why strong foundational authorizing policies and practices have never been more important. It also features a special collaboration with our friends at the Charter School Growth Fund. CSGF President and host of the Leader to Leader podcast, Darryl Cobb, sits down with Dr. Adriana Tamez to discuss what it takes to build and sustain great public schools.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:41:15Academic Oversight in Action: Voices From the Field
Oct 10, 2025At its core, academic oversight is about answering a single, powerful question: Are schools academically successful? NACSA's Academic Framework Guidance helps authorizers answer this question by capturing the impact a school has—or doesn’t have—on its primary stakeholders: students.
David Greenberg, NACSA’s Vice President of Authorizer Learning and Development, sits down with Jermaine Curtis, Charter School Coordinator, and Steve Osborn, Student Opportunity Officer, at the Rhode Island Department of Education, and Ryan Marks, Chief of Authorizing and Accountability at the Colorado Charter School Institute, to dig into academic frameworks and accountability.
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Duration: 00:32:10Power of Partnership: Supporting Authorizers in the New School Application Process
Aug 26, 2025Jay Whalen, NACSA’s Director of Authorizer and School Quality, and Dr. Windy Stephenson, Founding Executive Director at the Voorhees University Charter Institute of Learning, describe how NACSA supported Voorhees—which became a charter school authorizer in 2024—in developing and implementing its first new school application cycle.
Explore NACSA's New School Application Guidance.
Looking for tailored support? Contact Elisa Westapher at elisaw@qualitycharters.org
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:20:25Listening, Learning, Leading: NACSA's Strategy for Better Student Outcomes
Jul 22, 2025Over the past year, we’ve been listening—to authorizers, educators, families—and asking a critical question: What does accountability look like in today’s context? The answers are reshaping how we think about our work.
In this episode, NACSA leaders David Greenberg and Veronica Brooks-Uy dive deep into the challenges authorizers face right now, and share NACSA’s renewed vision and strategy for equipping them with the knowledge, tools, and support to ensure every child has access to a high-quality school.
Register to join us in Houston, TX, October 20-23 for NACSACon 2025.
qualitychar...
Duration: 00:20:04Rapid Rewind: Rebooting the New School Application
May 22, 2025In this rapid rewind, we’re giving you the most powerful moments from several pivotal conversations about the new school application. NACSA’s David Greenberg, Rachel Hannah with Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, Jason Moore with Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, Laurie Schroeder with Innovative Quality Schools, NACSA’s Jay Whalen, and Mabel Lajes-Guiteras, with Seed at Charter School Growth Fund, provide key insights into how NACSA is reimagining the new school application process.
Resources:
After a Quarter Century: Time to Reboot the New School Application ProcessNACSA's New School Application GuidanceThe Power of People in the New Sch... Duration: 00:08:15Innovation in Action: What We’re Learning from Canopy Schools
Apr 22, 2025Chelsea Waite and Janette Avelar with the Center on Reinventing Public Education provide practical takeaways and trends from the most recent Canopy Project report.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:20:48Rapid Rewind: Family Participation vs. Family Empowerment
Mar 26, 2025In this rapid rewind, we’re bringing you the most impactful moments from our conservation at NACSACon 2024. Get everything you need to know about the difference between family participation and empowerment from NACSA’s Chief Operating Officer, Guerschmide Saint-Ange, and Rocky Mountain Prep CEO, Tricia Noyola, in less than 10 minutes.
Resources:
Families and Authorizers: A Partnership for Success
No More Participation Trophies For Family Engagement
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Duration: 00:07:17Addressing America's Learning Crisis
Feb 24, 2025The latest NAEP scores reveal a stark and troubling reality: Students remain far behind.
NACSA President and CEO, M. Karega Rausch, Ph.D., sits down with 50CAN CEO and Founder, Marc Porter Magee, to discuss what else the NAEP data can tell us and—more importantly—what can be done to equip our nation’s young people with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed?
Resources:
50CANNAEP Shows U.S. Is in a Learning Crisis. Charter Schools Have 3 Ways to Fix It
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Duration: 00:33:43The Power of People in the New School Application Process
Jan 27, 2025David Greenberg, NACSA's Vice President of Authorizer Learning & Development sits down with Rachel Hannah, Deputy Assistant Director at the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools to discuss her journey through the new school application process.
Explore NACSA's resources for rethinking the new school application.
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Duration: 00:25:342024 Change Makers
Dec 17, 20242024 marks a year of growth, innovation, and dedication, and we’re thrilled to introduce you to NACSA’s Change Makers — a group of charter leaders who are making an extraordinary impact in their communities. From reimagining the future of charter schools to championing equity and access for every student, these changemakers are combining innovation with actionable accountability and inspiring others to do the same.
Join us as we dive into their stories, explore their visions for the future, and hear how they’re paving the way for a brighter educational landscape.
Want to learn more about NAC...
Survey Says: 2024 State of Authorizing Revealed
Dec 03, 202486 authorizers, across 30 states and the District of Columbia participated in our 2024 State of Authorizing survey. These authorizers oversee nearly two-thirds of the charter schools in the country and their answers help paint a comprehensive picture of overall trends in the field. In today’s episode, we’ll hear directly from NACSA leaders and authorizers as they grapple with the question—what is the current state of authorizing and where is it headed?
Have suggestions for next year's State of Authorizing Survey? Let us know!
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:20:37Survey Says: 2024 State of Authorizing Revealed
Nov 25, 202486 authorizers, across 30 states and the District of Columbia participated in our 2024 State of Authorizing survey. These authorizers oversee nearly two-thirds of the charter schools in the country and their answers help paint a comprehensive picture of overall trends in the field. In today’s episode, we’ll hear directly from NACSA leaders and authorizers as they grapple with the question—what is the current state of authorizing and where is it headed?
Have question suggestions for next year's survey? Let us know!
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:25:48Families and Authorizers: A Partnership for Student Success
Oct 30, 2024One of the most important goals of quality authorizing is to create more transparency and access for families to truly understand and engage in the education their children receive. Parents are an integral part of improving our nation’s education system. They play a vital role in their child’s education—and their voices should be heard by those making decisions that have direct implications on their communities and children.
Live at NACSACon 2024, Courtney Hughley, Vice President of Communications at NACSA, sits down with Guerschmide Saint-Ange, NACSA’s Chief Operating Officer, and Tricia N...
Duration: 00:48:38Foundations of Excellence: Capacities of New School Founding Teams
Sep 24, 2024Eric Mahmoud, CEO of Harvest Best Academy in Minneapolis, sits down with his former authorizer and NACSA’s Vice President of Authorizer Learning and Development, David Greenberg, to talk about critical capacities of a charter school founding team. Through concrete examples and anecdotes, this conversation brings to life the importance of several capacities identified by NACSA: reflective learning, creating problem solving, and a healthy relationship with success and failure.
Resources:
New Charter School Application
Capacities of New School Founding Teams
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Duration: 00:17:48Accountability From the Start
Aug 20, 2024One of the most consequential decisions any authorizer makes for students and communities is whether to approve a new school to open. NACSA’s Vice President of Authorizer Learning and Development, David Greenberg, sits down with Jay Whalen, Director of Authorizer and School Quality to discuss the importance of centering accountability during the new school application process.
Special guests:
Resources:
NACSA's New School Application Reco... Duration: 00:22:48Accountability—Now Is the Time
Jul 22, 2024In this episode of Community Conversations with NACSA, NACSA's President and CEO, Dr. M. Karega Rausch, Vice President of Authorizer and Learning Development, David Greenberg, and Vice President of Policy and Institutional Change, Veronica Brooks-Uy, come together to share why the time to center accountability is now.
Resources mentioned:
Join us in Houston, Texas October 21-24 for NACSACon! Learn more and register today.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:25:48A Story of Student Supports and Outcomes
May 17, 2024For Mental Health Awareness Month, NACSA examines the role of authorizing and school accountability in ensuring student wellness. To kick-off Season 2 of our podcast, Community Conversations with NACSA, we spoke with Andrea Browning (WestEd), Tricia Noyola (Rocky Mountain Prep), and Dr. John Gasko (Uplift Education), to learn how authorizers and schools can work with communities to ensure access to learning environments that foster social, emotional, and academic success.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:20:00A Story of Innovation & Partnership
Mar 24, 2024Tressa Pankovits, Co-Director of Reinventing America’s Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute, Priscila Dilley, Senior Officer at the Leadership Academy Network, and Dr. David Saenz, Chief of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Fort Worth ISD come together to tell a unique and powerful story. The partnership between Leadership Academy Network, Fort Worth Independent School District, and Texas Wesleyan University epitomizes using the principles and practices of charter school authorizing to rethink improving public education more broadly.
Resources:
Leadership Academy Network
Texas SB 1882 Partnerships Program
PPI Report – Putting Students First: Texas’ 1882 Statute Sustains Partners...
BONUS: Pass the Mic ft. EnTere Ed Collective
Feb 28, 2024NACSA passes the mic to EnTere Ed Collective. EnTere Ed, a space where Black, Brown, and Indigenous authorizers and authorizing-adjacent professionals thrive, aims revolutionize the K-12 charter school education sector by elevating equity, authenticity, and innovation, inspired by historical figures, ancient traditions, and cultural values.
Hear directly from the founders of EnTere Ed John Carwell Jr. with the Delaware State Department of Education, and Vashaunta Harris, Executive Coach and founder of V. Harris Enterprises.
They’re joined by special guest Derrick White, Director of School Development & Sustainability at the NACSA Inspired Schools Network.
The gr...
Duration: 00:35:05Great Authorizers are Equitable Authorizers
Feb 19, 2024Veronica Brooks-Uy, NACSA's Vice President of Policy and Institutional Change sits down with Dr. Kelli Peterson, founder of The Ed.ucateD Approach, to discuss the ongoing need for and importance of closing the DEI gap and challenges on the journey.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:34:02New School Applications: Shifting Rigor
Jan 22, 2024NACSA Vice President of Authorizer and Learning Development, David Greenberg, sits down with Laurie Schroeder (Innovative Quality Schools) and Jason Moore (Buckeye Community Hope Foundation) to discuss the importance of shifting the rigor of the new school application process from paper to people and what they are doing in their offices to accomplish this.
Explore NACSA's latest resource, The Capacities of Charter School Founding Teams: How to Identify and Assess for School Success.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:34:34Free, Public, Open to All
Dec 11, 2023NACSA’s Vice President of Communications, Courtney Hughley, sits down with Ebony Lee, partner at the Charter School Growth Fund and NACSA board member, and Steven Cruz, communications director at City Fund.
Live from NACSACon 2023, Courtney, Ebony and Steven discuss the importance of authorizers using their platforms to tell the story and the work of the free, public and open to all charter schools.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:39:13Applying Authorizing Principles Across Education
Nov 15, 2023NACSA's Director of Strategic Partnerships, Jason Zwara, sits down with Joseph Escobedo, Director of Charter Schools, Albuquerque Public Schools, and David Frank, Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Education Policy at the New York State Education Department, to discuss the importance of applying authorizing principles across education.
qualitycharters.org
Duration: 00:26:54The Evolution of School Accountability
Sep 26, 2023NACSA’s Director of Authorizer & School Quality, Jay Whalen, sits down with Rafael Simmons, Chief Portfolio Innovation and Accountability Officer at New Orleans Public Schools, and Jeff Wasbes, Executive Deputy Director for Accountability
at SUNY Charter Schools Institute, to discuss the evolution and future of school accountability.
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Duration: 00:35:56Working With Communities
Aug 21, 2023NACSA’s Vice President of Authorizer Learning and Development, David
Greenberg, sits down with founder of Venn Education, Dave Hartman, to discuss the importance of making community voices, needs, aspirations, and involvement central to all authorizing decisions.
Learn more about NACSA and our mission by visiting https://qualitycharters.org/ and explore the idea of centering communities.
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Duration: 00:28:08Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Education
Jul 21, 2023NACSA's Vice President of Policy and Institutional Change, Veronica Brooks-Uy, sits down with NACSA's Chief Operating and Talent Officer, Guerschmide Saint-Ange, to discuss DEI in authorizing and the broader education sector.
Access NACSA's toolkit - Closing the DEI Gap in Authorizing
Learn more about charter school authorizing and why it matters
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Duration: 00:32:49The Truth About Charter School Oversight
Jun 23, 2023The National Association of Charter School Authorizers' (NACSA) Vice President of Communications, Courtney Hughley, sits down with NACSA President & CEO, M. Karega Rausch, Ph.D., to dispel myths about charter school oversight and accountability.
Learn more about NACSA: https://qualitycharters.org/
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Duration: 00:25:55