Wed, August 27, 2025 & Wed, September 3, 2025 @ 12:30pm ET
A two-part series exploring the essential practices and leadership mindsets that empower charter boards to move from startup to sustained impact.
Behind every successful charter school is a thoughtful, well-prepared board. In this session, we’ll explore what strong governance looks like in the earliest stages of a school’s life—from building a mission-aligned founding board to creating systems for oversight, strategy, and compliance. SchoolWorks’ Michelle Doane will share lessons learned from years of supporting charter school founders, and Marci Cornell-Feist, charter school expert and founder and former CEO of BoardOnTrack, will offer practical strategies for forming a cohesive board that can lead with clarity and confidence. Perfect for new boards, founders, authorizers and support organizations guiding early-stage schools.
Key Topics:
As charter schools grow, their boards must grow too—shifting from hands-on startup mode to a focus on oversight, strategy, and accountability. This session dives into what it takes to lead effectively in the operational years and beyond. We'll explore how high-functioning boards use data, evaluate school performance, support leadership without micromanaging, and the importance of the board chair role. Learn how to foster a culture of self-reflection, build a sustainable board pipeline, and avoid the traps that derail too many governance teams.
Key Topics:
A 10-12 minute Q&A with webinar attendees will follow each discussion.
Interested but not available to attend live?
No problem. Registration ensures direct access to the recorded webinar.
June 5, 2025
Kathryn Koerner, SchoolWorks Director of School Design and Renewal, and Cary Finnegan, Brooklyn RISE Charter School Founder and Head of School discuss how Brooklyn RISE embarked upon a responsive and thoughtful K–8 expansion—one that meets the real needs of families and supports their large population of English Language Learners. This webinar features a 30-minute conversation followed by a 10-minute live Q&A with participants.
December 11, 2024
SchoolWorks President and Former Authorizer Kim Perron is joined by Dr. Travis Woulfe, the Executive Director for Improvement and Innovation for Rockford Public Schools in Rockford, Illinois to discuss the ins and outs of district-level charter school authorizing. This webinar features a 30-minute conversation followed by a 10-minute live Q&A with participants.
June 11, 2024
SchoolWorks’ Managing Director of Leadership Supports, Betty Dao-Ivey, and a Co-Leader of SchoolWorks’ 2023 Advancing Equity Cohort, Lyn Bajaj, sit down with Crosstown High’s Director of Growth and Sustainability, Ginger Spickler, and Crosstown’s DEI Advisor, Quinn Kathrineberg. Learn how Crosstown’s team spearheads equity initiatives across the school, including key learnings, reflections on the challenges involved, and their tangible successes to date.
March 6 & March 12, 2024
Managing Director of Instructional Supports Jake Schmitz sat down with leaders from Pittsfield Public Schools to discuss how they incorporated The Science of Reading (SOR) across Pittsfield’s 14 schools. The webinar on March 6th focused on elementary schools, and the webinar on March 12th focused on secondary schools. Both conversations explored the district’s journey in deciding to implement SOR, the hurdles they faced, their successes, and the structures they identified as essential to ensure ongoing excellence.
January 30, 2024
Managing Director of Quality Reviews Jay Adams discusses with Framingham, Massachusetts’ District Leaders how they tackled a new district-level strategic plan and how they created an instructional framework, rooted in best practices, to better meet the needs of their students and to continue uplifting their teachers and school leaders.
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Each quarter, SchoolWorks® provides a $5,000 grant award to a team of educators seeking to advance student learning and well-being through an impact-focused initiative. Grant funds may be used to support a broad range of activities including student wellness efforts, academic or enrichment programming, school supplies, goods or services for students in need, professional development, professional services, SchoolWorks online courses, and more.
Ready to take your school or organization to the next level? Contact us today to learn more about how SchoolWorks® can support your educational goals.
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