Great Leaders = Great Schools

In 2000, Suzanne Legg, founder and CEO opened the Dayspring Academy, the first charter school in Pasco County and remains the highest-performing school in the Tampa Bay area. Dayspring's growth story is nothing short of impressive, now accommodating over 1,200 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade across five campuses. Their latest venture, Dayspring Angeline, is slated to open its doors in August 2024, welcoming an initial cohort of 400 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade.

Learn how Suzanne cultivates community and faculty commitment from her "lead from the middle" style.

Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up!

Learn more about Dayspring Academies:

https://dayspring.academy/

In 2017, Shannon Treece, founder and executive director, opened Babcock Ranch Schools in Babcock Ranch, the first solar-powered town in America.

Learn how Shannon cultivates community connections through authentic project-based learning while engaging her students in truly innovative approaches.

Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up!

Learn more about Babcock Ranch Schools: https://babcockneighborhoodschools.org/

In 2022, Cameron Frazier, founder and principal, opened Becoming Collegiate Academy in Jacksonville, Florida -- the first charter school in the state that mirrors the experience of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) by providing a supportive, nurturing, and self-empowering environment needed for students to develop and affirm their cultural and academic identities.

Learn how Cameron leads with love creating  a safe, supportive, and intellectually rigorous environment that connects with the history of their community, contributes to the healing of societal wounds, and inspires them to translate their community’s relentless spirit into academic success.

Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up!

Learn more about Becoming Collegiate Academy: https://www.becomingschools.org/

Academy for Innovative Education is the first District-managed charter school in the country. With less than two months to open on three campuses, Mrs. Vera Hirsh, the founding principal and now Head of School made the impossible possible through her wise leadership that supports growth in all of her staff. Thirteen years later, Academy for Innovative Education now serves almost 1,000 in grades K-12 in Miami Springs, Florida.

Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up!

Learn more about AIE CHarter School: https://www.aiecharterschool.org/

" We often assume that the size of the solution has to match the size of the problem, and that's not true. Sometimes very small changes can have cascading effects in a complex environment. And suddenly so many things that look like they are larger and more intransigent and more nebulous suddenly fall into place." -- Doug Lemov Dana Vignale hosts Doug Lemov on this very special episode of Great Leaders = Great Schools. Doug Lemov is the author of the international bestseller Teach Like a Champion--now in its 3.0 version -- and The Coach's Guide to Teaching. He is the co-author, with TLAC colleagues, of Practice Perfect, Reading Reconsidered, Teaching in the Online Classroom, and Reconnect. Doug also helped found Uncommon Schools and leads its Teach Like a Champion team, designing and implementing teacher training based on the study of high-performing teachers. He taught English and history in university, high school, and middle schools levels.

There is so much to learn from Doug on building a classroom and school of excellence. Visit https://teachlikeachampion.org/.

"Don't lower your expectations depending on where you're serving or who you're serving. Your results can yield just as high expectations as if you were serving students in a Title I school or serving students in West Pembroke Pines." -- Dr. Daniel Sandberg

Dr. Daniel Sandberg is the Superintendent for Franklin Academy Charter Schools, a premier network of seven charter schools serving almost 9,000 students in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

The Franklin Academy network is the first in the country to be a fully authorized International Baccalaureate district or network in the United States to offer the IB program at every level from kindergarten through 12th grade.

What is his secret to success? Don't Lower Your Expectations. Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up.

Check out these incredible school: https://www.franklin-academy.org/

" If it is about students first, then I know that we're on the right track. And so for me, I think it's trust your gut." -- Ms. Sherry Watts

Ms. Sherry Watts is the very proud principal at Minneola Charter School, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. Founded in 2004 as a conversion charter school, Minneola Charter School now serves 1,750 students from Pre-kindergarten to 8th Grade.

What is her secret to success? Trust Your Gut. Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up.

Check out this incredible school: https://https://moe.lake.k12.fl.us/

Carlos Gonzalez is the founding principal and now Director of Schools of HIVE Preparatory, where the mission is to create a Highly Inquisitive Versatile Education that will facilitate a student-centered, adaptable learning environment.

Opened in 2009 with 132 students in grades K-5, HIVE has now grown to  841 in grades K-8. Serving  students who are 94% minority and 73% on Free and Reduced Lunch,  HIVE has impressively earned an A for all 15 years since its founding and is in the top 1% of all Title I schools in Florida. What's the secret to his success? Be on task and win every moment. 

Check out this incredible school: https://hiveprep.com/

"They're my babies and I am their champion, and I'm their biggest cheerleader. And I just wanna find other cheerleaders for them." -- Dr. Tamara Moodie

Dr. Tamara Moodie is the founding principal and executive director who saw a need to provide the highest-quality education and social services to families of children with Autism regardless of income level. What is her secret to success? be a champion; be a cheerleader. Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up.

Founded in 2009, South Florida Autism Charter School serves almost 300 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in grades K-12 up to the age of 22 who reside in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. The primary goal is to provide students with ASD, those who are the most involved, with a learning environment that is best suited for their disability and where they have an opportunity to thrive.

Check out this incredible school: https://sfacs.org.

Downtown Doral Charter Elementary Schools and Upper School are two of the most sought after schools in South Florida and two of the highest performing in the entire state. Serving almost 2700 students in PK3- Grade 12. DDCS offers fully bi-lingual programs in Spanish, French or Portuguese. Jeannette Acevedo-Isenberg is the founding head of school who brought a developers dream to a reality. What's the secret to her success? Putting children first no matter what, creating a family amongst the entire faculty and staff, and of course, taking some inspiration from Walt Disney. Tune in to hear how this Level 5 leader levels up.

"Because if people love each other and people like spending time together and working together, we're gonna be able to really create this magic and have and create the fireworks here at Downtown Doral."

Check out here schools: ddces.org and ddcus.org.