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Listen "#59 Prospect Ridge Academy | April Wilkin"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with April Wilkin, Executive Director at Prospect Ridge Academy (PRA) in Broomfield, Colorado. Learn how April went from being a fourth grade teacher at a charter school to being the Principal of PRA when they first opened inside a strip mall.
It is not an easy process to open a charter school from scratch and April shares what she has learned and how it might help you in opening a brand new charter school. Her biggest advice is to make sure it is the right place, the right time, with the right community needs. Build trust within the community and keep connections building. Continuing to have clear lines of communication helps in many areas. Along with advice, April shares some challenges and how to overcome them. From fractured relationships with the district to going under construction 6 (about to be 7 times) in 14 years. Check it out to see what you can learn that might help you!
PRA is unique because it has a comprehensive mission. PRA focuses on athletics and has competitive teams from first grade all the way to varsity in high school. They also focus on character building with rigorous college prep. One thing that makes them very unique is their “K-12ness” tune into the episode to see what this means!
To end the episode April shares some final thoughts. Including the feeling she gets when she sees her kindergarteners graduate high school and why her whole leadership team is reading the book “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott.
Time Stamps:
00:38 How did April get involved in the charter school industry?
2:46 What is it like starting a school from scratch?
5:30 How do you get people hopeful for something that hasn’t been done yet?
6:58 Advice for new schools struggling with enrollment.
8:15 What makes Prospect Ridge unique?
10:23 What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
15:48 Final thoughts
17:50 What is it like to see a kindergartener graduate from high school 13 years later?
Show Notes:
Prospect Ridge Academy: https://www.prospectridgeacademy.org/
April’s Email: [email protected]
"Radical Candor" by Kim Scott https://www.radicalcandor.com/
Colorado League of Charter Schools https://coloradoleague.org/
It is not an easy process to open a charter school from scratch and April shares what she has learned and how it might help you in opening a brand new charter school. Her biggest advice is to make sure it is the right place, the right time, with the right community needs. Build trust within the community and keep connections building. Continuing to have clear lines of communication helps in many areas. Along with advice, April shares some challenges and how to overcome them. From fractured relationships with the district to going under construction 6 (about to be 7 times) in 14 years. Check it out to see what you can learn that might help you!
PRA is unique because it has a comprehensive mission. PRA focuses on athletics and has competitive teams from first grade all the way to varsity in high school. They also focus on character building with rigorous college prep. One thing that makes them very unique is their “K-12ness” tune into the episode to see what this means!
To end the episode April shares some final thoughts. Including the feeling she gets when she sees her kindergarteners graduate high school and why her whole leadership team is reading the book “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott.
Time Stamps:
00:38 How did April get involved in the charter school industry?
2:46 What is it like starting a school from scratch?
5:30 How do you get people hopeful for something that hasn’t been done yet?
6:58 Advice for new schools struggling with enrollment.
8:15 What makes Prospect Ridge unique?
10:23 What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
15:48 Final thoughts
17:50 What is it like to see a kindergartener graduate from high school 13 years later?
Show Notes:
Prospect Ridge Academy: https://www.prospectridgeacademy.org/
April’s Email: [email protected]
"Radical Candor" by Kim Scott https://www.radicalcandor.com/
Colorado League of Charter Schools https://coloradoleague.org/
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