In this episode “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Rachel Garner, Executive Director at Armadillo Community Charter School in Oregon. Although she originally wanted to be a vet, Rachel has found her way to charter school administration. Rachel is focused on making a change from the top and she shares her journey with Dallan.

Armadillo Community Charter School was one of the first charter schools in southern Oregon and continues to be unique by keeping the size small. The student body hovers around 75-80 students and while there is room for more, the importance of the small class size remains a priority. Not all students fit in large mainstream classrooms, so Armadillo is there for students who need a smaller, more individually oriented program. They focus on teaching hands on critical thinking with community learning.

Rachel shares some valuable advice for all administrators. Listen in to see her tips on how to build a strong school board. In Oregon, charter schools are seen as a negative competition for public education. To counter this, Rachel and her team at Armadillo are continuously sending out the message that they are working for the same goal of having successful students. It is not a one size fits all situation.

Rachel ends the episode by sharing a book that has taught her to find the positive each day. Tune into the episode to see where you can learn this also!


Time Stamps:

00:47 How did Rachel get involved in the charter school space?

1:52 What schools got you to where you are today?

2:42 What is it like working with high school students in today’s world with so much technology access?

4:36 What makes Armadillo Community Charter School unique?

5:50 How many students are at Armadillo Community Charter School?

6:50 What can students expect from the classroom environment?

8:08 What challenges has Armadillo faced and how have they been overcome?

9:30 Tips to find a good board

11:30 Any other challenges?

12:47 How have you tried to deal with the challenges?

13:50 Final thoughts and resources

Show Notes:

Armadillo Community Charter School https://www.armadillocharter.org/
“365 Days of Awesome” by Monica Genta https://monicagenta.com/365-2/

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