Tracing the Origins of the Charter Schools Movement
Presented by the National Charter Schools Institute
Bold By Choice Podcast | Season 2 dives deep into the origins of chartering — tracing how one bold idea became a national force for public school innovation. Across twelve episodes, the series features voices from the Founders Library, including Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge, Ted Kolderie, Don Shalvey, Linda Brown, Dave Levin, and other pioneers whose ideas and leadership helped redefine public education.
From legislative breakthroughs to the first schools that dared to be different, Season 2 captures the milestones, mindsets, and mentorship that shaped the movement’s DNA. Each story honors those who didn’t wait for permission — but instead created what was missing.
About the Podcast
The Bold By Choice Podcast is a storytelling podcast that explores the roots, revolutions, and realities of the charter schools movement — told through the voices of those who lived it. Each episode blends archival audio, oral histories, and new reflections from The National Charter Schools Founders Library, capturing the human stories behind one of the most significant education innovations in modern history.
Our hosts, Vashaunta Harris, Jim Goenner, Ember Reichgott Junge, and Don Cooper, take listeners on a guided journey — from the first laws written in the early 1990s to the classrooms, founders, and coalitions that made the idea real. It’s not just a history lesson. It’s a leadership masterclass — revealing how courage, collaboration, and conviction shaped a national movement still being written today.
What You’ll Hear
- Episode 1–3: Birth of Chartering — Minnesota’s first law and Ember Reichgott Junge’s bold legislative push. The creation of the first charter laws in Minnesota, California, and Colorado
- Episode 4–6: Scaling the Idea — How leadership from Washington to Michigan to Florida carried the movement across the country.
- Episode 7–9: Chartering Takes Root — Arizona, North Carolina, and the rise of authorizing as a discipline.
- Episode 10–14: Founders and Frameworks — The people who built the first great schools and defined excellence: The rise of early founders and networks — KIPP, Aspire, BES, Freedom Prep.
Throughout the podcast, listeners will hear rare archival clips, policy insights, and deeply personal reflections that connect the bold choices of the past to the leadership lessons of today.
Featured Speakers
Founders, Policymakers & Early Advocates
- Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge – Author of the nation’s first charter school law (Minnesota, 1991)
- Ted Kolderie – Chartering pioneer and author of Creating the Capacity for Change
- Sen. Dave Durenberger – U.S. Senator from Minnesota, early federal advocate for chartering
- Jon Schroeder – Policy advisor and co-author of the federal Public School Redefinition Act
- Peggy Kerns – Colorado state legislator and co-sponsor of the state’s charter law
- Gov. Bill Owens – Governor of Colorado, advocate for bipartisan education reform
- Gary K. Hart – California State Senator, author of SB 1448 (California’s first charter law)
- Sue Burr – Education advisor and co-author of The Story of California’s Charter School Legislation
- Delaine Eastin – California Assemblymember and education policy leader
- Gov. John Engler – Governor of Michigan, led rapid charter expansion in the early 1990s
- Richard McLellan – Policy architect of Michigan’s charter statute and Proposal A funding reform
- Gov. Jeb Bush – Governor of Florida, architect of Florida’s education accountability system
State & National Leaders in Charter Growth
- Lisa Graham Keegan – Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, architect of Arizona’s innovative charter law
- Harold Brubaker – Speaker of the North Carolina House, co-author of NC’s first charter school legislation
- Pat Sandro – Early Minnesota authorizer and policy leader
- Tom Nida & Jo Baker – Founding members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board
School Founders & Innovators
- Dave Levin – Co-founder, KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program)
- Harriet Ball – Master teacher and mentor whose methods inspired the KIPP model
- Don Shalvey – Founder, Aspire Public Schools; co-creator of California’s multi-school authorization framework
- Reed Hastings – Co-founder of Aspire and Californians for Public School Excellence; Netflix CEO
- Linda Brown – Founder and CEO, Building Excellent Schools (BES)
- J.C. Huizenga – Founder, National Heritage Academies
- Roblin Webb – Founder, Freedom Preparatory Academy (Memphis, TN)
Writers, Historians & Documentarians
- Richard Whitmire – Journalist and author of The Founders (The 74 Media / Founders Library)
- Don Cooper – Co-host and National Charter Schools Institute leader, providing context and reflection
- Jim Goenner – CEO, National Charter Schools Institute; co-host and historian of the movement
- Vashaunta Harris – Educator and co-host, leading reflections and conversations throughout the season
Why It Matters
Bold By Choice Podcast is more than a podcast — it’s part of a living archive. Every story featured in Season 2 draws from The National Charter Schools Founders Library, the first digital collection preserving the oral histories, speeches, and documents that shaped chartering.
By exploring these episodes, educators, policymakers, and leaders can understand not just how chartering began — but why it still matters.
