In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Lauren Marie Hall Riggins, a senior manager at Empower Schools, a national nonprofit that partners with communities and educators to reimagine local education systems. Lauren is currently the Director of Youth Poet Laureate at VOICES Corporation, an organization offering culturally sustaining programs for young people, where she also serves as a board member and consultant. She is an experienced educator, researcher, and nonprofit leader with many notable achievements.

This is the second episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.

Some Questions I Ask:

• Can you tell us more about Empower Schools? (01:34)
• What workforce issues are being addressed in the traditional CTE space? (04:04)
• What opportunities have you developed with higher education partners, and what challenges have you encountered? (07:05)
• How do you address funding in K-12 education collaboratives? (10:54)
• What credentials are you looking to offer in these collaborations, and how do they enhance students’ futures? (14:19)
• How do the collaborations address student transportation? (19:21)
• What are your goals in rural collaboratives, and do you have to be rural to be part of them? (25:08)
• What other places across the country have built impressive collaborations to support students? (28:43)
• How do you share your powerful story of success? (31:33)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• All about Empower Schools (01:46)
• Workforce issues traditional CTE addresses (04:19)
• Opportunities and challenges with higher education partners (07:35)
• Strategies for funding K-12 collaboratives (11:09)
• Pros and cons of credentials (15:41)
• Creative approaches to student transportation (19:34)
• Aspirational goals for education collaboratives anywhere (25:29)
• Which other states have built impressive collaborations (29:02)
• How Lauren shares her organization’s success (31:49)

Quotes:

“I joke with my friends in the education innovation scene—excuse my language if we can't use this term—but someone needs to make transportation sexy. Why is no one innovating transportation?.”

“We've created a situation where we have thousands and thousands of students across the country who have insane amounts of post-secondary debt and no real career prospects. … Post-secondary is important, but let's marry it with very intentional academic supports and a clear path that kids have explored and feel good about—and that leads to a family-sustaining wage.”

“Rural collaboratives are a really unique way of maintaining community identity and collective efficacy, the sense that a group of people feel like they can do something well together, take care of their kids, [and] create a really strong regional economy.”

Stay in touch with Lauren:
LinkedIn
Email: lhallriggins@empowerschools.org

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this replay episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Michael Gonzalez, executive director of the Rural Schools Innovation Zone out of Premont,Texas. He was also a former principal at Premont Collegiate High School. This is the first episode in a four-part series focusing on rural collaboratives that are developing opportunities for students in specialized career pathways.

Some Questions I Ask:

• What is the Rural Schools Innovation Zone? (01:16)
• Please tell us more about the three school corporations involved. (07:06)
• What are the challenges and successes in dealing with the higher education system? (09:27)
• How do you recommend the funding model to other education organizations and districts? (12:58)
• What are the outcomes of the zone and how are you growing this? (16:59)
• How do you address the potential barrier of transportation? (22:01)
• What about other logistics like bell schedules? (24:12)
• What advice can you give to school leaders about starting a real collaborative? (26:08)
• How do you share your story to the community and the whole educational sphere? (27:45)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• All about the Rural Schools Innovation Zone (01:31)
• The participating schools (07:41)
• The successes and challenges in dealing with the higher education system (09:49)
• Recommendations for the funding model (13:10)
• Student outcomes and growth (17:31)
• Ideas for handling transportation (22:10)
• Making the logistics work (24:48)
• Mike’s advice to school leaders looking to start a collaborative (26:17)
• His way of sharing this story to the community (27:59)

Quotes:

“Be a champion for your community. Be a champion for the kids that are there that are underserved for a wide variety of reasons, whether it be resources or parity or scarcity, whatever the right word is. The local champions need to come to the forefront [and] advocate for the right things to do for kids. Start with your local school boards, your principals, your students, your superintendents, and then take it to the next step from there.”

“You can live in your community and take advantage of other resources and other programs away from your community but come back and still have community pride.”

“I’m trying to get to those organizations that reach the older members of the community that don’t have kids in school so they can understand what we’re doing, because they’re the ones going out and voting.”

Stay in touch with Michael:
RSISZ Website
LinkedIn
Email: mgonzalez@thersisz.org
Text: (361)-522-0261

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode we have a special group with us from the Sturm Collaboration Campus in Castle Rock, Colorado: Jill Garber, the Director of the CSU Collaboration Campuses; Dr. Stephanie Fuji, the President of Arapahoe Community College; and Danny Winsor, the Assistant Superintendent of Douglas County Schools. We explore the Big Blur and how they have brought individuals, partners, and education institutions together to do what's best for students.

Some Questions I Ask:

• How did the collaborative come together in Castle Rock? (01:19)
• What problems would you like to solve through this partnership — and have you been involved in K-12 public-private partnerships in the past? (03:02)
• Tell us more about the Big Blur. (06:39)
• For Danny: How can K-12 school districts reimagine their collaborations to ensure they provide relevant experiences to students? (11:07)
• For Jill: How do you see the rise of work-based programs at Sturm and what is your advice for higher education institutions implementing them? (16:44)
• What’s next for Sturm? (20:45)
• How do you share your ventures with the community? (28:09)
• What are you most hopeful about for the future of work for our students? (35:15)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• From Jill about the Sturm Collaboration Campus (01:31)
• Danny’s point of view regarding public-private partnerships (03:19)
• Stephanie’s take on the Big Blur (06:54)
• How to ensure school district partnerships provide relevant experiences(11:41)
• Jill’s take on the rise of work-based programs (17:11)
• The future of Sturm (21:30)
• Strategies for sharing their ventures with the community (28:52, 30:41, 32:54)
• Their hopes for the future of work (35:27, 36:07, 38:54)

Quotes:
“If you truly, truly want to blur the lines between K through 12, post-secondary education, and the world of work, you have to have partnerships in which folks are willing to do work that's messy.”

“It's important to seek the input of industry, involve them in the process, and have relationships with them … and to also have wraparound services for students — things like advising, career counseling, and especially transfer admissions. Our internal minutiae can make it weird for students sometimes and impact their success.”


Stay in touch with:
D. Winsor:
Douglas County School District
Dr. Fujii:
Arapahoe Community College
J. Garber:
Colorado State University
Email

Resources Mentioned:
The 74 Million Survey

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook