SUNY Charter Schools Institute
16 episodes listed below
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The State University of New York Charter Schools Institute’s More Great Seats 4 Kids podcast is designed for charter school leaders committed to sustaining high-quality schools. This series takes an inside look at the SUNY charter authorization process, highlighting the standards, expectations, and best practices that define successful charter schools across New York State. Through conversations with Institute staff and leaders from SUNY’s highest-performing schools, each episode explores what it takes to launch, operate, and continuously improve a high-quality charter school—so more students across New York have access to great seats.
Based on 4 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Charter-school leaders turn policy, planning, community demand, and student opportunity into concrete accounts of how new schools are built and sustained.
More Great Seats 4 Kids follows charter-school work from proposal to practice, with Mike Leszczynski asking leaders and SUNY Charter Schools Institute staff to explain the decisions behind their schools.
Plan C for a new school: your vision board has met the facilities search.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A practical guide to the evidence SUNY expects from new charter school applicants.
The season four premiere of More Great Seats for Kids lays out SUNY's 2026 RFP as a straightforward guide for applicant groups. Its strength is in the specifics: database-backed analysis of need, clear signs of family demand, and the kinds of support that carry weight, including…
Charter-school leadership is framed as disciplined planning, steady mentorship, and a fair amount of operational grind.
The episode focuses on the practical side of charter-school leadership, bringing together Dermot Madison of South Shore Charter School and Mark Crisante of newly approved Diamond Charter School.
A careful look at how Bella links school, family, and post-secondary support into one pathway.
This episode traces what it takes to build Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy into a school that prepares graduates for college and career. It is most compelling when Nisha Fullwood and Cassie Megasys show how Bella ties internships, family trust, post-secondary advising, and…
A practical school-launch story centered on community input and career pathways.
Haven Charter High School in the Bronx sits at the center of this episode, and the case for it is built through community partnership and workforce planning.
Michael Zinske introduces Natalie Lozada and Haven Charter High School, a new STEM-based CTE school in the Bronx.
Michael Zinske interviews DREAM Chief People Officer Kalila Hoggard and Director of Seasonal Fellowship Recruitment Anna Rader about the DREAM Teaching Fellowship.
The 2026 RFP is out, and Keegan Prue gets right into the part applicant groups often blur: proving community need and demand.
This episode features Dermot Madison and Mark Crisante discussing their mentorship journey in charter school leadership.
This episode features Nisha Fullwood and Cassie Megasys from Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy discussing their school's approach to preparing girls for college and career success.
Two students passed the FAA Part 107 exam in the first year, and the drone program grew to 35 students.
Recy Dunn describes Ascend Charter Schools' professional development model, centered on instructional management, project management, and people management.
Marcia Gadsden describes PAVE Academy Charter Schools' post-pandemic focus on rebuilding K-8 community and connection after isolation, masking, and social distancing.