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

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Tim Taylor, who is a co-founder and the president of America Succeeds, a nonprofit organization committed to engaging business leaders in modernizing the education system. He also served as the founding president of Colorado Succeeds. One of the America Succeeds initiatives Tim highlights is Durable Skills, which includes a combination of how you use what you know – skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity – and character skills like fortitude, growth mindset, and leadership.

Some Questions I Ask:

• Tell us more about America Succeeds. (01:14)
• Based on your research, what skills are applicable to the workforce community? (02:50)
• Are you seeing more public- private partnerships with K-12 organizations now than the past? (06:10)
• How did America Succeeds begin working with the Indiana Employability Skills Innovation and Implementation Grant and what was the outcome? (08:16)
• How are you working with America Succeeds partners networks across the country? (15:46)
• How do you recommend business leaders, partners, and everyone to work together and move this mission in a collaborative way? (18:13)
• How are you sharing America Succeeds stories? (19:50)
• What are your hopes about the future of work? (22:04)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About America Succeeds (01:40)
• About durable skills for the workforce (03:06)
• About public-private partnerships with K-12 organizations (06:26)
• How America Succeeds and the Indiana Employability Skills Innovation and Implementation Grant intersect (09:07)
• About America Succeeds partnerships across the country (16:03)
• Tim’s recommendations for collaboration (18:46)
• How he shares America Succeeds stories (20:03)
• His hopes for the future of work (22:13)

Quotes:

“The challenge everywhere is how do we make a student's day look different or a classroom look different to practice these skills when we're asking so much of teachers already. And one of the things we discovered in working on this project is that it's not doing more, necessarily, it's just doing what you do a little differently.”

“It's rare that I have talked this long about durable skills without talking about one of our big drivers: economic mobility and equity. … There's been a lot of inequity.”

“The Association for Talent Development did a study, and 83% of employers complained about a skills gap. The largest two in the workforce are critical thinking and communication skills. We're hearing this over and over again; this is not an isolated problem.”

Stay in touch with America Succeeds:
Tim Taylor LinkedIn
America Succeeds Website
Durable Skills by America Succeeds Website
Email:info@americasucceeds.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