Gayle Nadler is the Executive Director of Multicultural Learning Center (MLC), a TK-8 charter school providing a global education program in English and Spanish since 2001, and the 2022 California Charter School of the Year. Gayle leads MLC with a focus on community partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and organizational culture. MLC received the 2018 Education for a Global Economy Award from the California Department of Education – a distinction that aligns with Gayle’s core beliefs in the role public education plays in preparing scholars to impact their communities with their diverse perspectives, multi-lingual abilities, and commitment to social justice.
Charter school leaders make critical decisions every day that directly impact students, staff, and l…Charter school leaders make critical decisions every day that directly impact students, staff, and long-term sustainability. Yet the people responsible for finance, operations, governance, and compliance are often furthest from the classroom experience itself. What happens when schools and back-office providers move beyond a transactional relationship and become true strategic partners?
In this session, leaders from MLC and Harness Potential will share a real-world partnership model that redefined how finance, operations, and leadership collaborate to support mission-driven decision-making. Participants will explore how shared systems, real-time dashboards, and collaborative planning structures created greater transparency, trust, and organizational alignment across executive leadership, finance teams, and boards.
The session will highlight practical approaches for managing the complexity of charter school operations, including braided funding streams, board reporting, and cross-functional decision-making. Presenters will demonstrate how collaborative technology and clearly defined roles empowered leaders at every level with timely financial and operational visibility—allowing teams to move from reactive reporting to proactive strategic planning.
Participants will leave with actionable ideas for building stronger partnerships between charter schools and back-office providers, improving communication and transparency across stakeholders, and creating systems that support faster, more informed decisions in service of students.
Filling seats in today's charter school landscape requires more than a great school; it demands a st…Filling seats in today's charter school landscape requires more than a great school; it demands a strategy. In this session, the presenter will walk through the building blocks of a full-cycle enrollment recruitment approach that drives measurable results, from the first touchpoint with a family to a student walking through school doors on day one. Starting with goal-setting - how to work backwards from an enrollment target to build a realistic funnel and align investment to what it actually takes to hit your numbers. From there, participants will be able to dig into role clarity: successful recruitment is an organization-wide responsibility, not one person's job. Looking at frameworks for defining ownership across a team so nothing falls through the cracks, the presenter will help participants to explore what it takes to show up in the community in ways that build trust and generate leads, and how targeted paid media can dramatically expand reach and drive awareness at scale without wasting budget on broad, untargeted campaigns.
Together, participants will tackle progress monitoring by looking at how to build the tracking systems and structures that give real-time visibility across every stage of the enrollment funnel, from initial lead to application, offer, and registration because knowing numbers at every step is what allows leaders to course-correct before it's too late. Whether building an initial recruitment strategy or looking to sharpen an existing one, participants will leave with practical tools and a clear framework they can start using immediately.
Staffing a charter school is hard, especially for are a single LEA or small school organization. It'…Staffing a charter school is hard, especially for are a single LEA or small school organization. It's not just about credentialing, it's about organizational culture fit, unique skills and talents, and sustainability. In this session, participants will learn how the Multicultural Learning Center, a single school LEA, has created partnerships, systems, and strategies for employee pipelines for hard-to-fill positions like bilingual, credentialed teachers, school-based therapists, and inclusion assistants. Participants will learn the step-by-step process including creating MOUs with local universities, recruiting qualified candidates, field-work design, commitments, and contracts, and the path to full-time employment and continued support. In addition, the presenters will share their board-approved Tuition Reimbursement Policy, which is awarded to staff interested in growing within the organization by going back to school. The best way to find employees for a charter school is to grow one's own!
As charter school leaders we have a big opportunity – right now! The California Department of E…
As charter school leaders we have a big opportunity – right now! The California Department of Education (CDE) is requiring charter leaders to build a new three-year LCAP that must be board-approved by June 30, 2027. While this may feel like compliance, it can be an opportunity to shift a school community toward a mission-aligned process and commitment. What if the LCAP process could be an opportunity for schoolwide engagement and ownership around mission-aligned goals and budgets?
In this workshop leaders, leaders from different size and model charter schools, including classroom and nonclassroom-based, will guide participants to create their own Street Data Road Map to engaging students, families, and staff in equitable and inclusive decision-making. Participants will leave with strategies in their pocket to ensure the LCAP includes the voices of the community, is aligned with the school's vision and mission, and serves as a tool for accountability, transparency, and authenticity.
