Note: While I am absolutely not above posting shameless plugs for DFER Happy Hour events like Friday’s festivities featuring Green Dot Public Schools CEO (And DFER National Advisory Board Member) Steve Barr, the timing of this entry is entirely coincidental.
My wife called breathlessly from her northwoods summer adventure this morning and I assumed it had something to do with her guy Bloomberg again. She said she was listening to North Country Public Radio this morning when, lo and behold, she was treated to an interview with Barr on the program “On Point”.
If you can’t make it to happy hour to hear Steve talk about what makes him and his unionized charter schools in Los Angeles so special, give it a listen via the link below.
If you get as excited as I do about teacher revolts, parental uprisings, and discussions of why PTA’s can’t be trusted, you’ll be on your way to a happy weekend. Also, be sure to listen closely when L.A. union president A.J. Duffy calls in. Good stuff.
And if you ever assumed that the word “Animo” in the names of all the Green Dot schools means “spirit,” Barr spills the beans at the very end of the interview about what it really means.
If you are pressed for time and can’t listen to the end, he explains that one student informed him that Animo is Spanish for “Get off your ass.”
Seriously. Give it a listen.