Name: Caprice Young

Title: CEO and Superintendent

Organisation: Navigator Schools

Dr. Caprice Young is a transformational education leader with a proven track record of leading complex organizations and championing big visions to success. She has a deep commitment to student voice and success. Raised in a foster family, she has a deep commitment to closing the achievement gap for students, no matter their life circumstances. Caprice's leadership experience spans multi-state and international operations, instruction, technology, finance, philanthropy, educating high-need students, advocacy, and organizations undergoing significant transformations. She has led five charter public school systems ranging from 1,750 to 49,000 students and four to 85 school sites. She received the Coro Crystal Eagle for Excellence in Public Service, the California State University Los Angeles K-12 Educator of the Year award, and the National Charter School Hall of Fame membership. She is the former president of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education (1999-2003) and the founding CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. Education: Ed.D. UCLA; M.P.A. USC; and B.A. Yale University. She holds a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Educational Leadership!

I hope Caprice's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as an Educational Leader?

Dealing with the politics of education has been the toughest challenge by far. We know how to educate students and, while we could always be better, we know what to do and our students achieve above state standards. Charter schools are public schools. They are governed by non-profit organizations whose boards meet and make decisions in public according to state laws. They accept every student regardless of need, and when there is not enough space for everyone who wants to attend, charters hold a public lottery. They are funded by public dollars, do not charge tuition, and make their annual audits available online to ensure transparency. Charters are approved by public school boards that have the authority to revoke their charter if the charter schools don't keep their promises of student achievement. The right answer is that families should be able to choose the public school best for their scholars, but traditional public school districts and teachers' unions consistently try to close down charter schools, especially the good ones. That's not about supporting a great education for all. It is about politics, power, and money. Great public schools (charter or traditional) should be supported and grown. Those which don't fulfill their mission should be closed or placed under new leadership. Politics shouldn't be part of the process. Unfortunately, it is. In a better world, all of us educators would be allowed and encouraged to work together for student success.

2. How did you become an Educational Leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was raised in a foster family. My biological parents were the foster parents, so I have 36 brothers and sisters, including one biological brother and one adopted brother. My mom was a special education teacher (and artist/poet), and my father was a juvenile probation officer (and minister). So, growing up in that context, I learned the value of education, and I saw how the education system often failed my siblings. After I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to make a difference. I worked in public finance and then technology, all while serving on the boards of non-profit organizations that serve foster children and families with mental health needs. I longed to be able to do the service work more, so when the Mayor of Los Angeles asked me to run for the school board in 1999, I knew I could make a difference for students like those in my family and dove in. After four years on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education (including two years as president), I didn't want to go back to IBM (although I still love IBM). I stayed in education, founded the California Charter Schools Association in 2003, got my doctorate in education, and never looked back. Education is a great way to serve our community, and you get to do it with other talented, mission-driven do-gooders. Love it! I keep my toes in the business world by serving on corporate boards.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I wake up slowly around 5:30 am and do the NYT games to wake up my brain (okay, and procrastinate). After stretching and breakfast, I do email until my leadership team huddle every morning at 8 am. The rest of my day is a mix of being on school sites, stakeholder meetings, fundraising, finance, facilities, academic strategy, presentations, and people development. Evenings are often board meetings or school family events. It can be different every day, but generally follows a consistent arc over the course of the school year. Summer, ironically, is the busiest time of the year for me because while the students and teachers are on vacation the leadership is preparing for the new year. Exercise? I walk a lot in my job and I hike with a friend every Sunday-- my sanity time. Now that I am an empty-nester, I am free to be the workaholic I have always been without guilt. I love my work. The students and staff inspire me!

4. What's a recent lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of as an Educational Leader?

The most important gift we can give our children, or anyone really, is the desire to dream and the courage and skills to make those dreams come true. I never say "no" to children's dreams. We always say, "Yes, let's figure that out together. It may not have been invented or done yet, but the world is full of new things. It will take a lot of work and making new friends, but it can happen." (yes, even flying cars or feeding the whole world)

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your journey as an Educational Leader so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted you?

Teach Like a Champion, by Doug Lemov, is one of many books that has impacted my thinking as an educator. Many people think that great teachers are the ones who care the most, but what they do with that care is even more important. Lemov goes into great detail regarding the actual moves teachers make in the classroom to ensure that every student is engaged and learning every minute. It is teachable and coachable and makes a profound difference as we strive to make sure that every classroom succeeds in terms of rigor, consistency, and belonging. Teachers love these expert moves because they can see the difference immediately in student learning. And, students love to learn and see their own success!

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young educator who aspires to be an Educational Leader, what would you say to them?

Find your people. Bad bureaucratic systems, particularly in large urban districts or incestuous small ones, can turn even the most idealistic educators into hardened cynics who just want to hide in their classrooms with the door shut tight. Don't let that happen to you. Hang onto your vision, go to conferences and trainings (even if you have to pay for them yourself and take vacation days) so you can hang out with other innovators and change agents. Seek opportunities to work with people you respect and students who need you the most. When you feel beaten down, you don't need a new career; you need like-minded friends and maybe a mental health day or a vacation. Our scholars need you.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as an Educational Leader, so far?

Oh, so many. Here is one from before I became an educator that tells you something about the hearts and minds of great educators. As I was growing up, one of my chores was washing the dishes with my mom, the special education teacher. At first, she would wash, and I would dry. Later, I would wash, and she did the drying until one of my siblings took over that job. Every night, as we did the dishes, she would tell me about her students, describing how their brains worked, what she loved about them, and especially which kids she felt she wasn't reaching. She constantly searched for new ways to engage them, to help them learn the sounds that letters make, or why the product is smaller when you multiply two regular fractions. Sometimes, she was figuring out how to save a child's self-esteem as they faced traumatic family situations. She never gave up; she was always curious, analytical, and loving at the same time in her role as an educator. Every student is precious. Our responsibility is to educate them or get them into the hands of someone who can. The world needs our scholars.