Having worked with charter/district school leadership programs for many years, I've been searching for a book like this. It's honest, practical, useful and encouraging. The authors wisely include both successes and mistakes. This is a terrific guide for those who want to create great new public schools, district or charter - and want to understand not only the challenges but also a variety of creative, effective ways to deal with them.

Joe Nathan, PhD, director, Center for School Change

Whether it is an urban school like Odyssey in Pasadena, California, or a rural school set in the mountains of North Carolina like Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, the leaders showcased in this book have one characteristic in common: they are missionaries who have been called to serve the needs of the students in their communities. Grit and a growth mindset are two of the most important requirements these servant-leaders possess. If you, too, have the desire to take on this Herculean task, read the book to see if you've got what it takes.

Rhonda Dillingham, executive director, NC Association for Public Charter Schools

In Journeys of Charter School Creators, Leahy and Shore peel back the many diverse layers of leadership revealing not only lessons in school leadership but in leadership as a field of study. Successful leadership is sustained through not only extraordinarily hard work and creativity, but through a marriage-like level of devotion and commitment to a set of shared values. This book is a valuable resource for aspiring and new charter school founders, education regulators and authorizers, legislators, and even traditional public school board members. While “Journeys” focuses on charter school leadership and creativity, the memorable lessons of its subjects apply to any organization.

Eddie Goodall, North Carolina State Senator; founder and director, NC Association of Public Charter Schools; 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award winner for his extensive work with charter schools

With all the attention paid to charter management organizations, it is refreshing reading the inspiring first-person accounts of the founders of seven successful independent charter schools corralled by Maria Leahy and Rebecca Ann Shore in Journeys of Charter School Creators. The journey metaphor works, with narratives explaining how the schools and roles of their founders evolved over time. Crucially, each school stayed true to its mission, and each founder stayed true to their school. Though their roles shift, great leaders see their schools as long-term passions---not stepping-stones to bigger opportunities elsewhere.

Robert Maranto, 21st Century Chair in Leadership, University of Arkansas; Fayetteville School Board, 2015-2020; editor, Journal of School Choice

A book about educational leadership that’s a “page-turner”? This work is that and more! In Journeys of Charter School Creators, Leahy and Shore bring us inside the exciting world of educational entrepreneurship, sharing victories and defeats, and reveal the core values that keep an organization united and on track for success. It doesn’t disappoint!

Pat McCrory, Governor, North Carolina