On this episode of Kids First, Keven Cohen welcomes back CR Ruszkowski of the South Carolina Children's Fund, joined by Superintendent Chris Neeley. CR shares the wide-ranging journey that brought him here, from teaching middle school in Miami-Dade to working at a national think tank to serving as a charter authorizer and Secretary of Education in New Mexico, and explains how all of it convinced him of one core belief: a child's zip code should never determine the quality of their education. He and Keven talk about what the Children's Fund actually does, bringing philanthropy, expertise, and connections to schools that are proving what is possible for students, including many in the public charter sector that have long gone without the same resources other schools enjoy. By the end of the year, the Fund will have put roughly two million dollars into the field.
The conversation then opens up into a bigger vision for what CR calls the new \"21st century education ecosystem,\" a world where families can weigh traditional, public charter, independent, homeschool, and other options side by side. He and Chris dig into the \"grand bargain\" at the heart of charter schools, the autonomy a school earns in exchange for real accountability, and why independent, local governance has become one of the quiet secrets to their success. They also turn to the communities that still have no options at all, the rural counties where a great school could change everything, and make the case that business, civic, and philanthropic leaders all have a role to play in getting there. It is a thoughtful, energizing look at how South Carolina can help every child thrive.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.southcarolinachildrensfund.org/
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