The Better Learning Podcast is about improving education at all levels - Schools (public, charter, private, independent), Higher Education, & Corporate/Adult Learning. The major theme is to break down the silos and learn from others doing innovative things in education. We highlight innovative programs & initiatives, lessons learned, improvements to educational space, and real-world tactics while getting a deeper understanding of the people behind the innovation. Our guests include Heads of Schools, Superintendents, Principals, Entrepreneurs, Non-profit leaders and other innovators. Hosted by Kevin Stoller, CEO of Kay-Twelve.com & author of Creating Better Learning Environments.
Jan 30, 2018
Mike Sinclair currently serves as the principal of Brashier Middle College Charter High School in Simpsonville, SC. He has held this position since 2006 when he opened the school with the charter planning board. Brashier is located on a satellite campus of Greenville Technical College and serves 440 students in grades 9-12 though the middle College model providing dual enrollment courses. The student body annual performs within the top 10 high schools in South Carolina and 97%-100% graduate on time each year.
Mike graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1994 with a BA in Psychology and received a M.Ed. from Furman University in Educational Leadership in 2002. In 2012 he was selected as the SC Charter Principal of the Year, and in 2013, received the prestigious Milken Educator Award.
As a teacher, Mike was positioned to lead many professional development opportunities and was convinced that the quality of the teachers serving students was the key to success. He left the classroom in 2000 to serve as an Instructional Coach, and was assigned as the principal of a middle school in 2002. That middle school would change his perspective and passion for serving students. Why should a middle school principal be able to predict with fairly good accuracy which students would not graduate and which students would attend college? As a Title I principal from a small textile town without a lot of job opportunities, this did not rest well with him.
Today, Mike works closely with his staff to open opportunities for each of his students while working in state organizations and within state government pathways to challenge the traditional model of education and share his passion that every student is “Worth It”.
Website: Brashier Middle College Charter High School
Email: msinclair@bmcchs.org
Twitter: @BMCCHS
If you are interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great guest, please connect with Kevin Stoller