Customer Obsessed

Education and the Future of Work with Evan Meyers

Episode Summary

Are we educating students to thrive in our digital future? And what can we learn about engagement, community, and collaboration from the classroom? Evan Meyers, Founder of School in the Square, talks to us about the parallels between education and business, as well as the evolving needs of students and schools.

Episode Notes

In this episode, we’re talking to Evan Meyers, an educator and the founder of the charter school, School in the Square. Evan shares his journey from a career in finance to a calling in education. His unique approaches to learning, collaboration, and student empowerment are as applicable in the business world as in schools. From building community and navigating power dynamics to fostering engagement and curiosity, Evan’s practices are critical for any customer-obsessed organization, and the future of education.

Key Takeaways

• Some educational institutions still function like old-school big businesses, with a top-down 1950’s leadership style that is outdated. It may do better to yield to a collaborative approach in which students & stakeholders have equity. 
• Voices and choices matter, in school and in business.
• When deciding whether to make a change (career, life, etc.) there is no predicting the future, and no perfect solution. Sometimes a leap of faith is the only answer.
• Education matters to business because schools are fostering future leaders and a creative workforce. We need institutions which value students as creative individuals who can think and speak critically, are resilient, and have space to learn and grow.

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About Evan Meyers

Evan Meyers is an experienced and passionate educator and school leader committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity within the public education sphere. He is the founder and Executive Director of School in the Square Public Charter School located in Washington Heights, NYC. Under his leadership, School in the Square has expanded from a charter school initially approved to serve middle school grades 6 through 8 to include an elementary school that educates children in an immersive Spanish-English dual-language environment. 

Evan has worked tirelessly to ensure that School in the Square provides its families and the larger community with the economic, health and social welfare supports they need to provide children with the stability and security they need to thrive. As Evan’s vision of the role of public schools in underserved communities has become reality through School in the Square, the school has become an anchor institution in Washington Heights. 

Evan is a New York State-certified School Building Leader. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Evan received his Master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College. He began his teaching career as a founding History Teacher at the High School for Language and Diplomacy after a 20-year career in the financial sector.