MARION, AL – November 2020 – After receiving the highest external evaluation score of the 2020 cycle, Mr. Darren Ramalho, a 2019 Alumni of Summer Principals Academy (SPA) at Teachers College Columbia University, received notice that his application for Breakthrough Charter School had been approved by the Alabama Public Charter School Commission and was on its way to becoming a reality. After transitioning out of the classroom in 2019, Ramalho fundraised nearly two million dollars for his dream of improving Alabama public schools with support from numerous local organizations in Perry County.

New Orleans, L.A. – November 2020 – Brittany Brooks, Deontré Clayton, and Courtney Green-Calhoun have been selected as the first-ever recipients of the Kenan Charitable Trust Scholarship. The KCT Scholarship at Summer Principals Academy | New Orleans (SPA|NOLA) is made possible by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, which serves to promote the importance of education and provides grants in the areas of education, arts, and arts education. Due to the generosity of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, Teachers College Columbia University prides itself on extending scholarship offers to aspiring school leaders in financial support of their attendance to SPA|NOLA.