Bold By Choice Podcast | S3 E3: Designed with Students | Overview
In partnership with the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition
Overview
What happens when a school is not simply built for students, but designed with them. In Season 3, Episode 3 of the Bold By Choice Podcast, we head to Washington, DC to visit Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, a PK–8 public charter school where student voice, joyful learning, and genuine agency are built into the fabric of everyday life.
Our guest, Dr. Sundai Riggins, Executive Director and career educator, leads a school where young people are not passengers in the learning experience. They are partners.
A School Designed With Students at the Center
One of the clearest illustrations of the school’s philosophy is its spring production. What once appeared on a sheet of chart paper now operates as a fully student-led endeavor. Students manage props, costumes, makeup, and transitions. They solve problems in the moment, support one another backstage, and carry the responsibility for the entire show while adults quietly stand nearby.
Dr. Riggins describes the scene not as a performance, but as a reflection of the school’s core belief. When students are trusted with meaningful responsibility, they rise to it. And when adults design structures that support — rather than direct — students, real empowerment takes shape.
Inquiry at the Heart of Learning
Academics at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School are ambitious, but not in the traditional, page-turning sense. Instruction begins with big questions, the kind that spark curiosity and require students to make sense of the world around them. Learning experiences are built to help students discover answers, not receive them.
This approach has led to meaningful shifts in the upper grades, including Algebra I for all students, the addition of Geometry, and the intentional use of grade-level and above-grade-level texts to prepare students for high school. Data from MAP and DC assessments guide adjustments, but the driving goal remains constant: honor who students are today and shape learning around them, not the other way around.
A Community That Practices Publicly
The word “demonstration” in the school’s name is not symbolic. It describes a living philosophy. The school mentors early career educators through a robust residency model, invites visitors openly, and treats practice as “public, not perfect.” Instead of hiding challenges, the team shares them, learns from them, and models what it looks like to grow professionally in community.
Feedback flows in every direction. Students propose new electives and clubs. Surveys, letters, and portfolio reflections give the team insight into student experience. Families show up in large numbers for events like math nights, character parades, and performances. Alumni return to volunteer, read to younger students, and help with school events. Once woven into the community, students remain connected long after they leave.
Agency That Extends Beyond the School Walls
Dr. Riggins’ vision for the future is not centered on new initiatives. It is centered on deepening student agency. She wants students to practice advocacy now so they are prepared to use their voices in the wider world. She wants graduates who believe they deserve to be heard and who know how to step into spaces where their presence matters.
Her students also teach her something essential each year. Their joy is not an add-on. It is a form of strength and a reminder that a well-designed school community fuels curiosity, connection, and resilience.
Listen to the Episode
🎧 Season 3, Episode 3 – “Designed with Students”
Featuring Dr. Sundai Riggins, Inspired Teaching Demonstration School
If you care about student voice, joyful learning, and schools that treat children as whole human beings, this episode offers both inspiration and practical pathways forward.
