Episode 84: The Power of On-Campus Microschools. A Conversation with Robby Meldau.

We trace a principal’s journey from Teach For America to a nine-year commitment leading a high-need neighborhood school, then dive into how a microschool inside the campus turned behavior crises into growth and engagement. The result: fewer labels, more joy, and a practical path other schools can follow.

• why labels from tests and adults damage motivation and identity
• how a 10-student microschool structure lowers behavior issues
• the surprising success of introverts in small, intentional groups
• keeping ties to homeroom, electives, lunch, and campus culture
• student voice and choice as drivers of academic acceleration
• leadership longevity, trust, and ground-up innovation
• advice for launching microschools within districts
• focusing accountability on kids and families, not systems

About our guest
Robby Meldau is in his 14th year as a public school educator and 9th year as principal at Eisenhower Center For Innovation (ECFI), a PreK-6 neighborhood elementary school in Mesa, Arizona. Prior to arriving at Eisenhower, Robby was a 5th grade math and science teacher at Reyes Maria Ruiz Leadership Academy in South Phoenix. He entered teaching as a 2011 Teach For America Phoenix Corps Member and later worked in teacher training and support roles with Teach For America’s summer institute and Phoenix regional team. Robby has also served as a member of the Teach for America Arizona Alumni Board and as the President elect of the Mesa Association of School Administrators.

Connect with Robby
Eisenhower Center for Innovation

Got a story to share or question you want us to answer? Send us a message!

About the podcast
The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments.

Powered by Prenda Microschools, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being.

Got a burning question?
We're all ears! If you have a question or topic you'd love our hosts to tackle, please send it to podcast@prenda.com. Let's dive into the conversation together!

Important links:
• Connect with us on social
• Get our free literacy curriculum

Interested in starting a microschool?
Prenda provides all the tools and support you need to start and run an amazing microschool. Create a free Prenda World account to start designing your future microschool today. More info at ➡️ Prenda.com or if you're ready to get going ➡️ Start My Microschool