One Suspension in Two Years: Lee Roland's Tulakes Turnaround

One Suspension in Two Years: Lee Roland's Tulakes Turnaround

Lee Roland led a school turnaround through relationships at Tulakes Elementary - starting with trust, adult culture, and the belief that families had already sent the best children they had. He says the school's final two years under his leadership saw one student suspended, stronger achievement, and teachers waiting for openings. Summary Lee sits down with Jed to trace the roots of that leadership model: growing up in Spencer during the 1960s and 1970s, watching national violence and the civil-rights struggle through a child's eyes, and learning from a father who pastored and a mother who taught. Those experiences shaped his conviction that children who are marginalized economically or socially deserve adults who see their full worth. At Tulakes, Lee says progress began when the adults stopped treating relationships as a side issue. Teachers needed to trust one another and their principal. Parents needed to feel respected. Students needed to hear that expectations existed for their benefit, not simply for adult control. Lee also explains why he changed as little as possible in year one, how shared power allowed teachers to lead, and why a person can hold a leadership position while nobody is truly following. The conversation closes by carrying the Tulakes model into churches, businesses, nonprofits, and public life: healthy organizations make it safe for quiet or overlooked people to bring their full selves, and justice is measured partly by the world adults leave to children. What You'll Hear * How Lee's childhood in Spencer shaped his concern for marginalized children * Why Tulakes started with teacher trust, parent respect, and student belonging * The first-year decision to change almost nothing before changing the culture * How the school moved toward stronger achievement, near-zero suspensions, and a teacher waiting list * Why shared power, vulnerability, and listening matter in schools, churches, and organizations Chapters * 00:00 - Meet Lee Roland * 01:16 - Spencer, civil rights, and empathy * 04:39 - Experience, purpose, and justice * 07:54 - The Tulakes turnaround * 10:36 - Relationships before curriculum * 13:56 - Change almost nothing in year one * 17:18 - One suspension in two years * 20:30 - What school looks like in heaven * 23:29 - Sharing power and building trust * 25:00 - When leaders are out front but no one follows * 31:39 - Voyage Consulting and healthy organizations * 38:29 - Leaving children a better world About Lee Lee Roland is a longtime Oklahoma educator, pastor, author, and leadership consultant with more than 35 years of professional experience. His career has included teaching, school administration, service as principal of Tulakes Elementary, and executive leadership roles. He founded Voyage Consulting to help schools, businesses, nonprofits, and churches strengthen leadership, trust, parent and community engagement, and organizational culture. Guest & Resource Links * Voyage Consulting - https://voyageconsulting.co/ [https://voyageconsulting.co/] - Official site and service overview. * Email - lee@voyageconsulting.co [lee@voyageconsulting.co] - Public contact listed by Voyage Consulting. * Phone - Public contact listed by Voyage Consulting: 405-650-6553. * Tulakes Elementary - https://academy.putnamcityschools.org/o/TE [https://academy.putnamcityschools.org/o/TE] - Official Putnam City Schools campus page. * Fantastic Voyage: A Story of School Turnaround and Achievement by Overcoming Poverty and Addressing Race - Author: Lee Roland Published: January 16, 2017 Official purchase link: Purchase on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997398450] Publisher: Storied Publishing, under Gray Sparrow Books ISBN: 978-0-9973984-5-8 - Subscribe to Voices of OKC for more conversations with the people shaping this city. - Share this episode with a teacher, principal, pastor, or organizational leader who is trying to change culture without losing people.   City Center serves youth and families across Oklahoma City through practical support, mentorship, and relationships rooted in dignity. Through VOICES of OKC, students help tell the stories of the people shaping our city while building skills, confidence, and a deeper connection to their community. #VoicesOfOKC #OklahomaCity #SchoolLeadership

Zack Davis: Quanah Parker's Descendant on Heritage, Hustle, and Home

Zack Davis — OKC realtor, investor, and host of the Keep Going Podcast — is a direct descendant of Quanah Parker. He shares the story of his first Comanche gourd dance, two years after losing his grandfather, and the $300-paycheck low point that nearly ended his real estate career before it started. What this conversation explores: - Growing up in Del City and Moore with a single mom and "a lot of alone time" - Basketball as first identity and first community - Comanche and Caddo heritage, and descent from Quanah Parker - His first gourd dance — the eagle wing, the elders, his grandfather's medicine - The garage moment: $300 every two weeks and best friends who said keep going - People-over-money selling, calmness, and getting 1% better Chapters: 00:00 Meet Zack Davis 01:26 Del City, Moore, and growing up with alone time 04:09 Basketball becomes an identity 07:39 Losing a friend at 21 08:56 Comanche & Caddo heritage and the Quanah Parker lineage 14:41 The first gourd dance and the eagle wing 19:59 Walk-on years: no minutes, no quit 21:52 The garage moment: $300 every two weeks 22:52 Fired on a technicality 25:56 People over money: how he sells 29:42 Keep going: advice for anyone on the edge 34:17 The Keep Going Podcast & how to reach Zack About the Guest: Zack Davis is a realtor with Copper Creek Real Estate and a real estate investor with Local Guy Buys Houses in Oklahoma City, working in real estate since 2017 and licensed since 2019. He hosts the Keep Going Podcast and is Comanche and Caddo, a direct descendant of Quanah Parker. Connect with Zack: Instagram: @zdsellsokc Phone: 405-740-5399 Follow Voices of OKC wherever you listen so you never miss a story from the people shaping Oklahoma City.

The Pilot Who Saw Freedom Behind Prison Walls with Blake Raney

Blake Raney expected aviation to be about flying. Over time, it became a way to serve people who often feel unseen. Blake, founder of SPAIRROW, joins Jed Chappell for a conversation about aviation, calling, business as service, prison ministry, fatherhood, and building a foundation before the storm. He shares how an unexpected appointment to Oklahoma’s aerospace and aeronautics work challenged his confidence, how a business relationship changed the way he thought about work, and what he saw the first time he walked into a prison. The conversation also moves into the story of Blake and Anna’s daughter Kennedy, her heart surgery, and the moments that reminded their family they were not alone. Content note: This conversation includes discussion of prison, addiction, abusive or absent fathers, infertility, and infant heart surgery. Nothing is graphic. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR - How Blake’s lifelong pull toward aviation became a business and calling - Why SPAIRROW was built around helping people feel seen and valued - What Blake saw in prison that changed his understanding of freedom - Why fatherhood, accountability, and leadership matter for breaking cycles - The story of Kennedy’s surgery and why Blake says to build your foundation before the storm CHAPTERS 00:00 Blake Raney, Oklahoma roots, and family 06:04 Aviation, entrepreneurship, and the pull to fly 08:08 The appointment that challenged Blake’s confidence 10:12 YouVersion, Scripture, and knowing God personally 13:02 A TBM opportunity and business as a tool 17:29 SPAIRROW, the God who sees, and serving with purpose 22:26 What SPAIRROW provides for aircraft owners 23:27 Prison ministry, George Medley, and unexpected confirmation 29:02 Finding freedom inside prison walls 32:43 Fathers, leadership, and breaking cycles 35:55 Small decisions that take a life off course 38:25 Kennedy’s surgery story and faith before the storm ABOUT BLAKE RANEY Blake Raney is the founder of SPAIRROW, an Oklahoma City-based aviation company focused on aircraft management, brokerage, maintenance, and pilot services. He also serves as the District 5 commissioner on the Oklahoma Aerospace and Aeronautics Commission. Blake and his wife, Anna, live in Oklahoma City with their daughter, Kennedy. LINKS SPAIRROW: https://www.flyspairrow.com/ SPAIRROW Services: https://www.flyspairrow.com/services Oklahoma Aerospace and Aeronautics Commission: https://oklahoma.gov/aerospace/about/commission.html YouVersion Bible App: https://www.youversion.com/ VOICES of OKC: https://www.voicesofokc.com/ City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/ VOICES of OKC is a student-produced civic podcast from City Center spotlighting the people, stories, and ideas shaping Oklahoma City. City Center champions youth and families in under-resourced communities by creating empowered pathways to relief and restoration. Subscribe to VOICES of OKC for thoughtful conversations with the people shaping Oklahoma City. Share this episode with someone who cares about faith, leadership, fatherhood, aviation, or the work of helping people feel seen. #VOICESofOKC #OklahomaCity #FaithAndLeadership

From Jamaica to Oklahoma City: Chef Andrew Black on Food, Work, and Home

Chef Andrew Black, Oklahoma City restaurateur and 2023 James Beard Award winner, traces the discipline behind his work - from Saturday mornings in his grandmother's Jamaican kitchen to building restaurants in the city he now calls home. He and Jed Chappell talk about consistency, mentorship, staying present, handling roadblocks, and creating businesses that serve more than the people at the table.

What Oklahoma City Cannot Lose as It Grows with Brad Carter

Brad Carter, Oklahoma City’s Ward 1 Councilman, joins Jed Chappell to ask what the city must protect as it grows. They discuss transparent public service, listening across political divides, jobs and AI, recovery, homelessness, and the Oklahoma Standard Carter hopes will still define OKC for the next generation.