Disrupt Education Podcast

This is an incredible conversation regarding the push and pull of educational systems and tangible solutions that are currently in play.  Peter Hostrawser hosts a conversation with Jessica Cavallaro and Simon Holzapfel in this episode of Disrupt Education.   Jessica Cavallaro is an innovator and change-maker in education. She co-founded The Agile Mind to build collaboration, connection, and commun...

Alli Privitt is a science educator, personal development coach, and academic success speaker. She is also the founder and CEO of My Friend Alli, LLC, an online consulting and coaching company committed to building lifelong personal learning and development in any environment. She believes purpose is found in the path of releasing perfection, moving consistently forward, and putting in the hard wor...

Rashad Singletary is currently a Physical Education Teacher, Football Coach and Club Sponsor of Best Buddies at Oak Park and River Forest High School. The school's motto is "Those things that are Best" and he strives to imbody that in all expects of his life, as a professional to his students and colleagues, as husband to his beautiful wife and as a father to his two amazing children.   Rashad gre...

Mike Dahle is the President of the Wisconsin High School Esports Association. Mike has spent 9 years as a Business Education teacher at Arrowhead high school and Elkhorn area school district. During that time, he learned about esports and it quickly became a passion. Mike helped build one of the first state associations in the country. Starting with only 7 schools and in 21-22, he helped officiall...

Julia Bruynseels is an elementary school teacher in Arizona.  She attended Bradley University in Peoria, IL. She is currently is planning to pursue a Masters Degree in Leadership From Arizona State University.  She has always wanted to be a teacher and talks about how we need to educate teachers about the reality behind teaching in the classroom.     Connect with her at juliabruynseels@gmail.com  ...

Bryan Peckhart is an experienced instructional leader with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. He currently is the Industry and Careers/Wellness Division Leader at Prairie ridge High School.    We talk about the amazing opportunities given to high school students through business education and job shadowing programs.     Connect with Bryan - https://www.linkedin...

Tom Liam Lynch is Director of Education Policy at the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School and Editor-in-Chief of InsideSchools. A former educational technology professor, English teacher, and school district official for the New York City Department of Education, Dr. Lynch led the implementation of a $50M online learning program in over 100 schools called iLearnNYC. He then architec...

Ryan Rechter has a passion for serving others in business and the community through education, connection and imagining win-win opportunities. His experiences across numerous industries in venture capital, operations, scaling, purpose driven business, finance, risk management and leadership allow him to live this purpose as an organizational leader and adviser to start-ups, small businesses and no...

Jonathan Lau is the Chief Operating Officer of InStride, the Strategic Enterprise Education™ partner of choice for businesses creating sustainable advantage and social impact through the continuous growth of their people. Jonathan is responsible for end-to-end learner success —helping learners make informed decisions that advance their career aspirations by delivering effective products, services,...

Alex Wenzel is the Principal of the Denver Center for International Studies at Fairmont in the Denver Public Schools.  Alex leads bold transformations of the underlying structures and motivations in educational institutions; toward inclusivity, cooperation, and improved quality of life for all. Craig Randall is driven to transform the world of teacher evaluation and observation through Trust-based...

Dr. Lynn Kepp is the Vice President of the Avid Center, a nonprofit assisting educators in closing the opportunity gap to prepare all students for college, career, and life. K-12 Dive recently put out a press release highlighting Avid’s focus on strategies for greater engagement, rigor, literacy, and equity in the classroom as schools begin to reopen for in-person learning.     Our...

Dr. PJ Caposey is an award-winning educator, keynote speaker, consultant and author of eight books who currently serves as the superintendent of schools for the nationally recognized Meridian CUSD 223 in Northwest Illinois.   Our conversation revolves around the challenges of being a school leader in rural areas, during the pandemic, and dealing with a teacher shortage.   Connect with Dr...

Superintendent Gregory J. Donovan knows what it takes to run a public school district, manage faculty and ensure success for all students, parents and employees. With over 40 years of public education experience, Superintended Donovan shares his background in education and his personal experiences throughout his time as an educator  Greg talks about the benefits of pursuing a career technical...

When Tressa Pankovits was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune's and CBS in Chicago, she covered the Chicago Public Schools on a regular basis - and that sparked in her the desire to someday play a role in improving public education policy.  Today, Tressa is the Co-Director of Reinventing America's Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute.   Tressa Talks about Teacher Burnout, U...

Curtis Valentine is in his third-term as At-Large Member of the Prince George's County Public School Board of Education where he serves on the Academic Affairs Committee. Curtis champions the increase of male educators through his Male Educator Network (MEN) of PGCPS. Curtis also champions increasing parental engagement of fathers through his #FatherhoodForum.   A graduate of Morehouse Colleg...

Corey Scott is a Internal Communications Specialist, an Education Enthusiast, and driven to help prepare new SPED Teachers for their First Day in the Classroom.  Corey shares his educational journey and his teaching experience where he decided he was not willing to continue in the system.  Corey transitioned out of the classroom into the private sector.  He also created Day One Teac...

Kevin Leichtman is an experienced teacher, with 8 years of experience teaching each grade level from 7-12th in ELA & reading, along with teaching college undergraduate courses on equity, diversity, and social justice. Kevin authored two books, "The Perfect Ten" and "Teacher's Guide to the Mental Edge." I am the co-founder of TLC Educate alongside his wife, Dr. Anala Leichtman. He also directs...

Episode 1 of the "Teacher Burnout Series."  Melodi Sterner talks about her learning journey and how she is pivoting in the profession of education to help thousands instead of hundreds.  She is an educator transitioning out of the classroom into the private sector.   Learn more about Melodi connecting with her on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodi-sterner/  The Disru...

Jalen Ponder is an entrepreneur who shares his learning journey.  Starting a marketing partnership at the age of 14 in Detroit, Jalen learned along the way how to launch and grow business.  Jalen has a strong work ethic and learns something every interaction he has in business.  Now as the CEO of Evendtor, he connects businesses and organizations to promote turn key events from star...

I speak with my son Henry Hostrawser about how he looks at school and having a job while in high school.  Continuing on the student voice series, Hank talks about being in high school through Covid and how he balances his job and school work.  Hank is a Junior at Riverside-Brookfield High School in Brookfield, Illinois.   The Disrupt Education Podcast is a proud member of The EdUp E...

When the pandemic hit, Seth Raphael found an opportunity to fix a problem missing classes online.  He created LinkJoin.  Now as a freshman in high school, he shares his learning journey and how he would change things in school.  His version of learning along with many students varies, and that is exactly what Seth suggests school systems lean into... a variety of ways to allow stude...

Episode 1 for 2022!  Kicking off student voice month, Shrobana Sengupta talks about her experience in private schools.  As a senior in high school, she suggests that we drop some of the basics of high school curriculum and add more variety in courses in order to help students identify more of what they are really interested in before their next level of education.   Connect with Shr...

2021 is a wrap for the podcast.  It was one hell of a year.  Disrupt education podcast host Peter Hostrawser reflects on why he started the podcasts, a quick recap of the year and what is coming in 2022. The Disrupt Education Podcast is a proud member of The EdUp Experience Podcast Network #rebelteachernetwork Check out our sponsors below eLearning Partners Need help starting your eLearn...

Maureen O'Shaughnessy helps schools become more inclusive and empowering spaces for all learners, using her vast experience of leading schools and setting up her own schools.  She is a career educational activist with over 30 years of transforming learning in schools to better serve all students. Maureen is on a mission to connect the dots between education, belonging, and youth empowerment....

Tanya Sheckley and UP Academy is reinventing education by customizing learning for each student, integrating project-based learning throughout its curriculum, and supporting students with disabilities to attend alongside able-bodied students in mixed-age classrooms. Inspired by the will, drive, and desire of her daughter, Eliza, who was born in 2009 with cerebral palsy, UP Academy is proving that...