Hire Ground

Season 1 Finale: Lessons from the Hiring Season — and What's Next for Hire Ground Season 1 of Hire Ground started last August and ran the full length of the hiring season. In this finale, Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk close it out with the takeaways that actually stuck. It's also a transition episode. Josh is stepping back as a regular host to finish his dissertation, handing day-...

The Education System has a consistency problem. In this episode of Hire Ground , Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk sit down with a true titan of the field: Michael Moore . With a career spanning 52 years—from the classroom to the superintendent’s office to national leadership strategy—Moore has seen every initiative, reform movement, and pendulum swing the industry has produced. What emerges fr...

Brent Bushey has visited enough schools to know the difference between one that's working and one that isn't — and he says you can feel it before you see it. In this conversation, he shares what that feeling is made of, why the way we talk about teacher burnout may actually be making things worse, and what school leaders can do right now, inside whatever constraints they're working...

The K-12 world is changing faster than anyone can plan for, and the leaders who will thrive are those who can stay nimble without losing sight of what matters most: kids. In this episode, Christina sits down with Caitrin Wright, CEO of Silicon Schools Fund, to explore what great school leadership looks like at a moment when the pace of change is exponential. From the emergence of differentiated te...

In this episode, host Josh Czupryk sits down with Dacia Toll, co-founder and co-CEO of CourseMojo, to explore what it really takes to lead schools effectively in a post-COVID world. From rethinking how we hire and retain talent to leveraging technology for better student outcomes, Dacia shares hard-won insights from decades at the forefront of education leadership — and a fresh vision for what&apo...

In this episode, hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk explore how residency-based teacher training programs can tackle the growing teacher shortage - without sacrificing quality or affordability. Joined by Heather Kirkpatrick, Founder and President of Alder Graduate School of Education, the conversation unpacks what it actually takes to build a sustainable, community-rooted pipeline of educa...

In this episode of Hire Ground, hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk sit down with JoAnn Gama, founder of GEMS (Gama Education Management Services) and founder of IDEA Public Schools, to dive deep into school leadership, sustainability, and talent retention strategies. Joanne shares practical insights on building resilient educational systems, modeling sustainable leadership, supporting teac...

In this episode of Hire Ground, host Josh Czupryk sits down with Dr. Daniel Velasco, President and CEO of Ensemble Learning, for a practical, action-oriented conversation on what K-12 leaders can do right now to create welcoming, inclusive school environments where multilingual learners and families feel fully supported and valued. They dive into immediate steps for building trust through family e...

In this episode of Hire Ground , hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk explore the transformative power of neurodiversity in K12 leadership and hiring. Joined by David Flink, CEO and founder of the Neurodiversity Alliance, they discuss how recognizing and embracing cognitive differences can drive innovation, strengthen problem-solving, and build more effective teams. David shares his 26-year...

In Episode 10 of Hire Ground, host Josh Czupryk speaks with Niloy Gangopadhyay, Vice President for Teach For America's 35th Anniversary Summit. They reflect on TFA's 35-year legacy of producing more teachers and leaders than any other organization, while addressing current challenges in education. The conversation focuses on recapturing a positive, hopeful narrative around the profession...

In this special episode of Hire Ground, host Josh Czupryk sits down with Dr. Brandi Nicole Chin from the Opportunity Trust to discuss her new book, Hope Is Not a Strategy: How Great Leaders Build Real Accountability (releasing January 14, 2026). They explore why high-performing schools maintain exceptional teacher retention rates, even through challenging times, and how leaders can shift from fear...

In this episode of Hire Ground, hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk explore the transformative impact of AI on K12 education and leadership. They discuss how educators' roles are evolving, the importance of higher-order skills, experiential learning, and preparing students for a dynamic workforce. Joined by renowned education innovator Michael Horn, they dive into disruptive trends lik...

Faculty are leaving the profession in record numbers - but some schools are bucking the trend. In Episode 8 of Hire Ground, Christina and Josh explore the power of lab schools, university partnerships, and innovative district models that keep great teachers in classrooms. Joined by Dr. Sally Gates Parish, they dive into post-COVID leadership realities, why retention starts with reimagining the fac...

In this episode of Hire Ground , hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk dive into the power of community engagement in K12 leadership. Drawing from real-world examples in Memphis and Oakland, they explore how authentic partnerships with families build trust, drive equity, and sustain schools amid challenges like enrollment pressures and political shifts. Joined by Kimi Kean, CEO and co-founder...

HEADLINES:  ED is not abolished tomorrow. Congress still appropriates every dollar. What IS moving right now: $31 billion in annual grants — Title I, Title II, Title III, CSP, magnets, Indian Ed — shifting via Economy Act agreements to Labor, Interior, State, and HHS. Charter-specific bombshell: the Charter Schools Program and Title V-B facilities incentives just became the property of the Departm...

In this episode of Hire Ground , hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk sit down with Eric Hirsch, CEO of Ed Reports, to explore how high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) serve as a lifeline for K12 leaders. They discuss how HQIM drives teacher retention, stabilizes systems during leadership transitions, and reduces workload—creating sustainable conditions for success. The conversation a...

In this episode of Hire Ground, hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk tackle the growing crisis of leadership fatigue in K12 education. With teachers hesitant to step into school leadership and principals wary of central office roles, they explore how to make leadership sustainable again—amid political pressures, enrollment battles, and expanding demands. Joined by Natasha Trivers, current Ex...

The political landscape in K12 education is more complex than ever, influencing classrooms, schools, districts, networks, and state-level systems. In this episode of Hire Ground, hosts Christina Greenberg and Josh Czupryk explore how political headwinds shape the K12 leadership profile and the critical role of state education agencies (SEAs) in driving student outcomes. Joined by Kunjan Narechania...

The K12 Leadership Profile has shifted since COVID. Can a leader compartmentalize? Can the communicate with clarity? Can they manage the external noise and keep their leaders, faculty, staff, students, and families focused on an academic north star? In this episode, we explore the Leadership Profile for K12 organizations, how the profile has shifted, and what you can do as you continue to identify...

Successful hiring matches between leaders and organizations aren't accidents—they stem from clear conversations about what a role entails, how it drives impact, and the skills that ensure success. In this Hire Ground episode, we explore the candidate's journey in selecting roles and the organization's side in choosing talent, emphasizing alignment on every detail for the best outcom...

When will superintendents, CEOs, principals, and faculty look for 2026-27? It's earlier than you think.  Listen to Episode One to go on a journey to Hire Ground with Christina and Josh as we talk about the start of the 2025-26 school year, how to support and actively retain your current leaders and faculty, and how to think ahead to hiring for 2026-27 using the data. Hire Ground is the essent...