The Education Insider Podcast with PRP Group

When was the last time you asked ChatGPT for a recommendation—and wondered why your brand wasn’t mentioned? That’s the problem at the center of this episode of The Education Insider. Host Jacob Hanson brings together PR thought leader Kristen Plemon and SEO/GEO expert Rachael Bly to unpack Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — a term that still makes most executives respond with, “What the heck i...

Episode Title: Beyond the Logo: Why Education Needs Bold Brands and Smart Strategy Guest: Joey Yorba, Managing Director, Super Top Secret Guest Website: wearetopsecret.com Guest LinkedIn: Joey Yorba Host: Jacob Hanson About Joey Yorba: Joey Yorba is the Managing Director of Super Top Secret, a creative agency that’s helped some of the world’s most recognizable brands—from Nike to Xbox—cut through...

" It’s not the sky falling—it’s the ground shifting. " Federal restructuring. State budget cuts. A surge in school choice and local control. The education landscape is undergoing a seismic shift—and companies that cling to national-only strategies risk being left behind. In this episode of The Education Insider, host Jacob Hanson is joined by Michael Campbell, President of Advancing Glob...

As universities move toward test-optional admissions, the standardized testing industry is at a crossroads. While critics argue that the SAT and ACT perpetuate inequality, others question how colleges can fairly evaluate students without a common metric. If standardized tests disappear, what replaces them? Host Jacob Hanson sits down with Adil Husain, founder of Emerging Strategy, and PR expert Kr...

The Value (and Necessity) of a District’s Strong Brand Identity  In an era of declining enrollment, school choice expansion, and crisis management, a strong brand identity is more crucial than ever for school districts. In this episode of The Education Insider , host Jacob Hanson sits down with Dr. Kecia Ray, former superintendent and founder of K20 Connect, to discuss why school districts must ta...

In our first episode since we became PRP Group, a Hawke Media Company, Jacob Hanson interviews Hawke’s CEO Erik Huberman, who has built Hawke into a marketing powerhouse that includes a venture capital arm and a proprietary AI platform for marketers. Erik (who also stars opposite Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer on the reality show “Kings of BBQ”) shares his insights into how marketing...

Join PRP’s CEO Jacob Hanson for the second part of his wide-ranging conversation with Ulster BOCES Superintendent Dr. Jonah Schenker. As Dr. Schenker shares Ulster’s journey toward a Deeper Learning mindset, the discussion takes a deep dive into the pivotal role of innovative leadership in transforming education. Hear Dr. Schenker’s thoughts on how budget allocations reflect districts’ values, the...

As a student, Dr. Jonah Schenker thrived outside the conventional classroom. As Superintendent at Ulster BOCES, he’s creating a productive, inclusive learning environment where everyone's uniqueness is celebrated.  In November 2023, Ulster earned the Deeper Learning Designation and will be hosting the first ever Leading for Deeper Learning conference in July. This is the first Deeper Learning...

After the twists and turns of the COVID years, 2023 was a stabilizing period in the education sector, even with fewer deals and tightened valuations. 2024 is now looking brighter, as capital markets show signs of recovery, making this an opportune moment for companies that have been biding their time—especially if they’re attending the ASU+GSV Summit on April 14-17. Whether you’re an educator, an...

PowerNotes’ founder and CEO Wilson Tsu, who writes with passion and clarity about the potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in education, says every company needs a clear AI usage policy. Tsu also schools PRP’s Chris Piehler in the developing art of “prompt engineering” and shares his hope that AI will improve education (and work) for people suffering from “writing anxiety.”

In this episode of The Education Insider Podcast Shorts, host Jacob Hanson riffs on a recent article featuring an administrator’s perspective on vendors in the education sector . He wholeheartedly agrees with Dr. Tracy Daniel-Hardy, a district-level director of technology, who says vendors need to “know what we do, how we do it, what we need to simplify our work, our pain points, and the parameter...

In a can’t-miss conversation with host Jacob Hanson, Julia Fallon , the executive director at SETDA, delves into the evolving landscape of educational technology, offering valuable insights and actionable advice. She shares thoughts on: Cybersecurity's growing importance in K-12 education; Crisis communications for education companies; SETDA’s role in edtech partnerships; and Market research a...

Kristen Plemon, PRP’s director of strategic storytelling & client success (say that ten times fast!) shares her extensive knowledge about how companies can stand out from the competition by building on a short unique value proposition that is truly unique. She also offers practical advice about messaging, the impact of customer stories, and the power of partnerships.

In a lively chat with PRP editorial director Chris Piehler, Susan Enfield, the award-winning Superintendent of Washoe County Schools, shares why she wants to work with “compassionate human beings,” why fall break is a good time to reach her, why AI will never trump human-to-human connection, and the correct way to pronounce “Nevada.”  

Collin Earnst is the founder and managing partner of  The EdTech Leadership Collective , which helps K-12 edtech companies build leadership capacity in their middle management. He joined Alison Deutsch, VP of curriculum assessment and data at  Lexia Learning , at the  T&L Ed Exec Summit . In today’s The Education Insider Podcast Short, Jacob Hanson chats with Collin about the summit and key ta...

On this Education Insider Podcast Short, Jacob interviews Chuck Amos, CEO of The Amos Group, about his panels at the Tech & Learning EdExec Summit, which focused on funding and government affairs. The Amos Group is the parent company of SchoolBondFinder & SchoolNetwork. SchoolBondFinder is the first comprehensive online database tracking K12 funding projects in the U.S., and SchoolNetwork...

After a lively couple of days of sessions and networking, PRP’s Kristen Plemon recorded her thoughts live from #TLTechLive ! Whether or not you were with us at Chateau Elan, you'll want to check out her 90-second rundown of her most important takeaway from the EdExec Summit!  

“I've ​been ​fortunate ​enough ​to ​speak ​at ​conferences ​around ​the ​world, and ​one ​of ​the ​things ​that ​I ​come ​away ​with ​is ​educators ​around ​the ​world ​are ​all ​trying ​to ​solve ​the ​same ​problems,” says Dr. Charles Khoury, who recently retired after a 49-year career in which he served as classroom teacher, assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintende...

Are you ready for the Tech & Learning EdExec Summit? I'm super excited to come and see all of you! FYI that there is a ride sharing opportunity from the airport. Reach out to me or Christine Weiser to learn more. It's a bit of a jump from the airport to this wonderful venue, so I encourage you to reach out: info@christineweiser.com . So drop her line and she will get you hooked up with...

Welcome to the first episode of  The Education Insider Podcast Shorts  from PRP Group. Our podcast shorts are a new series of 2-minute videos with timely info about what's happening in education, best practices for understanding your customers, and answers to listener questions about our episodes. In this episode, PRP Group co-founder and CEO Jacob Hanson introduces our podcast shorts and give...

If you've worked with PRP before, you might know Benjamin Bachman. Benjamin is the former Director of Marketing at PRP and is now the founder and CEO of  Identify. Solutions , where he helps companies bring ideas to life with no-code platforms like Airtable, SmartSuite, Zapier, etc. In addition to his expertise in creating user-friendly webapps, advanced prototypes, and more, Benjamin is a wiz...

Our good friends at Tech and Learning have revived EdNet, and so we are here to talk about their EdExec Summit with Dr. Kecia Ray. EdExec Summit Agenda  Early bird deadline: May 31 PRP is delighted to sponsor Tech & Learning's EdExec Summit, the new event for K12 executives that focuses solely on the business of education. The conference takes place at the Chateau Elan Resort in Atlanta on...

Rhea Kelly, the editor-in-chief of Campus Technology, talks with Chris Piehler about how the pandemic accelerated technology spending in higher ed, what tech issues universities are grappling with (Chat GPT, anyone?) and how edtech companies can connect with the real decision-makers at universities.

In this freewheeling chat with PRP’s Chris Piehler, Dr. Paula Love (aka The Funding Doctor) surveys the current K-12 funding landscape. She shares her insights on the changing roles of key decision-makers and offers practical advice about how edtech companies can help connect their customers with the enormous pool of funds that are available right now. 

Chris Piehler and Jason Innes , Director of Curriculum, Training, and Product Management at KinderLab Robotics , talk about validating education technolgoy products for the ed-tech market.