Disrupt Education Podcast

Disrupt Education Podcast

Disrupt Education began in 2015 when Peter Hostrawser, inspired by an EF Tour to Europe, saw students reimagine education and heard Sir Ken Robinson challenge the status quo. This sparked Peter’s mission to rethink the stagnant system. The podcast shares diverse stories from learners, educators, and EdTech innovators, offering fresh perspectives and pushing boundaries to create an education system that truly empowers students. Join Peter Hostrawser and co-host Alli Dahl today!

  1. 423 College Is Broken? Why Internships Beat GPA Every Time

    4D AGO

    423 College Is Broken? Why Internships Beat GPA Every Time

    What happens after you hit stop on a conversation that challenges everything you thought you knew about grades, college, and internships? In this recap episode of the Disrupt Education Podcast, Peter Hostrawser and Alli Dahl unpack their recent conversation with Brandon Busteed and go even deeper into what it all means. Peter shares the full circle moment of first hearing Brandon speak a decade ago and how that research on experiential learning helped shape the Disrupt Education movement. Alli connects the dots between her own early work experiences and the idea that we need to value the learning from all work, not just what happens in a classroom. They wrestle with big questions. If grades are inflated, what are they really measuring?Why are internships still not scaled in higher education?Are students going into debt for something employers are not prioritizing? What would happen if we treated work as learning from day one? This episode is about mindset shifts, internships, work based learning, and redefining what signals real readiness. If last week’s conversation made you think, this one will push you further. The data is there. The opportunity is there. The question is whether education and industry are ready to align. A quick thank you to our sponsor, YouScience Brightpath, the next generation platform helping students make personalized decisions as they move from education to career. If you are serious about connecting students to real opportunities, head to youscience.com/disrupteducation-podcast. Request a demo and let them know you heard about YouScience right here.Check out more at DisruptEducationPodcast.com

    44 min
  2. 422 Harvard’s GPA Problem: Why Internships Matter More Than Grades

    FEB 18

    422 Harvard’s GPA Problem: Why Internships Matter More Than Grades

    What if the “A” isn’t proof of learning anymore? In this episode of the Disrupt Education Podcast, Peter Hostrawser and Alli Dahl sit down with Brandon Busteed to challenge one of education’s biggest sacred cows: grades. Brandon drops a stat that should stop every educator and parent in their tracks: 60% of grades at Harvard are A’s (up from about 25% two decades ago). So… what does an A even mean now? From there, the conversation goes exactly where schools need to go next: Why grades and GPA often don’t predict real job performance Why students need internships and work-integrated learning more than “perfect transcripts” The internship gap: millions of students want internships, but far fewer actually get them Brandon’s bold solution: the 5% Internship Pledge—and how it could scale opportunity fast How we shift the culture to value learning from all work (yes—even retail and “starter” jobs) Brandon also shares what he’s building through Edconic: immersive industry learning experiences that are co-designed and co-taught by educators and industry experts—giving students real exposure, real feedback, and real skill-building that actually transfers.If your school is still living and dying by grades… this episode is your wake-up call. Connect with Brandon Busteed at https://www.linkedin.com/in/busteed/A quick thank you to our sponsor, YouScience Brightpath — the next-generation platform helping students make personalized decisions as they move from education to career. If you’re serious about connecting students to real opportunities, head to youscience.com/disrupteducation-podcast. Request a demo and let them know you heard about YouScience right here.

    53 min
  3. 421 Traditional Field Trips Are Failing High School Students

    FEB 11

    421 Traditional Field Trips Are Failing High School Students

    A spicy LinkedIn post about field trips lit up the internet—and this episode is the why behind the fire. Here is the post that started it all - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peterhostrawser_disrupteducation-cte-careerreadiness-activity-7382071108952498176-O__x?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAAm03zEBGi3ZOO_BO8D4Sr3zhuz2I4cEmLI In this conversation, Peter and Alli unpack the unpopular opinion that traditional high school field trips often miss the mark. Not because experiences don’t matter—but because too many trips are disconnected, passive, and designed as checkboxes instead of catalysts for growth. This episode goes far beyond buses and permission slips. It’s about intentional design. You’ll hear:- Why most high school field trips don’t actually change student direction or outcomes- The difference between career awareness and career readiness—and why timing matters- How “field trips” should evolve into field experiences, micro-experiences, and real community work- Powerful real-world stories involving Hyatt, Coca-Cola, Calamos, and students performing in front of real executives- Why reflection, durable skills, and value creation matter more than tours and sit-and-gets- How districts can reduce burnout by shifting from isolated teacher efforts to system-wide experience design This is not an anti-field-trip rant.It’s a challenge to rethink them. If you care about student engagement, work-based learning, durable skills, or connecting school to real life—this episode is for you. Head to www.disrupteducationpodcast.com for more!

    42 min
  4. 420 Disrupting Education in 2026: What CTE Leaders Told Us

    FEB 4

    420 Disrupting Education in 2026: What CTE Leaders Told Us

    What happens when you ask 500+ CTE leaders one simple question: “How are you disrupting education in 2026?” At ACTE CareerTech VISION in Nashville, Alli Dahl and Peter Hostrawser put that question on the screen, dropped a QR code, and let the field speak. This episode is the result — real responses from real leaders who are done with “CTE as a second choice” and ready to treat schools like talent hubs. In this conversation, we break down the biggest themes we heard: CTE isn’t a side pathway — it’s infrastructure for relevance If learning isn’t real, it doesn’t stick (experience are greater than worksheets) Industry partnerships are shifting into co-design AI/VR aren’t “flash” — they’re a force multiplier for personalization (when used with purpose) The hardest disruption is adult disruption: hard conversations, real accountability, real readiness Success metrics are getting rewritten (hint: “college enrollment” isn’t the whole story) If you’re building pathways, work-based learning, youth apprenticeships, or just trying to make school matter again — this one will hit. 🎧 Subscribe for more “Bold 2026” conversations📌 Drop a comment: What’s ONE way you’re disrupting education this year? www.DisruptEducationPodcast.com

    55 min
  5. 419 Education's Zero-to-One Moment - pega6 Series Episode 4

    JAN 28

    419 Education's Zero-to-One Moment - pega6 Series Episode 4

    Episode 4 is the pause-and-process moment after a truly disruptive series. Peter and Alli step back to unpack the emotional, mental, and professional reactions sparked by the pega6 conversation. This episode isn’t about selling a model — it’s about acknowledging the discomfort that comes when a system you trusted, went through, and maybe even thrived in… starts to crack. They explore why failure is still treated as something to avoid in education, how perfection quietly kills progress, and why the hardest part of disruption isn’t the model — it’s the zero-to-one mindset shift required to even consider it. From chemistry labs to internships, pull-ups to professional growth, this episode connects the dots between experiential learning, real-time coaching, intentional friction, and what it actually takes to prepare learners for a fast-moving, AI-driven workforce. Big questions tackled: - Why does disrupting education trigger fear and nostalgia at the same time?- What does “workforce engineering” really mean — and why does it make people uncomfortable?- Why high engagement and accountability still require humans, not systems- How zero-to-one learning shows up everywhere, not just careers This is the episode for educators, parents, and leaders who felt something during the series — even if they didn’t fully agree with it yet. If you came this far... head to www.pega6.com/dep You won't be disappointed! Check out www.disrupteducationpodcast.com for more!

    47 min
  6. 418 The pega6 Blueprint Universities Can’t Copy - pega6 Series Episode 3

    JAN 21

    418 The pega6 Blueprint Universities Can’t Copy - pega6 Series Episode 3

    In Episode 3, Peter and Alli stop talking about what’s broken and start building the alternative in real time — the pega6 model. Jeremy Smith takes everyone into the “why now” moment: he’s been sitting on this idea for 15 years, watching college get more expensive and less useful, until the market finally hit a tipping point. Parents, students, and employers aren’t just annoyed anymore… they’re done. Then the episode gets tactical. Jeremy explains why universities can’t pivot into a one-year, career-focused, experiential model (even if they wanted to), because their incentives, culture, and infrastructure literally won’t allow it. That opens the door for a new category of higher ed — not “college,” not bootcamps, not apprenticeships — but a white-collar trade school built for the AI age. Big takeaway: Pega 6 is about graduating students as “Pegasus” — AI-first entry-plus employees with real technical skills, real soft skills, and the ability to deliver on day one… while being four years and ~$300K ahead of the traditional path. If you came this far... head to www.pega6.com/dep You won't be disappointed!

    1h 28m
  7. 417 Workforce Engineering for the AI Age - pega6 Series Episode 2

    JAN 14

    417 Workforce Engineering for the AI Age - pega6 Series Episode 2

    After lighting up the college model in Episode 1, Peter and Alli come back with the real question: if higher ed is broken… what replaces it? Jeremy Smith (PEGA6 co-founder/CEO) answers with one phrase that frames the entire episode: workforce engineering. Jeremy argues that education shouldn’t be treated like a pipeline where students just get moved along. It should be treated like a supply chain where value is added at every stage—because the goal is not “school completion,” it’s readiness for the next step. And in his model, the customer isn’t the student (even though they pay)—the customer is the employer, because that’s where the best jobs and opportunities get decided. From there, Jeremy breaks “job-ready” into three non-negotiables for the AI age: Technical Skills — not “theory,” but real, usable tools and mechanics of the job (he references things like industry tools and workflows). Soft Skills — communication, professionalism, managing up, teamwork—the things that make people actually promotable and trusted. AI-First Approach — not just knowing AI tools, but thinking AI-first to accelerate work, then finishing with human judgment and technical fundamentals. Then the conversation gets spicy again—in the best way: Jeremy calls out the “college builds critical thinking” claim as a myth, arguing real critical thinking is a concrete set of skills (biases, logic, stats, fallacies) that most students aren’t systematically taught. Alli challenges the framing: “Are we just building workers? What about leaders?” Jeremy’s answer is timing: optimize for the next step first, then build leadership later through real experience (and future “Pegas7”-type progression). Peter hits the big fear word: pigeonholing. Jeremy flips it—being “open to everything” but skilled at nothing isn’t optionality; being skilled creates mobility. And the solution for students who don’t know their path is better “routing” earlier—he directly connects this to aptitude/fit tools like YouScience. The episode ends with a clean cliffhanger: next week they go inside PEGA6—how it’s being built, what the accelerator experience looks like, and how close it is to launch. If you came this far... head to www.pega6.com/dep You won't be disappointed!

    1h 3m
  8. 416 University Slayer: Higher Ed's Tipping Point - pega6 Series Episode 1

    JAN 7

    416 University Slayer: Higher Ed's Tipping Point - pega6 Series Episode 1

    Welcome to 2026 — and the Disrupt Education Podcast’s 10th year — with one word leading the charge: Bold. Peter and Alli kick off a brand-new 4-part series with Jeremy Smith, founder and CEO of PEGA6, and he doesn’t tiptoe into the conversation… he kicks the door in. Jeremy shares his path from investment banking and multiple startup exits to building what he calls a totally new kind of higher ed: a one-year, $15K, career accelerator designed for the AI age. His claim is simple and explosive: the only thing most universities reliably provide is a “stamp,” not real readiness. Students leave with debt, time lost, and too often no practical skills—while employers are stuck spending the first year turning new hires from zero to one. From there, the episode gets real: Jeremy argues universities only lower prices when forced by real competition (and he believes universities can’t compete with a faster, cheaper, experiential model). He breaks down who gets harmed by the status quo (parents, students, employers… basically everyone) and who benefits (universities). He connects the entry-level job squeeze to a brutal reality: AI tools don’t have to be amazing to replace grads—because many grads show up unprepared. The conversation also hits a key instructional truth you and I both love: skills only develop through doing. Jeremy uses the bike-riding analogy to torch the lecture-test-textbook model for skill-building, pushing “just-in-time fundamentals” after failure and experience—not frontloaded theory. The episode ends by teasing Part 2: Workforce Engineering, and Jeremy’s belief that education should function less like a pipeline and more like a supply chain—starting with what employers actually need and building backward from there. This isn’t a polite conversation about education reform. It’s a blueprint to burn down a broken model and build something that actually prepares students to win alongside AI. If you came this far... head to www.pega6.com/dep You won't be disappointed!

    1h 2m
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4.5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

Disrupt Education began in 2015 when Peter Hostrawser, inspired by an EF Tour to Europe, saw students reimagine education and heard Sir Ken Robinson challenge the status quo. This sparked Peter’s mission to rethink the stagnant system. The podcast shares diverse stories from learners, educators, and EdTech innovators, offering fresh perspectives and pushing boundaries to create an education system that truly empowers students. Join Peter Hostrawser and co-host Alli Dahl today!

Information

  • Creator
    Disrupt Education Podcast
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    418
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Disrupt Education Podcast
  • Show Website
    Disrupt Education Podcast