Karen Borchert of Alpaca explains what teachers say they need to succeed and what school leaders can do about it.

Karen Borchert is the founder and CEO of Alpaca, which was founded in Omaha in 2022 and publishes the School Culture Report 2026. She has a degree in education and started her career there.

Karen describes how Alpaca began with listening: she asked an educator if she could bring her coffee after school and hear about her job. As she puts it, "We thought that this was gonna be a subscription box company with a little tiny survey, and it turns out it's a survey platform with some care packages on the side."

The conversation covers what the School Culture Report found about teacher health, what teachers mean when they ask for time, and how leaders can listen and respond. Scott asks what a principal should do first thing on Monday, and Karen's answer is an activity called Start Stop Continue. Each teacher writes one thing they want their leader to start, one to stop and one to continue. Karen says, "Choose one of those things to do that you believe in as a leader and do it, and then tell your team you're doing it."

The School Culture Report 2026, free from Alpaca: https://hello.getalpaca.com/the-school-culture-report-2026

Alpaca: https://www.getalpaca.com/

Teaching Matters Podcast is hosted by Scott Titsworth, Professor of Instructional Communication in the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. The show is produced in collaboration with WOUB Public Media and the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact at Ohio University.

Questions or guest suggestions: Teachingmatterspodcast@ohio.edu