Selling into schools is rarely as straightforward as most teams expect.

District leaders are navigating competing priorities, long approval cycles, staffing challenges, and increasing pressure to justify every decision. At the same time, EdTech companies are trying to build trust, move deals forward, and prove their value in a crowded market.

Nancy Livingston, CEO of the National Summer School Initiative (NSSI), joins Elana for an honest conversation about what actually drives K-12 purchasing decisions and why so many organizations misunderstand the realities of selling into education.

Drawing from experience on both sides of the table, Nancy shares what surprised her most after moving from district leadership into sales, where deals typically stall, and why trust-building looks very different in education than in other industries.

The conversation explores the tension between empathy and momentum, the hidden complexity of procurement, and the role marketing plays in helping districts feel informed, confident, and ready to move forward.

If your team is trying to better understand how decisions really happen inside schools, this episode offers a grounded look at the process behind the partnership.

What You’ll Learn

• Why K-12 sales cycles are far more complex and relationship-driven than most teams expect
• How empathy, trust, and timing shape whether deals move forward or stall out
• Why the status quo is often a stronger competitor than another vendor
• What district leaders actually look for before committing to a partnership
• How procurement, funding structures, and internal approvals quietly influence decision-making
• The role marketing plays in building credibility long before a sales conversation begins

Why it Matters

Too many organizations approach education sales as a faster-moving commercial process. But school systems do not make decisions in isolation, and they rarely move quickly without trust, alignment, and internal clarity.

Nancy’s perspective is a valuable reminder that successful partnerships are built through patience, responsiveness, and a real understanding of how districts operate. For marketers especially, this shifts the work away from pushing urgency and toward creating the kind of credibility and education that helps decisions move forward over time.

Hello, World!

Most education brands know email should be their strongest channel and yet it rarely delivers on its potential. Between inconsistent sends, generic copy, and the pressure to sound “professional,” messages that could build real connection often end up sounding like noise.

Email strategist Liz Wilcox joins Elana to share how education organizations can shift from transactional messaging to meaningful communication. She breaks down why simplicity outperforms polish, how to build trust through steady, human touchpoints, and what the best senders are doing differently.

She outlines her “follower, friend, customer” framework, a 20-minute approach to writing newsletters that actually get read, and the mindset shift from selling to serving. Liz also explains how a strong onboarding sequence sets the tone for every future interaction—and why owning your mistakes in email can make people trust you more, not less.

If you’ve ever hesitated to hit send or wondered what to say next, this episode will reset how you think about email.

What You’ll Learn

• Why email should be the backbone of your marketing strategy—not an afterthought
• How to turn your list into a community through consistency and simplicity
• The “follower, friend, customer” model for long-term trust and engagement
• The 20-minute newsletter framework that makes authentic communication sustainable
• How to balance professionalism with personality (and why both matter)
• Why transparency, even in mistakes, builds loyalty faster than polish

Quick Wins from the Lightning Round

• Short, conversational subject lines outperform everything else
• The best send time is whenever you’ll actually send—consistency matters most
• Always use a P.S., it’s prime real estate
• Keep stories short and useful
• Stop overcomplicating; simple emails build trust faster

Why It Matters

The difference between noise and connection isn’t design or frequency; it’s trust. Liz reminds us that effective email marketing comes from showing up consistently, sounding like a real person, and making every message worth opening. When we stop chasing perfection and start focusing on relationships, email becomes less of a tactic and more of a long-term advantage.

There’s a shift happening in how technology is being talked about in education.

Questions around screen time, student well-being, and the role of EdTech are becoming more visible. At the same time, educators are still navigating the day-to-day reality of using these tools to support learning, manage time, and stay effective in the classroom.

That tension is creating a more layered conversation.

Elana Leoni sits down with educator, author, and Ditch That Textbook founder Matt Miller, a voice that resonates widely with teachers and regularly collaborates with education brands. Together, they unpack what is actually happening beneath the surface, from how teachers want to be supported to how technology and AI are showing up in real classrooms.

The conversation centers on a core question that continues to evolve. What is the true role of EdTech, and how do we ensure it stays grounded in teacher and student learning?

There’s a noticeable shift happening in how technology is being talked about in education.

What used to be a more measured conversation about tradeoffs and use is starting to move in a broader direction. In some cases, the conversation is moving faster than the reality inside classrooms, where educators are still figuring out how to use tools in thoughtful, practical ways.

That gap is becoming more visible.

At the same time, marketers are navigating a different kind of shift. AI is changing how content is surfaced and cited, and social media is starting to influence how professionals are discovered and evaluated in new ways.

In this field notes episode, Elana Leoni shares what she is seeing across both of these dynamics. She brings in perspectives from educators, connects them to what marketers should be paying attention to, and offers practical guidance on how to navigate this moment with more clarity and intention.

The episode show notes: http://leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcast

Jordan Moldenhauer

March 26, 2026

There is a growing gap between how education is marketed to and how it is actually experienced inside schools.

Leaders are navigating full days that require constant context switching, balancing relationships with students and teachers, operational demands, and long-term decisions about tools and systems.

At the same time, marketers and vendors are trying to break through with messages about value, innovation, and now, AI.

In this episode, Elana Leoni sits down with Chris Lehmann, founding principal of Science Leadership Academy, to ground that gap in reality. Chris shares what his day actually looks like, how he evaluates vendors, where marketing efforts fall apart, and what earns his attention over time. The conversation then moves into AI, where the tension between possibility and risk is not theoretical. It is showing up daily in classrooms, policies, and conversations about integrity.

This episode is a candid look at what it means to engage education leaders in a way that is useful, honest, and sustainable.

Explore the rest of the episode show notes here.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Education marketing often feels like two different worlds moving at once. The technology ecosystem shifts quickly, with AI tools introducing new ways for expertise to be discovered and trusted. At the same time, schools move on an entirely different rhythm shaped by academic calendars, testing seasons, and budget cycles.

For marketers in this space, success rarely comes from chasing every new tactic. It comes from understanding the signals that actually shape decisions inside schools.

In this “Field Notes” episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana Leoni reflects on several signals that have surfaced recently across AI, email marketing, and the education buying cycle. The discussion explores what LinkedIn’s role in AI responses may mean for professional authority, why unsubscribes are healthier for email programs than many teams assume, and how the spring portion of the school year affects marketing priorities.

Review the show notes: www.leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcasts/rai-signals-email-myths-and-spring-edtech

2 education has always required a different kind of sales approach. Long buying cycles. Multiple stakeholders. Deep accountability to students, families, and communities. But the environment today feels more measured than it did just a few years ago. District leaders are scrutinizing spend, thinking carefully about sustainability, and asking harder questions about long-term impact.

We are not operating in the same ESSER-funded landscape that allowed for rapid pilots and flexible experimentation. Funding conversations now center on justification, alignment, and durability. AI may be accelerating attention, but caution is shaping decisions.

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana Leoni sits down with Shelby Jones of FuelK12 to explore what that shift means for education sales and marketing teams. They unpack ghosting, budget objections, the tension between depth and scale, and the structural misalignment that often exists between marketing and sales. The conversation stays practical, focused on what actually builds trust inside districts right now.

See the resources and show notes here.

Education marketing is getting squeezed from both sides. Buyers are moving slower and asking for more proof, while the marketing landscape is moving faster than most teams can realistically track. AI is changing how people search and evaluate credibility. Conferences are still a major growth channel, but they are expensive and hard to measure. And social platforms keep rewriting the rules midstream.

In this solo “Field Notes” episode, Elana Leoni surfaces practical signals from the last few weeks across AI, conferences, K–12 funding, and social media. The throughline is focus. What matters now is less about chasing every update, and more about building a marketing system that can hold up in a noisy, high-scrutiny, high-stakes category.

Link to the episode show notes.

State education agencies are moving faster than they are known for, and not because they want to. AI, funding uncertainty, and capacity constraints are forcing decisions that cannot wait.

In this episode, Elana Leoni sits down with Julia Fallon of SETDA to unpack what the 2025 State EdTech Trends Report really tells us about where states are focused, what feels most fragile right now, and why modernization matters more than chasing the next innovation. This conversation is especially relevant for education marketers and leaders who want to understand how state priorities shape district decisions, and how to engage more thoughtfully in a tight, high-stakes environment.

1. What SETDA is and why its State EdTech Trends Report offers a unique state-level lens
2. How the report is built, who contributes to it, and why it is timed around legislative sessions
3. Why AI surpassed cybersecurity as the top state ed tech priority for the first time
4. What that shift signals about responsibility, risk, and trust, not enthusiasm
5. Where state AI guidance typically lives, how it varies, and why quality matters
6. Why capacity and coherence, not commitment, are the most fragile issues right now
7. What the end of ESSER funding looks like in real operational terms, not just percentages
8. Why Julia argues education needs modernization, not “innovation,” and how that reframes decision-making
9. What professional learning needs to look like to actually support adoption and impact
10. A practical example of state-level ecosystem building from Nebraska

Education marketing is entering another year of tight budgets, longer decision cycles, and higher expectations from districts. The uncertainty is familiar now, but the pressure to make smart, focused choices has not eased. As teams plan for the next school year, the real challenge is not doing more. It is doing fewer things with greater intention.

In this episode, Elana Leoni reflects on recent conversations across the education ecosystem to surface what matters most right now. From how districts are thinking about efficacy and technology use, to where marketers should actually invest limited resources, the episode focuses on signals that can guide smarter decisions in 2026. The goal is not optimism for optimism’s sake, but clarity about where attention, time, and budget are best spent.

See resources and more in the episode show notes: leoniconsultinggroup.com/podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

EdTech Planner 2026

Planning a full year of education marketing takes time, and you need a clear path that helps you stay relevant, consistent, and aligned with the moments that matter.