There is a real tension building in K-12 right now. The "no screens" conversation that started with cell phone bans has moved into legislative territory, with 17 states introducing screen time bills in 2026 alone and four already enacting laws that go beyond phones to target district-issued devices and classroom technology directly. If your product sells into schools, this is no longer a trend to monitor. It is a business reality to plan around.

At the same time, summer is not a selling season, and pretending otherwise is a fast way to lose trust with the educators and administrators you need on your side come fall. The question is not whether to show up in July. It is how to show up in a way that actually serves the people already using your product and the ones about to start.

This field notes episode covers what is moving fast right now: the legislative landscape around EdTech and screens, what smart marketing looks like in a non-buying season, what is working on LinkedIn this summer, and a few posts from district leaders and educators worth paying close attention to.

What You’ll Learn

1️⃣ Why the no-screens movement has moved from conversation to legislation

What started as cell phone bans has expanded into bills targeting district-issued devices and classroom technology in 17 states in 2026 alone. For EdTech companies, this is no longer a sentiment issue. It is a product positioning and sales reality that requires a clear, proactive stance.

2️⃣ What smart marketing actually looks like in a non-buying season

July is not a selling window, but that does not mean going quiet. The brands that show up well right now are shifting into implementation and support mode, meeting educators where they are and building the kind of trust that converts when procurement opens back up.

3️⃣ Why LinkedIn carousels are one of the biggest underused opportunities right now

Carousel posts make up less than 5% of content on LinkedIn and still drive some of the highest reach and engagement of any post format. The bar for standing out is low, and the data-backed best practices are straightforward.

Why It Matters

Education marketers are heading into one of the most complex back-to-school seasons in recent memory. Legislation is reshaping what schools can buy and use. Budgets are tighter. Educators are more skeptical of vendor outreach than ever. And AI is changing how content gets surfaced and who gets trusted as a credible voice in the space.

Showing up in July with the same playbook as the rest of the year is not just ineffective. It signals that you do not understand how schools actually operate. The marketers who will be in the best position come fall are the ones using this window to support, listen, and build credibility in ways that compound over time.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Screen Time Legislation Tracker (Claire Hollenbeck) and Clare Harrison
• A free tracker of screen time and device legislation across all 50 states, built by the co-founders of AlchemyK12. As of June 2026, 42 states have enacted phone laws or policies and 17 states have introduced screen time legislation this year alone.
• Elana Leoni on the screen time debate
• Elana's own take on the no-screens movement, including what EdTech companies should be doing proactively to get ahead of it.
• Andy Marcinek on LinkedIn
• Referenced for his framing of the critical questions educators and companies should be asking about technology in the classroom: Why is this tool here? Are students creating or consuming? What did the screen actually cost and what did it add?
• The SAMR Model (Edutopia)
• A widely used framework for evaluating how technology augments or transforms learning. Referenced as a useful lens for understanding when and how technology adds real value in the classroom.
• Amos Fodchuk on LinkedIn: AI Adoption Gap
• Shared a graph from Microsoft's AI Diffusion report showing that AI usage in metropolitan counties (32.9%) is nearly double that of rural counties (16.2%). A critical equity signal for EdTech marketers.
• Kip Glazer on LinkedIn
• School principal and author of Lead with AI, referenced for her honest post about the complexity of school leadership, inherited tech stacks, and the resistance leaders face when trying to make change.
• Kyle Brumbaugh repost: Build Products Our Agents Can Use
• A post from Chris Hagel, CIO at Peninsula School District, about why the future of EdTech is not more chatbots but district-owned agents that coordinate safely across every system a district runs. A signal vendors should not ignore.
• Richard van der Blom / Just Connecting HUB
• Referenced for his LinkedIn algorithm report and the three-positive-signals framework for social selling. Elana cites him as her go-to authority on growing reach and engagement intentionally on LinkedIn.
• Richard Moore on LinkedIn
• Founder of The Art of Sales community, referenced for his practical approach to social selling. Note: please confirm this is the correct LinkedIn handle.
• Connect with Elana: LinkedIn | Have a question or topic you'd like covered? DM Elana directly.