Hello newsletter friends!
Well, here we are, just halfway through a month that can best be described as… feral. Don’t get me wrong, May has its delightful moments, for sure, but if you’re a parent you probably know exactly what I’m talking about—‘Maycember’.
May and December are hands-down the craziest months of the year. December for obvious reasons, and May because it’s overbooked and chaotic, but without the holiday cookies.
Teacher Appreciation Week, field day, recitals, sports finales, all converging at once. I am hanging on by a thread, people. How do you get through Maycember? I’ll take any and all advice.
But we’re here to talk marketing. So, here’s your not-so-gentle nudge: If your back-to-school plan isn’t taking shape yet, it’s time. Start by auditing last year, what worked, what flopped, where you want to grow. Maybe it’s your conference presence. Maybe it’s a lead gen campaign through EdWeek (see what I did there). Maybe it’s forging new partnerships. Whatever it is you’re doing, now’s the time. Because clearly, May needed one more thing on its plate.
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Your WirED Marketer,
—Melissa, Senior Director, Marketing at Education Week
P.S. — 📩 Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⠀⠀⠀⠀
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P.S. I’m determined to do a WirED Marketer meet up at ISTE+ASCD and I hope you’ll join. It’ll be super casual – just a small group of like-minded edmarketers sharing war stories (lol) over drinks. Shoot me a note back and let me know if you’re interested.
✨ In this edition you’ll find:
- Curious what district leaders are reading? We’ve got it
- An AI hack that I bet you don’t know about
- Podcast host and edmarketer extraordinaire, Elana Leoni tells all
What’s Trending: ✨ Math, Early Childhood, Budget Cuts, & EdTech Backlash
Curious what’s keeping district leaders up at night? Stop guessing. It’s all here. After all, the best marketers are clued into their buyers’ pain points. So, carve out some time and read what THEY’RE reading.
- A new approach to algebra in 8th grade seems to produce big benefits
- Kindergarten’s aren’t talking enough in class. Why that matters
- Teachers like it. Research is promising. Is this the solution to teacher PD?
- Math needs a “science of reading” moment
- Trump again proposes major education cuts in new budget proposal
- The ed-tech backlash is here. What that means for schools
- What one researcher saw inside 29 kindergarten classrooms
Curious how we define engagement? It’s not just clicks. Engagement is a blended metric that includes total views, read time, social interactions, and on-article engagements.
DO THIS: 👇
A super quick update to your settings will give you higher quality output.
Stop what you’re doing and find your way into your GenAI engine of choice’s settings. Tell it this:
“Before you begin any major task or produce a lengthy output, please ask me clarifying questions to make sure you fully understand what I need.”
Why it works: AI will automatically prompt YOU every time to think about what you actually want—and the questions it asks will teach you what belongs in every good prompt.
[You’re welcome. And Thanks Josh Ford, of the Marketing Solutions Team for this hack. Josh is our resident AI expert and we all should benefit from his expertise!]
Straight from the source.
Assumptions don’t drive results—insights do. That’s where the EdWeek Research Center comes in. We craft survey questions around your toughest challenges, so instead of wondering what K–12 leaders want, you’ll know. No more guesswork. Just straight answers that drive your marketing and sales campaigns forward.
Poll
Last edition’s poll was about print in marketing and boy; your answers were all over the place. The largest percentage of individuals (27%) said “there’s a time and a place for print.”
This edition’s poll: Are you relying on consultants and contractors more these days for outsourcing marketing work?
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Events on Our Radar 🎯
The 2026 Market Brief Virtual Forum – June 11, 2026. Join from the comfort of your home office – nobody has to know you’re still wearing your pajama pants.
We’ll cover:
- How to Talk about Ed-Tech with Screen Time Under Fire
- Which K-12 Terms and Phrases Have Lost their Buzz?
- How Major Changes in K-12 Policy Are Playing Out in Different Markets
…and a whole lot more.
Register here. Early bird discount ends this Friday.
Read This, Watch That 📚
[Article] When to Bring in a Consultant — and How to Make it Pay Off
Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll find in this article, “If you hire people that don’t have that industry expertise, they will use the same playbook of tricks, tactics, and strategies that work for other industries, that just, frankly, don’t work for education. Consultants often want to come in and give you quick wins. That can cause some very costly mistakes, and when we think about education in particular, it can erode trust so quickly.”
— Elana Leoni, Founder & CEO, Leoni Consulting Group
[Video] How to Make Organizational Partnerships in K-12 Work
Ed companies are increasingly seeking partnerships with other organizations in the space as they work to expand their reach and boost customer satisfaction. But what goes into making sure a partnership is successful? ▶️ Watch this 2-minute video tip.
Finally, a newsletter for ed marketers.
In our 2x monthly email you’ll find tons of actionable data and insights specifically for marketers in the K-12 education space. Yes, it’s niche, that’s by design.
Meet the EdMarketer 💁♀️
Meet Elana Leoni, Founder & CEO of Leoni Consulting Group. When Elana’s not working her marketing wizardry, she can be found playing bocce. She’s been playing competitively for over 20 years!
And do yourself a favor, subscribe to her podcast: All Things Marketing and Education. You’ll be glad you did.
What’s one challenge in education marketing right now that people are underestimating—and why?
“I think there are two big ones.
The first is how much AI is going to reshape not just how people learn and how educators teach, but also how marketers work. This is not about adding AI just to say you have it. It is about rethinking how it actually supports learning in real ways. At the same time, AI is making marketing faster, which means strategy and audience understanding matter more than ever.
The second is attention and trust, and honestly, that has always been the question. How do you get someone’s attention in a way that is not intrusive, but actually valuable? What is changing is how quickly that answer evolves.”
What’s one thing that every EdMarketer should be focused on right now?
“If I had to pick one, it would be constantly evaluating the channels you are investing in and the return you are getting from them.
And that return is not just qualified leads. It is brand awareness, engagement, clicks, referral traffic, and even word-of-mouth signals.
The goal is to build a cohesive, multi-channel approach that earns attention and builds trust, and then keep refining it based on what is actually working.”
What’s a topic you’re following closely?
“Right now, I am closely following the ‘no screens’ or ‘no edtech’ debate.
It is a really polarizing conversation, and it tends to become all or nothing. But both sides are raising valid points. There is research that supports limiting screen time, especially for younger students, and at the same time, there is a real need to use technology thoughtfully.
I am paying attention because this could impact the industry if it gains traction. At the end of the day, the question is not whether technology is good or bad, but when and how it actually supports learning.”
What’s a hack or pro tip that would benefit EdMarketers?
“Batching. It is an oldie but goodie, but it still works.
When you have something to share, do not think about each channel separately. Block time and go deep on that one topic. Draft your social posts, think through your email, your paid angles, your assets, all in one sitting.
You end up with stronger, more cohesive messaging because you are fully in it. And over time, if you document your process, it can turn into an AI-assisted workflow that helps you move faster without losing your voice.”
What’s something interesting about you?
“I’m the child of an incarcerated parent, and I was raised by a single mom. I moved around a lot and didn’t always have access to what I would consider a strong or stable education. For a long time, I tried to stay invisible. I didn’t really see a path for myself.
What changed everything was one teacher who saw me differently.
They didn’t just see what I was showing on the surface. They believed I could do more, and they told me that, and they held me to it.
That experience stayed with me. It gave me confidence and direction, and it really shaped how I think about education. There are so many students who don’t have equal access or opportunity, and sometimes it only takes one person to change the trajectory.
That’s something I carry into my work every day.”
Say What?! 🦜
What we’ve heard at the watercooler, on social, out and about…
“I have had to sit through the same PD session by the same mediocre trainer 6 times in 2 years… We are just not allowed enough differentiation for our individual needs. My needs as a 27-year veteran are not the same as the fourth-year teacher across the hall.”
— Anonymous teacher from March 2026 EdWeek Research Center survey
That’s all folks. Thanks for reading. See you again in 2 weeks.
Your WirED Marketer,
Melissa AND team, because every marketer knows, it takes a village.
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We can help you develop a successful campaign tailored to your unique marketing goals. To learn more, contact Advertising & Marketing Solutions Director Mike Bell at mbell@educationweek.org.
