Marketing and Education

Q2 is here—and it’s a whirlwind. In this timely episode, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, and Senior Social Media Manager Hillary Trussell break down everything education marketers need to know right now: from federal budget cuts and district layoffs to the impact of AI, shifting conversations in education’s key phrases, and tightening sales cycles. They also dig into key Q2 events like...

We’re revisiting this conversation with Katie Test Davis —not just because it’s one of our most-loved episodes, but because it’s a reminder we could all use right now. In a time when educators and decision-makers are overwhelmed by constant change, shifting strategies, and too much information, storytelling still cuts through the noise. In this episode, Katie unpacks how to use storytelling as a s...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , host Elana Leoni sits down with Dan O’Reilly , founder of FuelK12, who brings over 35 years of sales experience—half of that in EdTech. Having led both sales and marketing teams, Dan offers a unique perspective on why these two functions often struggle to work together—and what it takes to truly align them. Dan unpacks the biggest barriers be...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , host Elana Leoni sits down with Bert Bower, founder of Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) , whose remarkable 36-year journey in educational publishing has transformed how social studies is taught in American classrooms. From humble beginnings as a bootstrapped startup to becoming a leader in core curriculum, Bert shares insights on building...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , host Elana Leoni sits down with seasoned educator and EdTech leader Mary Beth Hertz , whose inspiring journey in education spans nearly two decades. Together, they explore Mary Beth's unique relationship with technology—from the early days of building computers to her current work as an advocate for experiential learning. Mary Beth shares her...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana Leoni sits down with Amos Fodchuk , the President and Founder of Advanced Learning Partnerships (ALP) . Amos isn’t just an expert in EdTech—he’s a true partner to school districts, working side by side with educators and leaders to create real, meaningful change. Amos shares ALP’s unique “year of learning” model, a collaborative, year-l...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana Leoni welcomes Hall Davidson , a legend in the EdTech world with a career spanning decades of innovation. Hall shares his fascinating journey from teaching math live on TV to shaping the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), one of the most vibrant and impactful teacher communities ever created. Hall reflects on the early days of integratin...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , we dive into the vital role that professional development and implementation play in EdTech success—two often overlooked aspects that can make or break the adoption of new technologies in K-12 education. Elana sits down with Shelby Danks, founder and principal advisor of ARKEN RESEARCH , who has spent decades researching the efficacy of EdTec...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , we’re tackling one of the hottest topics in the world right now—AI, specifically generative AI, and its impact on education. Elana sits down with EdTech expert and long-time friend, Mary Beth Hertz, who has spent decades thinking critically about the role of technology in education. Known for her thoughtful approach, Mary Beth isn’t swayed by...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sat down with Thor Prichard , President & CEO at Clarity Innovations —a mission-driven, K-12 education-focused professional services and consulting firm. Clarity Innovations specializes in everything from education strategy and content creation to engineering and design solutions. You may remember Thor from our last conversation abo...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana got to chat with Lawrence Korchnak , a Founding Partner of BLOQQ , a consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations scale in the education market. As EdTech marketing execs, Elana and Lawrence have years of experience selling in the EdTech space. In this conversation, they get into busting some common EdTech marketing...

In this episode of  All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sits down with Kristina Ishmael, now an education Strategic Advisor of her own shop, Ishmael Consulting, but has a long journey through so many perspectives within education, at a classroom, district, state, and national level. We speak a lot about her recent experience as Deputy Director of the Office of EdTech, where she spent t...

n this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , our host Elana Leoni sat down with Ian McCullough , a consultant specializing in marketing, go-to-market strategies, and business development for the EdTech industry. You might remember Ian from our last episode with him, Academic Integrity in the AI Era , took us on a journey into the fascinating intersection of ChatGPT, AI writing, an...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sits down with Dr. Robert Dillon , School Designer, Author, Speaker, and Learner. Bob, as she likes to call him, has earned a doctorate in educational leadership and administration, and brings over 20 years of experience as a teacher, school principal, and director of innovation at multiple school districts; he is the author of five boo...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , we sit down with  Shawn McCusker , Senior Director of Professional Learning at EdTechTeacher , to discuss his passion, civic engagement. We ask him about some of his favorite tips and takeaways from the book Becoming Active Citizens , which he co-wrote with Tom Driscoll. He provides practical ways to encourage active citizens in the clas...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sits down with Tatum Moser, who has the unique combination of an expertise SEO and a deep background in education and EdTech. During this conversation, Tatum talks about all things SEO — and before you get concerned that this may be overly technical, Tatum has a beautiful way of breaking this all down in such an easy-to-unde...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sits down with Ilana Kurizki, the Vice President of Communications at BrainPOP, a 25-year-old EdTech brand that reaches millions of learners worldwide. Ilana has spent almost 14 years at BrainPOP within different communications roles, and we talk about so many valuable things within communications and marketing, such as how you m...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana got to chat with Lawrence Korchnak , a Founding Partner of BLOQQ , a consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations scale in the education market. Lawrence guides us through the unique challenges of a go-to-market strategy in the EdTech Industry, including how to plan a go-to-market strategy, including defining success...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana and our guest, Kristina Ishmael , get into the nooks and crannies of the National EdTech Plan . They discuss the broader role of the Office of EdTech , the specific goals of the National EdTech Plan in 2024, and how you can use it whether you’re an educator, administrator, or EdTech professional. They highlight the inclusivity an...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sat down with Milton Chen , author, speaker, and board member of great organizations like the Kellogg Foundation, the National Park Service, The Fred Rogers Center, The Panasonic Foundation, and more. Milton reflects on his journey in education, from his early days at Sesame Workshop to his tenure at the Kellogg Foundation, offer...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana sat down with Thor Prichard , President & CEO at Clarity Innovations , a mission-driven, K-12 education-focused professional services and consulting firm that provides education strategy, content creation, engineering, and design solutions. They discuss the importance of designing EdTech products with learning outcomes in min...

Elana sat down with Miriam Romais , Director of NewsLitNation at The News Literacy Project , Documentary photographer, nonprofit leader, and all-around misinformation super-fighter, to talk about all things News Literacy. Miriam discusses the importance of news literacy in education and how it can be integrated into various subjects. She addresses misconceptions about news literacy and highlights...

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education , Elana welcomes Henry J. Turner , an award-winning high school principal and co-author of Change the Narrative: How to Foster an Anti-Racist Culture In Your School . Henry, whom you might remember from our previous episode on fostering an anti-racist classroom , shares his wealth of experience in education, spanning 22 years as both a teacher...

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education , our host Elana Leoni sat down with Ian McCullough , the Director of Marketing for Global Campaigns at Turnitin . Ian took us on a journey into the fascinating intersection of ChatGPT, AI writing, and academic integrity, giving insights from the history of plagiarism and the need for plagiarism detection to academic integrity in the wor...

Welcome to another episode of All Things Marketing and Education ! We had the pleasure of sitting down with Shelby Danks, Ph. D. , founder and principal advisor at ARKEN RESEARCH , who has the unique ability to make complex topics like research, evaluation, and efficacy not only approachable but also inspiring. Shelby delves into the crucial role of efficacy studies in K-12 education, unraveling m...