Volume 54

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is just sit. I find a corner café, order a foamy cappuccino, and take it all in. Time slows down and a tiny curve of a smile starts to appear, without me doing anything to make it happen.

The Italians have a name for that feeling. Dolce far niente. The sweetness of doing nothing. Nearly every culture has their own version. That's not a coincidence.

Right now, the whole country is exhaling. People are firing up grills, heading to the beach, and letting the long summer days stretch a little longer. Educators are taking a well-deserved break and administrators are finally stepping away from their inboxes. There's a collective permission in the air to slow down.

And don't worry...July will start winding up soon enough. This issue launches on the first day of ISTE, and the back half of July picks up fast. On the company/vendor side budget conversations are beginning to take shape, a new selling cycle begins for districts, on top of all the back-to-school energy that dominates everything. It's all coming.

But right now, I want to give you permission to just stop.

If you get a little antsy, I understand. It can take a bit to be comfortable with truly winding down. Try popping in your earbuds and let new episodes of All Things Marketing and Education keep you company in the scenery or activity of your choice. :)

Or you can scroll down, find what's useful, and then close the laptop (this issue is PACKED with more resources than ever).

It's truly only when we slow down that we can really see where we've been, what we've learned, and where we want to go. Most importantly, we start to see why it all matters.

Enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing (Goditi il dolce far niente),

Elana

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Resources Powered by LCG

[Sneak peek] Upcoming guests on All Things Marketing and Education: Kip Glazer, Smita Kolhatkar, and Brian McCorkle.

EdTech Good News

Chronic student absenteeism is moving in the right direction. After roughly one in three students experienced chronic absenteeism during the 2021-2022 school year, ABC News reports the national rate has dropped from around 30% to approximately 24%.

The approaches vary by state, but the throughline across what's working is consistent: proactive family engagement, community connection, and catching small patterns before they become big problems.

Marketing & Education Must Reads

Marketing

Agorapulse on social media intent: Agorapulse's 2026 study of social pros found that 82% publish reactively with no real intent, only 32% have defined audience personas, and 41% don't actually know what's working. The result is posts written for everyone that land with no one, and the fix starts with three questions most teams never ask.
Hootsuite on YouTube: YouTube now holds the #1 spot in U.S. streaming watch time, averages 200 billion daily Shorts views, and 42% of marketers rank it a top-ROI platform for 2026. This roundup of 40 stats makes the case for taking it seriously.
Adam Mosseri on posting times: The head of Instagram posted a simple but worth-repeating reminder: there is no universal best time to post, so skip the generic guides and check your own insights to see when your actual followers are online.
Link in Bio on the state of social: Rachel Karten's annual survey of 834 social media professionals found that 44% feel their boss doesn't understand social media, carousels continue to outperform short-form video as the top format, and the three most common words to describe how social marketers feel right now are exhausted, overwhelmed, and tired.
Richard van der Blom on LinkedIn: LinkedIn confirmed in May 2026 that it's quietly suppressing posts that use common AI-pattern phrases — "Here's what," "Here's how," "The result?" — not removing them, just capping how far they travel, so pull your last five posts and audit before you publish again.
Jay Schwedelson on email trust: With bots inflating open rates and CTRs, the new question isn't how to get more clicks; it's how to build the kind of trust that keeps you top of mind for the 95% of your list who aren't ready to buy yet (but eventually will be).

Education

The 74 on student achievement: The latest Nation's Report Card found that 13-year-olds read at the same level as students in the 1970s, with math scores down 10-15 points from pre-pandemic highs and only 14% of adolescents reading on their own daily.
Chris Kennedy on education: After 30 years in classrooms, this Superintendent of Schools crafted 30 hard-earned beliefs about what actually matters in education. It's the kind of read worth bookmarking and sharing with your team.
Education Week on principals: A new analysis makes the case that principals are the most underutilized lever for solving schools' biggest challenges, arguing that most reform efforts fail because they try to work around building leaders rather than through them.
Chronicle of Higher Education on reading: One college writing instructor's candid account of not a single student finishing a 20-page article has sparked a real conversation about what reading comprehension actually looks like in higher education today.
Cult of Pedagogy on Danish schools: Jennifer Gonzalez explores what makes school in Denmark structurally different from the American model, from how teachers are trained to how much students are trusted, with lessons worth understanding even when they're hard to replicate.
AEI on EdTech spending: With K-12 EdTech spending at $30 billion and student scores still stagnating, this report argues the real problem isn't the technology but the absence of a reliable bridge between research-backed tools and the students who need them.
Reach Capital on the EdTech backlash: As blanket tech restrictions spread, Reach Capital makes the case that not all EdTech belongs in the same policy conversation, and that the students who stand to lose most from blunt bans are the ones with no other access to begin with.

Deep Dive into AI

AILit Framework on AI literacy for K-12: The European Commission and OECD jointly released an AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education, built with input from more than 2,000 educators and policymakers, covering what students need to know to engage with, create with, manage, and shape AI responsibly.
EdWeb on free AI professional learning: EdWeb has built a library of more than 100 free AI webinars designed specifically for educators, covering classroom integration, leadership, and responsible use.
EdSurge on vibe coding in classrooms: One teacher's year-long experiment using vibe coding as an AI literacy tool did something unexpected: it sparked a genuine love of reading in students who had shown little interest before.
The 74 on AI investment decisions: With end-of-year budget season in full swing, this guide covers what school and district leaders need to know before investing in AI, including the right questions to ask vendors and the red flags to watch for.

Dates Worth Knowing

June 30: EdTech Week presale tickets close tonight at 8:59 PM
July 1: ASU+GSV Summit — register before July 1 to lock in savings (LCG will be there!)
July 1: CALIE speaking submissions open — Forward 2026 conference
July 21-22: UDL-Con: International Live Online — virtual conference on UDL Guidelines 3.0 in practice.
July 26: SXSWEDU PanelPicker closes — submit your session ideas before Sunday.
July 31: FETC registration — prices go up after July 31. (LCG will be there!)

In Good Company

University Innovation Alliance: Dr. Bridget Burns testified before Congress on AI and higher education, making the case that higher education has a real opportunity to learn together and ensure every student benefits from responsible AI adoption, regardless of where they enroll.

Teach For America: Aneesh Shohoni joined NBC News Now to share what new national research is revealing about teacher burnout and what schools and leaders can do to build the conditions where teachers actually thrive, not just survive.
Canyon GBS: Two Canyon GBS products have been named finalists for the 2026 CODiE Awards — Advising App is up for Best AI Solution for Education and Best Suite of Connected/Integrated Solutions, and Aiding App is a finalist for Best Customer Service Solution.
CAST: A new peer-reviewed article takes an inside look at the four-year, community-driven process behind the CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0, the most significant expansion in the framework's history.
TCI: A Kansas teacher and PLC lead writes about how returning to TCI's curriculum transformed teacher collaboration in a rural district, giving teachers planning time back and turning PLC meetings from logistics sessions into real conversations about student outcomes.

These are some of the organizations we get to call partners. If you are working on something meaningful in education and want to level up your marketing, we would love to talk.

The World Cup has been a masterclass in brand moments, and two brands delivered this month. Kraft noticed fans were getting their ranch dressing confiscated at TSA checkpoints on the way to games, and rather than ignore it, they announced they're developing a TSA-compliant bottle. Meanwhile, when FIFA banned the Levi's logo from appearing at matches, Levi's turned the ban into a campaign. Both are worth a look as examples of brands that meet a cultural moment instead of waiting for one.
To celebrate America's 250th, Netflix has added a full presidential series. Elana's sleeper pick: Ulysses S. Grant. Her personal favorites: FDR and TR.
Kelsey Pfendler is still at sea, rowing solo and unsupported from California to Hawaii — 2,400+ miles — to become the first American woman and youngest woman to complete the crossing alone. Follow her journey live through this tracker or on IG.