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.
What You’ll Learn
What SETDA is and why its State EdTech Trends Report offers a unique state-level lens
How the report is built, who contributes to it, and why it is timed around legislative sessions
Why AI surpassed cybersecurity as the top state ed tech priority for the first time
What that shift signals about responsibility, risk, and trust, not enthusiasm
Where state AI guidance typically lives, how it varies, and why quality matters
Why capacity and coherence, not commitment, are the most fragile issues right now
What the end of ESSER funding looks like in real operational terms, not just percentages
Why Julia argues education needs modernization, not “innovation,” and how that reframes decision-making
What professional learning needs to look like to actually support adoption and impact
A practical example of state-level ecosystem building from Nebraska
Quick Wins from the Lightning Round
If you want fast, unfiltered insight from someone working closely with state leaders, this is the section to listen for.
Julia shares:
The most underestimated challenge states are grappling with
The single most important thing districts should focus on heading into 2026
What actually helps ed tech companies retain districts and build trust
What she wants vendors to do differently next year, especially around pace and partnership
A lot of education marketing still leads with features, innovation, or urgency. State leaders are leading with something else entirely: outcomes they are accountable for, shrinking budgets, and the need to sustain what already exists.
This episode makes one thing clear. The pressure right now is not about doing more. It is about making intentional choices that can hold up over time. AI is part of that conversation, but so are governance, professional learning, and systems that actually work together.
For marketers and education teams, the signal is straightforward. The organizations that will earn trust in 2026 are the ones that slow down, listen first, and design support that fits real constraints, not ideal conditions.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
SETDA 2025 State EdTech Trends Report
Julia explains how the report tracks priorities across states and why it is designed to inform policy and planning, not predictions.State AI guidance trackers: Julia references organizations like TeachAI and EdSafe AI that track and compile state-level AI guidance.
2024 National Educational Technology Plan
Referenced for its framing of the access divide and the design divide, and why design is now the urgent gap.Nebraska’s statewide Canvas ecosystem
An example of how states can expand capacity and reduce burden through shared infrastructure and instructional design support.Get in touch with Julia: LinkedIn
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has spent nearly two decades helping education organizations grow through strategic marketing and storytelling. Over the past nine years, she has built and scaled Leoni Consulting Group, an education marketing agency that has partnered with more than 50 education and EdTech brands. Earlier in her career, she led marketing for Edutopia (The George Lucas Educational Foundation).
Julia Fallon, Guest
Julia Fallon is a technology and learning alchemist. She explores and probes the big ideas in K-12 education with tech integration—how to make sure all kids acquire the skills to participate in a modern society, and what is the collective and creative impact of thriving online communities.
Involved with learning technologies since 1989, she is an avid proponent of dynamic learning experiences where highly effective instructional strategies integrate a wide range of digital technologies. Julia is the Executive Director of SETDA, where she collaborates with U.S. state and territorial digital learning leaders to empower the education community to leverage technology for learning, teaching, and school operations.
Her professional interest lies in advocating for public school systems wherein educators are able to optimize technology-rich learning environments to equitably engage the learners who fill their classrooms. Under her leadership, SETDA played a pivotal role in developing the U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 National Educational Technology Plan.
Prior to joining SETDA as executive director in 2021, Julia worked for Washington's K-12 education agency, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) as the Title II, Part A Program Lead, where she provided operational leadership and oversight of the federal program designed to improve the quality of instruction and administration. As OSPI's Technology Integration Program Manager, she streamlined strategic planning for districts moving large- and small-scale technology projects forward, championed robust professional learning programming for educators facing a brave new world of 1-to-1 initiatives, and advocated for smart, flexible network policy that connects teachers and students to a wider world of collaborative learning and dynamic scholarship.
Representing Washington state, she was a longtime SETDA state member and had been instrumental in the leadership of the organization as a member of the Board of Directors, serving in various board positions including board chairman.
Julia’s vision for the future centers on ensuring that all students have access to the tools and resources they need to succeed. She believes that "every learner deserves the opportunity to thrive in a modern, technology-enhanced classroom."
In her free time, she runs the Crazy Idea Factory™ and mixes tech house most Friday nights on Twitch.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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