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.

1. What SETDA is and why its State EdTech Trends Report offers a unique state-level lens
2. How the report is built, who contributes to it, and why it is timed around legislative sessions
3. Why AI surpassed cybersecurity as the top state ed tech priority for the first time
4. What that shift signals about responsibility, risk, and trust, not enthusiasm
5. Where state AI guidance typically lives, how it varies, and why quality matters
6. Why capacity and coherence, not commitment, are the most fragile issues right now
7. What the end of ESSER funding looks like in real operational terms, not just percentages
8. Why Julia argues education needs modernization, not “innovation,” and how that reframes decision-making
9. What professional learning needs to look like to actually support adoption and impact
10. A practical example of state-level ecosystem building from Nebraska