The fourth quarter is here, and with it comes all things Fall (hello, pumpkin spice!) and the start of Winter by December. In K-12 education, the academic year is in full swing, but the quarter brings its fair share of challenges. Teachers are in the thick of implementing new tech and curricula, but between Thanksgiving, Winter Break, unexpected snow days, and the November election, keeping students engaged and maintaining academic momentum can feel like a juggling act. On top of that, connecting with educators and administrators can be tricky as they balance a packed schedule and some well-deserved time off.
With all these disruptions, I always tell EdTech organizations to think of Q4 as two months instead of three. The breaks and pauses make it harder to engage with schools and reach your target audience of education administrators and teachers, so adjusting your strategy, timeline, and goals is key to managing expectations. To end the year on a high note, make October count—pack it with valuable campaigns and resources to make up for the quieter months ahead.
To help you plan, my team has outlined all the key K-12 education holidays, events, and conferences for October through December. You’ll also find some content ideas that align with the K-12 purchasing cycle, along with insights into how educators and administrators may be feeling during each month.
These resources are part of our free EdTech 2024 Marketer’s Planner, which includes all the events I mentioned and more. Grab it now to plan your fourth quarter campaigns and content, and keep an eye out for our 2025 planner to get a jump on Q1.
Q4 in the K-12 Buying Cycle
In terms of the K-12 buying cycle, Q4 remains part of the “Exploration Phase,” which runs from August to December. Schools are actively exploring solutions and allocating budgets for the following school year. Depending on the complexity of the EdTech product or service, districts may issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) or rely on pre-approved vendor lists. If you haven’t already, reach out to the district business office to understand their vendor process and where RFPs are posted. Knowing this early will give you time to prepare, as the RFP response windows are often pretty tight.
EdTech brands can make the most of this phase by using targeted email campaigns, webinars, conferences, and strategic use of social media. Offering valuable insights and case studies positions your brand as more than just a product provider—it shows you're a thoughtful partner in their education journey. Building trust is the key to fostering relationships that last beyond a single transaction.
Magic Moments: Make sure to align your goals with the needs of schools actively searching for solutions. Use email, webinars, and social media not just to promote your product but to show how you can help solve their top challenges and goals. How can your content resonate with what educators need, while also ensuring its meeting social media algorithm needs and your business objectives? The magic is in striking that balance.
Suggested Marketing & Sales Activities ▼
Launch your list-building initiatives like webinars, free educational resources, giveaways, or discounts/offers. Highlight case studies from multiple schools and subject areas solving multiple problems. Leverage a multi-channel marketing campaign featuring videos, case studies, testimonials, and best practices from K-12 educators who used your product or service to solve their most-pressing challenges.
Execute your sales outbound strategy and ensure your sales team consistently communicates with target district leaders as trusted thought partners. Tip: It typically takes nine to twelve touch points to engage a K-12 admin prospect within a two-week period of time in K-12 education.
➡️ Get more marketing and sales activities aligned to the K-12 Buying Cycle in our Extended EdTech Marketer’s Planner. It also provides even more holidays, events, conferences, and even awards in K-12 education in helpful spreadsheets and templates.
Education Holidays, Events, and Conferences
Some of the most important dates EdTech marketers should consider throughout the fourth quarter are listed below. We’ve also brainstormed timely content ideas that align with the needs and challenges of teachers, and school and district administrators.
October
Want an editable version of this, along with proven marketing strategies, templates, and customizable calendars? Download our Extended EdTech Marketer's Planner.
This month is a time when some school staff can catch their breath. Many districts offer a Fall break or a few days off to recharge, making it a great time for fall activities. Teachers often use this as an opportunity to mix things up, adding fun, innovative elements to their established teaching routine. As you develop marketing campaigns, consider using a seasonal theme that everyone can enjoy—just be mindful to keep it inclusive, focusing on Fall, not specific holidays (like Halloween).
For some schools, the first quarter of the academic school year wraps up in October and grades and progress reports are being shared with families. Parent-teacher conferences are often held now and continue through November, offering a chance for teachers and parents to discuss how students are doing and what can be done to support their academic growth. It’s an important time to engage families and strengthen those connections.
To ensure your content is as timely as possible, develop content that aligns with what your brand cares about and helps your target audience with what’s on their to-do list. Perhaps you’re a science brand that can talk about best practices to encourage families to engage and foster a love of science with their child, or you’re a brand that serves elementary school teachers; you can provide best practices for successful parent-teacher conferences. Here’s an example from Edutopia that helps teachers navigate tricky parent-teacher conferences when time is short.
Don’t Miss Holidays in October:
World Teachers Day - October 5, 2024
Week of the School Administrator - October 8-14, 2024
Digital Citizenship Week - October 14-18, 2024
National Cat Day - October 29 (as cat lovers, we couldn’t NOT add this 🐱)
November
Looking for an editable version along with more resources? Our Extended Planner includes ready-to-use templates, detailed marketing strategies, and customizable calendars.
November starts off with a bang. The U.S. elections happen in the first week and will be on everyone’s mind. With the weight of this decision, teachers will likely face tough, emotionally charged conversations that can easily pull focus away from their lesson plans. If your brand offers curricula to engage students in the election process or helps teachers navigate these discussions, now is the time to share that content. Throughout the month, as the nation weighs in on the election results, you can also share helpful resources like EdWeek’s article, “How Teachers Tackle 2024 Election Discussions.”
After the long Veteran’s Day weekend in the middle of the month, teachers and students settle in for a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving break. This short period should focus on helping educators and administrators actively use your product as much as possible. Point out features that may help personalize learning for students requiring interventions. Given the number of distractions this month, any lesson, resource, or feature that can actively engage students would be welcome.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s a great time to thank your community of teachers. You can also offer them resources to celebrate this holiday of gratitude with their students and staff.
Don’t Miss Holidays in November:
Daylight Savings Time Ends - November 3, 2024
Election Day - November 5, 2024
World Kindness Day - November 13, 2024
Thanksgiving - November 28, 2024
Black Friday - November 29, 2024
Small Business Saturday - November 30, 2024
December
Want to take your planning to the next level? Our Extended EdTech Marketer's Planner is packed with editable templates, actionable strategies, and flexible calendars to help you craft effective campaigns, engage your audience, and keep your marketing on track all year long.
December is all about keeping things light and simple for teachers who are exhausted and counting down to Winter break. Instead of launching new campaigns, focus on sharing easy-to-implement, fun content. Create “Year in Review” activities, winter-themed digital downloads, or quick, engaging lesson ideas that can be easily added to their classrooms. Offer ready-made templates for things like Winter bulletin boards or simple classroom activities that double as grades.
Additionally, consider crafting supportive content like stress-relief tips for teachers or ideas for self-care over the break. Share short, uplifting messages through social media or email, celebrating teachers' hard work throughout the year and wishing them a restful holiday. Keep it all short, sweet, and supportive to show you understand the challenges they’ve faced this quarter.
Don’t Miss Holidays in December:
Giving Tuesday - December 3
Computer Science Education Week - December 9-13
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza Holidays December 23 -31
Conferences
Conferences can be an amazing opportunity for EdTech brands and educators to connect, learn from each other, and collaborate. This time of year is a little bit slower than others, and may be a good opportunity to look ahead and prepare for upcoming conferences.
The conferences below are only a few of the conferences happening in the next few months. For the complete list of conferences, download the EdTech Marketer’s Planner - Extended Version, and you’ll get an editable spreadsheet of over 200 conferences in 2024.
October
10/8 - 10/10: EdTech Week, New York City, NY [EdTech]
10/21-10/24: EduCause, San Antonio, TX [higher education technology]
10/27-10/30: SETDA Leadership Summit, Arlington, VA [EdTech and digital learning]
November
11/6 - 11/9: NAEYC, Anaheim, CA [early childhood education]
11/7 - 11/8: NJEA, Atlantic City, NJ [New Jersey]
11/13 - 11/15: IETC, Springfield, Illisnois [technology integration]
11/11 - 11/13: NSLA, Washington, DC [school leaders]
11/21 - 11/24: NCTE, Boston, MA [English language arts teachers]
11/22 - 11/24: NCSS, Boston, MA [Social studies teachers]
December
12/4 - 12/7: ACTE CareerTech Vision [career and technical education]
Birthdays
Celebrating the birthdays of historical figures and influencers in education can bring some much-needed fun during a quarter often dominated by dark days and standardized test prep. Start by identifying which birthdays your audience would find meaningful and build content around them. Not sure who they'd want to celebrate? Just ask! Use polls, surveys, or social media questions to get a feel for what excites your audience. Learn three ways you can incorporate birthdays into your content plans.
Don't forget to keep an eye out for notable deaths. These often trend online and can offer a timely way to honor important individuals.
The following list and image highlights some of the most relevant birthdays for learning and education.
As we kick off Q4, it's time to make the most of these final months of the year. Despite the challenges this season brings, it also offers unique opportunities to connect with educators in meaningful ways. Use the strategies and resources outlined in this post to stay on track and maximize your impact. Don’t forget to leverage our free EdTech Marketer’s Planner and the more comprehensive Extended Planner for proven templates, strategies, and calendars to help you generate leads and build strong relationships. Here's to a productive and successful Q4!
This post was written in collaboration with educator, Stevie Frank and LCG Content Marketing Coordinator, Jordan Moldenhauer.
