Here's a fun fact: Coca-Cola spent 79 days in 1985 learning that sometimes the most expensive market research in history can't measure the one thing that matters most—people's emotional attachment to what they already love.
They tested New Coke on 190,000 people, declared victory, then watched millions revolt until they brought back the original formula.
Districts pull the same stunt with EdTech procurement—they'll spend months researching "innovative solutions" while completely ignoring whether teachers actually want to use them daily. This just ends up with digital graveyards full of "revolutionary" platforms gathering dust.
Ana Romero survived the chaos from both sides. She wrangled kindergarteners through Spanish immersion at Los Angeles Unified School District, then switched teams to become our Chief of Staff at Subject, where helps districts turn ambitious plans into results that stick.
Her winning strategy: Teaching education leaders they have way more power than they think—and vendors know it. That’s because the districts that know their worth as partners get custom (and effective) solutions instead of off-the-shelf disappointments.
Here’s what’s on the dashboard this week:
Today’s Deep Dive: How to boss edtech companies in 4 easy quarters
Reading Rainbow: Some good news from the classroom
From Our Desk: What do TikTok and burgers have to do with school?
Watch of the Week: A chance to include a love triangle in your lesson plan
Show of Hands: Tell us your dream class set-up
How to Boss Vendors in 4 Easy Quarters
Your district treats procurement like ordering from McDonald's—check the menu, pick the least-terrible option, hope it doesn't give everyone food poisoning. ( It usually does…)
Ana Romero watched this tragic comedy from both sides: wrangling kindergarteners at Los Angeles Unified School District, then helping districts adopt and expand Subject in their schools.
Then the light dawned on her: educators have way more negotiating power than you think.
Most districts assume they're stuck with whatever exists in the catalog, like they're shopping at a gas station convenience store at 2 AM. Meanwhile, EdTech companies—especially startups—desperately need someone to tell them what actually works in real classrooms. They're basically building rockets based on YouTube tutorials while you're sitting on NASA-level expertise.
Here's how smart districts flip the script with quarterly power moves:
Q1: Assess and Align: Stop accepting "take it or leave it" pricing like you're buying a used car from your sketchy uncle. Your authentic classroom feedback helps vendors build products people actually want to use, instead of digital paperweights that cost more than your mortgage.
Q2: Request and Refine: True partners don't vanish after contract signing faster than your motivation on a Monday morning. They invite you to live product sessions where your opinion actually matters. (Wild concept: treating districts like they have functioning brain cells.)
Q3: Review and Measure: Watch district leaders transform from "please sir, may I have some more features" to "here's exactly what we need, and here's when we need it by."
Q4: Plan and Renew: Separate vendors who deliver results from those who deliver PowerPoints with more buzzwords than a startup pitch competition.
Your district doesn't have to keep getting swindled by companies selling "cutting-edge solutions" that work about as well as a chocolate teapot.
Schools Finally Figure Out What Tech Companies Do All Day
Emmanuel College in Victoria decided to actually plan their tech implementation instead of just throwing screens at walls and hoping for magic. We love the concept: matching technology to educational goals rather than buying whatever has the shiniest demo—next they'll probably try reading instruction manuals like absolute maniacs.Students Can't Handle Social Media Because We Never Taught Them How
New research confirms what every teacher suspected: kids don't need more information about digital media—they need to learn how to make actual decisions about it. Turns out, teaching students to identify bias isn't the same as teaching them what to do when they find it, which is like teaching someone to spot a bad date, but not how to escape through the restaurant bathroom window.Pandemic Teaching Survivors Share Horror Stories and Hard-Won Wisdom
First grade special-ed teacher Cooper Sved's personal account of learning to teach during COVID reads like a survival guide written by someone who barely made it out alive. He graduated with honors but had never set foot in an actual elementary classroom, then got thrown into managing "panic-stricken, masked five-year-olds" with zero practical experience. (It’s a heartwarming reminder that no, you're not the only one who has no idea what they're doing.Schools Finally Figure Out Emergency Tech That Actually Works When Needed
Necedah Schools finally gave us proof that emergency communication systems don't have to require a PhD in engineering to operate. Their digital signage integration reduced lockdown response times to under 30 seconds—because apparently "a couple taps on a phone app" works better than whatever complicated system they had before. Amazing what happens when technology is designed for actual humans to use under pressure.
On the Subject Podcast #60
A look into Bremen District 228's approach to connecting with students through TikTok, burgers, and actual conversations that don't involve standardized test scores. Pro tip: "bussin" does not mean "taking the bus," no matter how logical that sounds…Subject.ai | From Vision to Reality | Behind the Scenes - This film captures the process of how we bring learning to life—through cinematic storytelling, thoughtful production, and a relentless focus on what matters most: students, teachers, and administrators.
Day in the Life | Hockey Student Athlete Edition | Joel Meyers Ep. 3 - Senior year student and Arrows Youth Hockey Joel Meyers shares his inspiring journey from England to America to pursue his hockey dreams.
Our pick of the week: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime)
Why We’re Obsessed: This show got everybody talking, and it's no wonder why. It mastered the art of emotional storytelling by building tension, breakthroughs, and genuine moments without insulting anyone's intelligence—exactly what we're trying to do in classrooms. Plus, it proves teenagers can handle complex narratives when they're not being talked down to every five minutes. Who would've thought that teens have functioning brains. Scientists baffled.
Recommended lesson integration:
How to write a romantic story — Use the show's slow-burn romance techniques to teach pacing, tension, and character development in creative writing. Maybe a love story that doesn't resolve in 22 minutes?
Grief in literature — Examine how the characters process loss and apply those emotional beats to classic literature analysis (turns out death hits harder when you actually care about the characters)
Coming-of-age character development — Track how Belly's decision-making evolves across episodes and apply the same analysis to classic literature protagonists, because watching TV should count as homework now.
Family dynamics and generational conflict — Use the Fisher family's communication patterns to teach perspective-taking in creative writing assignments (spoiler: teenage angst is universal)
Setting as character — Examine how Cousins Beach functions as more than backdrop and apply this technique to students' own narrative writing. Bonus points if they can make your hometown sound half as appealing.
Social dynamics and peer pressure — Use the love triangle drama to discuss character motivation and ethical decision-making in literature and life. Finally, a love triangle that makes Twilight look simple!
Adaptation analysis — Compare scenes from the show to Jenny Han's original novels to teach media literacy and source material evaluation… because we should acknowledge that books still exist!
Last week’s winner to our “what was your favorite style of project in school” question: Something that incorporated pop culture
Now on to this week’s question!
Which classroom setup made you feel most at home?
Thank you for joining us for another edition of On The Subject. We’ll see you again in a week, with more stories from the hallways.
The Subject Team
Want to learn more about our curriculum offerings? Contact us today.
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