In today’s K–12 landscape, district and school leaders are being asked to balance improving classroom outcomes, reducing teacher turnover, and adapting to tight budgets—all at the same time.
And, as Matt Kennard, CEO of BetterLesson, says, “District and school leaders need help putting this all together and that’s where BetterLesson’s thought leadership comes in.”
“We want to help district and school leaders understand how to invest in professional development, even in budget-constrained environments,” Matt explains.
For him, thought leadership is not about promotion. It is about practical guidance that gives educational leaders the confidence to act by providing thought leadership that is easily consumable at each phase of the buyer or customer journey.
At BetterLesson, this commitment comes to life through four key principles that connect content, credibility, and classroom impact.

Focus on Hot-Button Issues

The first principle is to make content relevant by focusing on hot-button issues. BetterLesson’s thought leadership centers on the pressing challenges educators face, such as “personalized professional development” and “boost classroom impact to raise teacher engagement and reduce turnover.”
The focus is on addressing the reality that educators are being asked to do more with less—helping educators build the skills and support they need without adding more strain to limited budgets. Addressing these real-world priorities ensures every message resonates deeply with educational leaders and decision-makers.

Create Snackable Content

To meet educators where they are, BetterLesson turns complex ideas into actionable insights. The team develops blogs, case studies, webinars, and guides with easy-to-consume titles, headlines, and snippets. Each asset connects directly to key themes, giving readers something useful to apply right away.
This approach builds trust by giving educators the opportunity to quickly scan content assets for relevance. Those that are most relevant can then be further consumed to learn, plan, and improve their craft.

Support Self-Solutioning

As educators move through their decision journey, they want the freedom to explore and discover solutions independently. BetterLesson makes that process simple with a sortable Resource Page where every buyer can find content aligned to their specific needs.
Whether someone is a district leader searching for scalable PD programs or a teacher looking for new strategies, the platform makes relevant learning resources immediately accessible. Making resources easily sortable by type and theme helps buyers to review related content together as they work to envision for themselves whether BetterLesson might be the right fit for them.

Convert on Expertise

The final stage of engagement is about depth. Buyers who show strong interest are invited to participate in conference sessions or professional development events led by BetterLesson’s subject matter experts.This face-to-face learning extends thought leadership into practice, allowing participants to experience the company’s expertise firsthand. It is the interaction with experts and peers in these sessions that might give an interested buyer a nudge to start or continue a sales conversation.

In conclusion, Matt Kennard’s approach to thought leadership is about creating real educational value. By combining relevance, accessibility, and expertise, BetterLesson turns ideas into impact. It is a strategy that meets educators where they are and helps them move forward with confidence—one meaningful interaction at a time.