Evergreen Consulting Group CEO John Watson, who has been analyzing blended learning trends for more than a decade, outlines the steps companies should take to succeed in this market.
K-12 Dealmaking: Knewton Raises $52M; Imagine K12 Merges with Y Combinator
Knewton, SchoolMint and NuuEd announced completion of funding rounds; ed-tech accelerator Imagine K-12 merged with the Y Combinator fund.
States Setting Higher Expectations for Their Tests
Many states have made their tests more challenging, a toughening of expectations that coincides with the passage of the common-core standards, and tests aligned to them.
Implementation Woes Can Doom Ed-Tech Sales to Districts
A California district leader explains how his system doesn’t just measure the success of ed-tech products by academic outcomes, but by ease of implementation, too.
Holding Vendors’ Feet to the Fire With Tough Contract Language
District leaders are adding accountability provisions in their contracts with vendors around student data privacy, interoperability, standards alignment, and “up time.”
Exploring the Future of Big Data, and Analytics, With AltSchool
AltSchool, a Bay Area startup, uses its own set of private schools to serve as test labs for its products, and the company’s products are evolving in almost real-time based on teacher and parent feedback.
New Federal Ed. Law Opens Door to Investors, Including Private Companies
The new Every Student Succeeds Act allows states and districts to try “pay for success” projects that offer financial rewards to investors in public education, if they produce results.
Open Ed. Resources Secure a Spot in the Every Student Succeeds Act
Open educational resources — viewed by many as challenger to commercial resources — are encouraged through the recently passed, sweeping ESSA federal statute.
Pay Attention! The ELL Market Is Shifting
K-12 systems are telling publishers and other content producers to give them materials for English-language learners that are more challenging, and tailored to specific grade spans and academic subjects.
Ed-Tech Businesses to Find Opportunities in ESEA Reauthorization
The long-awaited revision to national education policy contains several areas where funding could flow to education businesses.