edBiz Newsletter
A Newsletter for Education Business Leaders
Todd Hand
Managing Director and Education Principal
todd@bsgtv.com
Ralph Protsik
Co-Founder and Managing Director
ralph@bsgtv.com
Mary Axelson
Editor
www.bsgtv.com
Galvanize Acquires Hack Reactor
Grand Canyon University Sells for $875 Million
Follett Acquires Fishtree
Golden Gate Capital Acquires The Learning Experience
Guild Education Raises $40 Million
Zuoyebang raises $350 Million
Swing Education Raises $15 Million
RaiseMe Raises $15 Million
Showbie Acquires Socrative
National University Acquires UniversityNow
Goodwall Raises $10.8 Million
PennSpring Capital Acquires Professional Systems Software & Technology
Illuminate Education Merges with 4 Education Data Companies
Imagine Learning Acquires Reasoning Mind
Learners Edge Acquires iteach
Chegg Acquires StudyBlue
Skillshare Raises $28 Million
ACT Acquires The National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA)
Impraise Raises $10.6 Million
Pi-Top Raises $16 Million
Kaplan Closes Acquisition of the College for Financial Planning
Audax Private Equity Acquires Van Pool Transportation
ASSIST Education Secures Funding
Recent Podcasts from Todd Hand
Active searches
Learning Ally, VP of School Sales and Account Management
KIPP Texas, Chief People Officer
KIPP Texas, Chief Financial Officer
Thinkful, Chief Operations Officer
Confidential CEO search in Pre-K
Two confidential board searches
Closed 2017-2018 searches
Walton Family Foundation, Senior Advisor
Edmentum, President and CEO
Rosetta Stone, CEO
Camelot Education, CEO
AltSchool, Chief Impact Officer
Sotheby's Institute of Art, Senior Director, Global Admissions and Recruitment
The School of The New York Times, Director, Pre-College Division
HelioCampus, SVP, Market Development
KIPP Texas, Chief Operating Officer
Revolution Foods, VP Sales
KIPP Foundation, Chief of Programs and Impact
CIG Education Group, Vice President, Global Information and Technology
American Public University System (APUS), President
Burning Glass, VP Business Development
OnCourse Learning, Chief Technology Officer; Chief Marketing Officer
Turnitin/Insight Venture Partners, SVP Sales
eDynamic Learning, SVP Sales & Marketing
Quad Partners, Chief Financial Officer; Chief Marketing Officer
InsideTrack, SVP Program Development
Voyager Sopris Learning, President
Elsevier, Head of Adaptive Solutions
GEMS Education, Chief Financial Officer
Cambridge Education Group, General Manager
Catapult Learning, VP Sales
MeTEOR Education, VP Growth Strategies
Illuminate Education, VP Sales
Center for the Collaborative Classroom, Chief Technology Officer
Human Capital Institute, Chief Marketing Officer
ILSC, Managing Director
Penn Foster, EVP Business Solutions; General Counsel
Teachers for Tomorrow, Chief Revenue Officer
Tiber Health (a University Ventures portfolio company), Chief Product Officer
- Academic Business Advisors, LLC
- Associated Press (AP)
- Academic Business Advisors, LLC
- The Atlantic
- Bostinno
- Brookings Institution
- Campus Technology
- Center for American Progress
- Center for Digital Education
- Center on Education and the Workforce
- Christian Science Monitor
- The Chronicle of Higher Education
- The Clayton Christensen Institute
- CLO Media
- CNBC
- CNET smartplanet.com
- Computer World
- Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
- eCampus News
- eLearning
- The Economist
- The Economic Times
- edSurge
- Education Dive
- Education News
- Education Next
- Education Sector
- Education Week
- Educause Review
- Edudemic
- Edutopia
- EdWeek Market Brief
- eLearn Magazine
- Entrepreneur
- eSchool News
- Fast Company
- Forbes
- Fortune
- FoxNews.com
- Geekwire
- GettingSmart.com
- Harvard Business Review
- the Hechinger Report
- the Heritage Foundation
- Huffington Post
- Inside Higher Ed
- IT World
- Journal of Applied Research on Children
- KQEDMind/Shift
- McKinsey Quarterly
- MDR EdNet InSight
- MIT Technology Review
- Mother Jones
- National Journal
- NBCNews.com
- NewsDay
- NewsWeek
- The New Republic
- The New Yorker
- The New York Times
- The Week
- NPR
- OnStartups.com
- Politico
- Psych Central
- Rolling Stone
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Scientific American
- The 74 Million
- SkilledUp
- Skoll World Forum
- Slate
- The Stifel Equity Research Group
- Social Science Research Network
- TechCrunch
- Tech Radar
- T.H.E. Journal
- Thomas B. Fordham Institute
- Time
- University Business
- University Ventures
- University World News
- US News & World Report
- Wall Street Journal
- Washington Post
- Venture Beat
EdTech: K-12 Districts Prepare Their Infrastructures for the Internet of Things
The push for a modern classroom environment has K-12 districts restructuring their networks to accommodate the surge in connected devices...more>>
Chalkbeat: With big names and $200 million, a new group is forming to push for the 'portfolio model'
Several big names in education reform are teaming up to start a new organization designed to change how schools are managed in cities across the U.S. - and they say they've already raised $200 million...more>>
Getting Smart: Three Ongoing Trends in Education Data
Education data (eddata), whether through the facilitation of measurement for personalization, the optimization of budget planning, or efforts to ensure equitable access to strong outcomes, has the potential to be a powerful tool for improving learning for more students...more>>
District Administration: Bulk purchasing power grows in K12
The reach of K12 bulk purchasing and co-op agreements has expanded substantially as more districts join to save substantial amounts on everything from software to playground equipment, according to a recent AASA report...more>>
Washington Post: Retailers are marketing directly to kids shopping on their smartphones
Nine-year-old Isabella Colello shops for just about everything online. She scrolls through the Amazon app on her phone at least once a day. She gets ideas from YouTube, searches on Google for things she wants and sends the links to her dad: pink swimsuits, earrings, Adidas sneakers (he said yes); Gucci backpack (no)...more>>
Andreessen Horowitz Leads $20 Million Investment in Wonderschool, an 'Airbnb for Preschool'
Early-childhood education is critical to helping children establish a strong foundation for growth. But a shortage of providers has created what the Center for American Progress calls "child care deserts" in states like California, where estimates suggest that only 25 percent of working-class parents have access to providers...more>>
Sacramento Bee: Sacramento city schools paid $5.2 million to tech firms. Now it wants its money back
Sacramento City Unified has sued two Delaware-based technology companies it says didn't deliver on a $5.2 million cloud computing system...more>>
CIO Dive: Turning fads into education: Coding toys teach the next generation of tech workers
Like taking medicine with a teaspoon of sugar, sometimes teaching STEM to young learners needs some subterfuge...more>>
Chalkbeat: More students are taking AP exams, but researchers don't know if that helps them
Let's start with the good news: Over the last two decades, a rapidly increasing number of students have taken and passed Advancement Placement exams, which are often seen as helpful preparation for college. But here's the bad news...more>>
EdSurge: Apple's Longtime Education VP Shares Frustrations With Slow Pace of Change
People love to try guess what Apple is up to-that's true for the company's education strategy as well. But often there's not much to go on beyond press releases and speculation...more>>
EdSurge: Pearson's Former Product Chief Reflects on the 4 Megatrends Shaping Global Education
I started working with classroom technology in 1989 at The Dalton School in New York City. We taught sixth-grade students ancient history through an archaeology simulation we developed on black-and-white Macintosh computers...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: Investors Pressure Pearson CEO for Details on Sale of U.S. K-12 Curriculum
Two investment analysts asked about the pending sale of global education company Pearson's U.S. K-12 curriculum business today during the public company's webcast about its half-year results...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: Amazon's Footprint Grows in K-12 Purchasing. Should We Be Worried?
Amazon could receive up to $5.5 billion over the next 11 years through a cooperative purchasing contract used by cities, counties, and school districts alike-and that's got some people fired up...more>>
EdSurge: K-8 Math Program DreamBox Raises $130 Million From The Rise Fund, Adds Arne Duncan to Board
"I've been spoiled by the likes of Reed Hastings and John Doerr," acknowledges Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of DreamBox Learning. Those "patient investors," she says, helped keep the company running when its digital math product was still looking for its footing in the education market...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: The 3 Questions Researchers Want Educators to Ask About Ed-Tech
An average of about 550 ed-tech products are being used in K-12 districts, but the efficacy of those products is rarely the reason any of them are in classrooms, a panel for the national meeting of the Education Innovation Clusters agreed last week...more>>
Education Next: Who Goes to Private School?
...Our analysis finds that private schools, like public schools, are increasingly segregated by income. In particular, the share of middle-income students attending private schools has declined by almost half, while the private-school enrollment rate of wealthy children has remained steady...more>>
Observatory: The impact of video on education
A survey conducted by Kaltura, an educational video content platform, highlights the importance of generating more educative audiovisual content. Although there is still little material created by teachers and students to enrich the educational experience, the adoption of this technology in classrooms increasing...more>>
Politico: AP World History gets a makeover, and high school teachers rebel
High school history teachers are in revolt over the alteration of a widely taught Advanced Placement course that they say threatens to present a skewed, Eurocentric history of the world to thousands of students...more>>
MDR: ISTE 2018 Highlights and Best Quotes from the Event
MDR went to ISTE, and all we got were countless helpful tips for digital learning, and endless connections with the education technology community. But seriously, we went to the "epicenter of Ed-Tech" and here are some of the highlights from the three-day event in Chicago...more>>
NACSA: Inside Charter School Growth: The Emergence of Non-District Authorizers
During the past five years, a significant shift has occurred within the national charter school landscape: for the first time, most new charter schools are being opened under entities other than local school districts...more>>
EdSource: Charter school network spreads 'personalized learning' model nationwide
Founded more than a decade ago, Summit Prep became nationally known for its success in getting all its students through Advanced Placement classes and into college...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: K-12 Dealmaking
Imagine Learning, Spring Education, Procare Make Acquisitions...more>>
Thoma Bravo Acquires Frontline; Impero Gains $36 Million...more>>
Showbie Acquires Socrative; Swing, Goodwall Raise Funds...more>>
Education Week: Pa. Cyber Charter Founder Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison
Nicholas Trombetta, the founder of a Pennsylvania cyber charter school that once served 15,000 students, was sentenced this week to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to tax conspiracy in 2016...more>>
Why the FCC's E-rate Makes Funding High-Speed Internet a Slow Crawl
It's one of the cruelest ironies in education: today's schools must build and maintain robust high-speed, fiber-optic internet connections. But the process involved in finding funds for these upgrades can feel like a laggy dial-up modem, slow to a crawl-when it's not cutting out completely...more>>
Wired: Congress Has a $95 Million Proposal to Study Tech's Effect on Kids.
LIKE A LOT of people, you probably spend a fair bit of time worrying about how much time you spend on your phone. Who doesn't these days? But what really concerns you is the youth...more>>
EdDive: Study rebuffs long-standing argument that money doesn't improve outcomes
Ensuring that schools with a large number of low-income students get adequate and equitable resources improves test scores and graduation rates, according to a new research brief from the Learning Policy Institute...more>>
EdSource: Federal spending on children projected to drop substantially over next decade
Federal spending on children will drop about a quarter within a decade, as appropriations for the elderly and rising interest payments on a soaring national debt will squeeze spending on America's youth, the Urban Institute projected in a report issued Tuesday...more>>
Hechinger: Edged out of the middle class, teachers are walking out
Dissatisfied with low pay and school funding, teachers in more red states are poised to protest...more>>
EdDive: Navigating cybersecurity risk assessment measures can get complicated for schools, districts
As cybersecurity grows in importance for schools and districts, navigating the scope and expense of tools like penetration tests and vulnerability scans to get the most out of funding can be complicated, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12...more>>
District Administration: More school districts buying active shooter insurance, but other liabilities remain
After a shooting, a district's typical insurance policies may not cover victim lawsuits, building repairs, medical expenses, funeral services or trauma counseling...more>>
AP: GAO: Less than half of school districts test water for lead
survey of school districts around the country finds that less than half test their water for lead, and among those that do more than a third detected elevated levels of the toxin, according to a federal report released Tuesday...more>>
EdDive: Poll: A third of parents fear for their children's safety at school
More than a third of parents believe their children are not safe at school, according to the results of this year's Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) Poll, which surveys members of the public annually on key educational issues...more>>
All4Ed: Science of Adolescent Learning: How Body and Brain Development Affect Student Learning
This All4Ed report argues that by understanding these changes-as well as the science behind student learning and development-education leaders can take advantage of this second critical window of development to support adolescent learning and development, close achievement and opportunity gaps, and ensure that students develop the higher-order thinking skills they will need in college and as adults...more>>
Getting Smart: 101 Top School and Charter Networks
School networks are one of the most important innovations in the modern era of U.S. K-12 education. They have boosted achievement and graduation rates and expanded quality options in the communities that need them the most...more>>
District Administration: Higher standards don't necessarily mean higher test scores in K12
Revised proficiency levels give a murky picture of true achievement...more>>
Observatory: It costs billions for girls not to complete secondary education
If all the girls in the world complete 12 years of education, the lifetime income of women could increase between 15 billion and 30 billion dollars, the World Bank estimates...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: K-12 Artificial Intelligence Market Set to Explode in U.S. and Worldwide by 2024
The use of artificial intelligence in education is expected to explode to a worldwide market value of $6 billion over the next six years, with about 20 percent of that growth coming from applications for U.S. K-12 classrooms and consumers, according to a report by Global Market Insights...more>>
OECD: The economic value of higher education
This month's Education Indicators in Focus brief investigates the earnings advantage that tertiary-educated workers have over their upper-secondary peers, and how earnings advantage has evolved over generations. On average across OECD countries, the earnings premium associated with higher education for 55-64 year-olds, 70%, is twice that of younger adults, at just 35%...more>>
Pew Research Center: Most Americans say higher ed is heading in wrong direction, but partisans disagree on why
About six-in-ten Americans (61%) say the higher education system in the United States is going in the wrong direction, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. But Republicans and Democrats differ over why they think this is the case...more>>
WSJ: To Recruit Students, Colleges Turn to Corporate-Marketing Playbook
Schools borrow retailers' approach in analyzing consumer databases; triggering online ads...more>>
UV Letters: How Free College Could Make America College-Free
Last week, New Jersey's new Governor Phil Murphy became the latest Democrat to announce a plan for free college. By my count, Murphy is the fifth Democratic governor to do so, following Oregon, New York, Rhode Island, and Minnesota...more>>
NYT: America's Education 'Deserts' Show Limits of Relaxing Regulations on Colleges
The market for higher education is strongly local, with sparse options for many potential students, so merely giving them more information may not work...more>>
Chronicle: Issues of Accreditation Predominate in New Rulemaking Announced by Education Dept.
In its latest move to unmake policies and regulations, many of them put in place under President Obama, the U.S. Department of Education announced on Monday a new round of rulemaking on more than a dozen topics, most notably accreditation...more>>
How Republican and Democratic Wish Lists on Higher Education Stack Up
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday introduced their proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the main legislation governing federal higher-education policy. Their bill, called the Aim Higher Act, presents a stark contrast to the Republican alternative, the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity Through Education Reform Act, or the Prosper Act...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: How Higher Ed Would Fare in Congress's Spending Proposals
Pell Grants may see a modest increase, but separate appropriations proposals from Senate and House would largely keep programs in line with 2018 funding levels...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: For-Profits Keep Access to Billions in Aid
Education Department's decision to drop gainful-employment rule will mean lowest-performing programs keep $5.3 billion over next decade...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Education Dept. to Repeal 'Gainful' Rules
The Department of Education plans to repeal the Obama administration's gainful employment rule, it announced Friday. The rule sought to hold all career education and certificate programs -- the vast majority at for-profit institutions -- accountable for producing graduates with debt they couldn't repay. Programs that repeatedly failed the metrics risked losing access to federal student aid...more>>
NYT: DeVos to Eliminate Rules Aimed at Abuses by For-Profit Colleges
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plans to eliminate regulations that forced for-profit colleges to prove that they provide gainful employment to the students they enroll, in what would be the most drastic in a series of moves that she has made to free the for-profit sector from safeguards put in effect during the Obama era...more>>
Motley Fool: Grand Canyon Education's Restructuring Plan Is in Full Swing
The company is no longer operating its namesake school. Here's why that's OK...more>>
Star Tribune: Capella and Strayer complete merger, shares soar nearly 12 percent on strong Q2 results
Capella Education Co. and Strayer Education Inc. closed their merger Wednesday and, in their last results as separate entities, reported strong growth this spring, with Capella's new enrollment rising at its fastest pace in eight years...more>>
EdDive: What are the top trends in ed tech?
The use of big data or cloud computing and the expansive and unpredictable inroads made by online learning were among the most important changes in higher education brought on by technology, according to a review of trends by Educause as it celebrated its 20-year anniversary...more>>
EdDive: New partnership offers colleges soft skills credentials for their students
Two much-talked about concepts in higher education are coming together in an agreement that joins an organization offering assessments for "21st century skills" with an ed-tech firm that specializes in credentials...more>>
EdDive: The challenge of a universal transcript
Can industry leaders figure out how to assess the value of mixed forms of learning?...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Growing Role of Amazon in Library Acquisitions
Research on where academic libraries buy their books has revealed the increasingly important role of nontraditional vendors such as Amazon...more>>
Community College Daily: Drawing lines on apprenticeships
Both sides of the aisle in Congress champion the value of apprenticeships in developing skilled workers for available jobs. But the common ground ends there: Democrats prefer government-recognized registered apprenticeships, while Republicans lean toward industry-recognized apprenticeships, which include fewer rules and regulations...more>>
Community College Daily: Funding opportunity for apprenticeships
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced $150 million in grants to support sector-based approaches to expand apprenticeships on a national scale in key industry sectors...Grant funds will go to higher education institutions in partnership with national industry associations...more>>
EdScoop: Nearly half of U.S. colleges are using OpenStax textbooks this year
The Rice University-based OER publisher reported that students across 5,160 colleges and universities are saving a combined $177 million on its textbooks...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Textbook Trade-Offs
It's well documented that textbooks aren't cheap, but for some students, affording course materials takes priority over paying for meals or flights home, or pursuing their first choice of major. A new study by Morning Consult for Cengage, an educational technology and services company, asked 1,651 current and former college students how purchasing textbooks figures into their financial picture...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Free Digital Textbooks vs. Purchased Commercial Textbooks
A large-scale study at the University of Georgia has found that college students provided with free course materials at the beginning of a class get significantly better academic results than those that do not...more>>
EdSurge: Coursera's First Ivy League Degree: An Online Master's From the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania has offered MOOCs on Coursera for several years, but now, it's giving the online learning platform its first Ivy League degree. The two have partnered to offer a fully-online Master's degree in Computer and Information Technology...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: A College Prices Its Online Programs 60% Less
Most institutions charge students the same or more for online programs than for face-to-face. Berklee has found success with a pricing model that favors online students...more>>
eCampus News: 9 things your online learning program should know about students
Online students say tuition and fees are among their top three deciding factors when it comes to choosing an institution, according to a Learning House survey of 1,500 students who are considering, enrolled in, or have graduated from an online learning program...more>>
EdDive: 3 things to know about the students arriving on campus
Generation Z students are tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and socially aware - and though most contemporary language still refers to them students as millennials, it is actually Gen Z students who are coming to campus this fall...more>>
Community College Daily: The revolution is coming
Robots will take over almost 40 percent of the jobs in 15 years and nearly half of existing jobs will disappear within the next 25 years, according to studies...more>>
eCampus News: Experts say we're approaching a third wave of higher-ed reform.
The new report from Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Pearson notes that a career path won't have a single-job trajectory, but instead will require a lifetime of learning. Higher education will have to experience significant reform to create graduates equipped for such a workforce, the report's authors claim...more>>
EdDive: Report: Only 5.6% of two-year college students transferred to four-year institutions
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's Transfer and Mobility study for 2018 reports that only 5.6% of the fall 2011 cohort of students attending two-year institutions in the U.S. transferred to four-year institutions after receiving either a certificate or an associate degree from their starting institutions...more>>
Hechinger: Panicked universities in search of students are adding thousands of new majors
Despite tight budgets and high risks, colleges hope niche degrees will spur demand...more>>
Bitcoin: Beyond the Classroom: The Rise of University Blockchain Labs
As the cryptocurrency industry matures and public interest heightens, blockchain research and educational efforts have made their way into the halls of some of the world's leading universities. Courses on cryptocurrency finance, blockchain development and related law are developing into serious avenues of study...more>>
EdSurge: Campus Closures. What's Tech Got to Do With It?
Coleman University is closing, as I read recently in my local paper, the San Diego Union Tribune. It's not alone: the parent company that owns the for-profit Argosy University and Art Institutes, Dream Center Education Holdings LLC, is "discontinuing campus-based programs" at seven of its campuses in California...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Revenue Growth Better Than Expected
Growth in several higher education revenue streams has been better than expected for 2018, Moody's Investors Service says in a new report -- but the ratings agency nonetheless maintained a negative outlook for the sector due to flat enrollment and limited expected growth in tuition and fees...more>>
NYT: The iGen Shift: Colleges Are Changing to Reach the Next Generation
The newest students are transforming the way schools serve and educate them, including sending presidents and deans to Instagram and Twitter...more>>
EdSource: California's online community college will break new ground in higher ed
Plans for college blend influences from universities, companies and for-profit colleges...more>>
EdSurge: As College Innovation Efforts Grow, So Do Warnings of a 'McDonaldization' of Higher Ed
The question is one that many professors fear is essentially coming to colleges, as higher-ed leaders adopt practices from businesses in an attempt to rethink their operations...more>>
The EvoLLLution: Looking to 2040: Anticipating the Future of Higher Education
In April 2018, Georgia Tech's Office of the Provost released Deliberate Innovation, Lifetime Education, a report that explores the future of higher education. Using the year 2040 as a long-term vantage point, Deliberate Innovation makes recommendations on alternative educational models to reduce costs, improve the effectiveness of current methodologies, and increase opportunities to serve the needs of the next generation of learners...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: China on the Rise
China could overtake the United States on a key measure of research quality by the mid-2020s, with potentially major implications for worldwide academic collaboration, a new analysis suggests...more>>
Forbes: The Highest-Paid Public University Presidents: No. 1 Is Engulfed In Scandal
The highest-paid public university president last year, James Ramsey, 69, of the University of Louisville, made a total of $4.3 million, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education's eighth annual survey of public university presidents' compensation...more>>
Chronicle: Executive Compensation at Private and Public Colleges - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle's executive-compensation package includes the latest data on more than 1,400 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges from 2008-15 and nearly 250 public universities and systems from 2010-17...more>>
The EvoLLLution: The Age of Convergence: Considering a Continuum and an Unbundling of Education
As the context and expectations of students continues to evolve, it's critical for postsecondary institutions-and all involved stakeholders-to begin re-imagining the traditional models of higher education to better suit today's realty and tomorrow's needs....more>>
EdSurge: Should Higher Ed Re-Design Its Own Re-Design?
The U.S. Department of Education recently commissioned us as consultants for a three-day design deep dive into higher ed and the workforce and white paper. Together we dug deep into why higher education has failed to deliver economic stability to students...more>>
Education Commission of the State: Opening Credits: An Introduction to PLA Policies
Introduction to PLA Policies Prior learning assessment policies allow students to earn college credit for knowledge and experience gained outside of a classroom, which can accelerate their time to graduation...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Americans Still Believe in Higher Ed's 'Public Good'
Survey finds broad support for government funding of colleges, and recognition of value for society as well as individuals...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: Apple Reaches $1 Trillion Valuation. Does the Profitable Glow Extend to Education?
There are unicorns, decacorns, and hectocorns. And then there is Apple. The Silicon Valley tech giant this week reached a valuation of $1 trillion, becoming the first U.S. public company to do so, when its stock topped $207.04 a share...more>>
Business Insider: Academics created a periodic table of mind-blowing tech, and it's a handy guide to how the world will change forever
Academics at Imperial Tech Foresight (ITF), an offshoot of Imperial College London, have been working to bring to life nebulous and intangible technological advances in a way you've never seen before...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: Britain's Ed. Secretary Calls for "Revolution" in School Tech, and New Ideas From Industry
Britain's education secretary says far too few of his country's schools are reaping benefits from school technology, and he is urging private sector companies to help the government identify and test potentially innovative programs, and then ramp them up...more>>
Fast Company: Study: Blue light from screens can steadily blind us
New research reveals that blue light from smartphones and laptops creates toxic mutations in our eyes...more>>
Electronics in the Classroom Lead to Lower Test Scores
A study published in the journal Educational Psychology found that students who had cellphones or laptops present while a lesson was being taught scored five percent, or half a letter grade, lower on exams than students who didn't use electronics...more>>
EWG: Children Exposed to Lead in Drinking Water at Day Care Centers
More than 4 million American children spend at least part of the day at child care centers. How widespread is lead contamination of the tap water at these facilities?...more>>
Quanta: To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget
Researchers find evidence that neural systems actively remove memories, which suggests that forgetting may be the default mode of the brain...more>>
The Atlantic: An Enormous Study of the Genes Related to Staying in School
Researchers have found 1,271 gene variants associated with years of formal education. That's important, but not for the obvious reasons...more>>
Fast Company: This new laboratory will explore how people can truly flourish at work
Inspired by the legendary Bell Labs, BetterUp's new initiative puts pure research first, commerce second...more>>
SHRM: Employers Open to Ditching Degree Requirements When Hiring
But research finds degree inflation steadily increasing...more>>
WSJ: Without Better Training, U.S. Will Fall Short on Workers, Economists Say
White House economists have identified a potential stumbling block to maintaining the U.S. economy's momentum: a lack of well-trained workers...more>>
EdSurge: How Udacity Decides What Subjects To Offer Courses In (And Why It Isn't Doing New University Partnerships)
Udacity helped start the whole MOOC craze several years ago, offering online courses that drew tens of thousands of students and sparking a conversation about whether these new online programs could replace college as we know it...more>>
EdSurge: Tech Training and Apprenticeship Startup Kenzie Academy Raises $4.2M
When coding bootcamps first arrived on the (predominantly coastal) scene, they pitched themselves as alternatives to the college experience. But a series of closures have raised questions about whether these short-term skills-training programs are can be financially sustainable-or deliver results for students and investors...more>>
Harvard Business: The 2018 State of Leadership Development: Meeting The Transformative Imperative
In today's business world, transformation has become the new normal for organizations seeking to adapt and excel in the face of ever-accelerating change. In The 2018 State of Leadership Development 2018 study, we set out to explore key issues related to the topic of leadership development-through the lens of transformation...more>>
CLO: Scalable Learning Will Be the Strategic Differentiator in the 21st Century
A shift driven by macroeconomic trends will make learning a central part of organizational strategy, but to get there, CLOs need to massively scale corporate learning...more>>
MIT Technology Review: AI can now tell your boss what skills you lack-and how you can get them
Coursera is unveiling a new machine learning tool to show companies what skills their employees are acquiring from its classes and their level of expertise...more>>
CLO: The Science Behind Microlearning
While microlearning is effective for training hard skills, one learning scientist says the science behind microlearning proves it's not the best way to teach soft skills...more>>
EdSurge: Guild Education Raises $40M to Help Employers Provide Education Benefits
What if a fast-food gig could help you complete a bachelor's or master's degree? It's a quiet trend that's sweeping some of the country's major employers...more>>
Gallup: The Best Learning Blends Online and Instructor-Led Courses
Story Highlights: All companies have to focus on development to compete for top talent. Blended learning techniques are best for adult learners. Learners retain more when they immediately apply what they've learned...more>>
HBR: 4 Ways to Create a Learning Culture on Your Team
...As a result, there is now a premium on intellectual curiosity and learnability, the desire and ability to quickly grow and adapt one's skill set to remain employable. What you know is less relevant than what you may learn, and knowing the answer to questions is less critical than having the ability to ask the right questions in the first place...more>>
HR Dive: National Retail Federation Foundation launches partnership on worker credentialing
The National Retail Federation Foundation, the philanthropic branch of the NRF, recently announced an initiative to upskill workers who wish to enter or climb the ladder in the industry...more>>
EdSurge: Reach Capital's Newest Education Technology Investment Fund Closes at $82 Million
Raising money, Shauntel Garvey admits, is not her favorite activity. It's usually more fun to be on the other side of the table, reviewing pitches-rather than pitching...more>>
CNBC: Concerns about possible dealmaking constraints hit Chinese education stocks
Stock prices in Chinese education companies listed in Hong Kong have come under pressure after the central government issued a draft proposal that would tighten regulations...more>>
GETChina Insights: China-based Education saw 6 IPOs and 14 M&A in 2018H1
China's education sector is relatively a stranger to the capital market a few years ago. However, the situation changed with 10 China-based education companies IPOed in 2017 alone. And the wave of looking for capital in the public market continued...more>>
EdSurge: Can a Subscription Model Work for Online Learners and Teachers? Skillshare Just Raised $28 Million to Find Out
Can a "Netflix"-like subscription model really work for online education platforms? Investors who are fond of analogies and comparisons to consumer technology successes are betting on one New York City-based company to find out...more>>
EdSurge: In China, Homework Pays: Zuoyebang Raises $350M in Series D Round
Zuoyebang, a Chinese education startup that offers a mobile Q&A tool where students can ask for help on their assignments, has raised $350 million in a Series D round led by Coatue Management, a Silicon Valley-based hedge fund...more>>
Forbes: Estimated U.S. Book Publisher Revenue Was North Of $26 Billion In 2017
The latest net revenue numbers for the U.S. book publishing industry are out: The industry earned an estimated $26.23 billion from 2.72 billion units during 2017, according to the Association of American Publishers...more>>
EdSurge: Schools and Colleges Try Virtual Reality Science Labs. But Can VR Replace a Cadaver?
When Case Western Reserve University launches a new health education campus with the Cleveland Clinic next year, one feature will be conspicuously absent. There will be no place for cadavers...more>>
Forbes: Varsity Tutors Raised $107M To Take On $38B Worth Of Public Companies In $100B Market
There are many people out there who can't get the answers they need by Googling or watching a YouTube video. Those people would gladly pay to find an outstanding tutor to help solve their problem right away...more>>
EdSurge: Mixed Reality Will Transform Learning (and Magic Leap Joins Act One)
Despite all the hype in recent years about the potential for virtual reality in education, an emerging technology known as mixed reality has far greater promise in and beyond the classroom...more>>
AZ Central: Grand Canyon University non-profit status will cost K-12 schools, Phoenix millions in tax revenue
Grand Canyon University's recent conversion back to a non-profit university after 14 years as a for-profit entity was touted by university leaders as a way to remain competitive and save money...more>>
EdSurge: 2018 Halftime Ka'Ching Report: U.S. Edtech Raises $739M in Venture Funding
So far, there have been fewer home-run funding deals than last year. But for the U.S. edtech industry, that's no big deal: In the first six months of 2018, 62 companies raised $739 million in venture capital...more>>
CNBC: Malcolm Gladwell: Americans spend too much on 'meaningless education'
The U.S. and Canada share more than just a border. There are strong cultural, economic and social ties that connect the two countries, but education may be one example of how the Land of the Free and the Great White North differ...more>>
Education Week: Enrollment Is Down at Teacher Colleges. So They're Trying to Change
Colleges of education are in a Catch-22: They're needed more than ever to produce well-trained teachers as school districts struggle to fill certain positions. But fewer and fewer people are enrolling in their programs...more>>
EdDive: Addressing mental health issues critical to boosting academic success
It is estimated that 13% to 20% of children living in the United States has experienced a mental health disorder in the last year. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, one in five adolescents between 13 and 18 years old has or will have a serious mental illness, and suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 24...more>>
Brookings: Why Trump is trying to reduce the status of the Department of Education
...Regardless of whether this proposal becomes law, Trump's introduction of this plan may help increase his approval rating among his Republican base, mobilize Republican voters in the upcoming midterm election, and increase the likelihood the Republican Party will retain majority control of Congress...more>>
EdSurge: Unacademy Nabs $21 million in Series C Round
Unacademy, a Bengaluru-based video learning platform for test-prep and subjects based on the Indian curriculum, has raised $21 million in a Series C round, according to a press release...more>>
Paris Ledger: U.S. Education Market is Expected to Reach $2,040 bn by 2026
The new report by Zion Market Research on the "U.S. Education Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016-2026? has a vast information about the market and its potential. The U.S. education market was valued at around USD 1,350 billion in the year 2017 and it is expected to reach approximately USD 2,040 billion by 2026. The U.S. education market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of more than 4.5% between 2018 and 2026...more>>