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



Forbes | Best Executive Recruiting Firms 2018
Recent Podcasts from Todd Hand

Active searches

Carnegie Learning, Board of Directors
Fusion Education Group, Chief Marketing Officer
BrandEd, Chief Financial Officer
Confidential CEO search in Pre-K
KIPP Texas, Chief People Officer
KIPP Texas, Chief Financial Officer
Thinkful, Chief Operations Officer


Selected 2017-2018 searches

Confidential, Board of Director searches
Learning Ally, VP of School Sales and Account Management
Walton Family Foundation, Senior Advisor
Edmentum, President and CEO
Camelot Education, CEO
AltSchool, Board of Directors
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
OnCourse Learning, Chief Technology Officer; Chief Marketing Officer
eDynamic Learning, SVP Sales & Marketing
Elsevier, Head of Adaptive Solutions
Cambridge Education Group, General Manager
Catapult Learning, VP Sales
MeTEOR Education, VP Growth Strategies
Tiber Health (a University Ventures portfolio company), Chief Product Officer




Sources

  • 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

K-12

Hechinger: Experts call for an end to online preschool programs
Especially popular in rural areas, preschool programs may expose kids to 'new risks,' experts warn...more>>
Hechinger: Time to change how we think about early education, international study finds
An examination of how six countries provide early care and education suggests that the U.S. could benefit from a new perspective...more>>
EdSurge: Jeff Bezos Adds Preschools to His Resume
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has his hands in e-commerce, space expeditions and carbonless energy-and now, he's adding preschools to that list...more>>
EdSurge: Drinking, Smoking and Sugar: How Unsavory Ads Wound Up on Edmodo
Beth Freeman logs in to her son's Edmodo account from time to time to check on his homework assignments...more>>
Politico: K12 Inc. Pushes To Do Better Amid Criticism of Virtual Schools
Low graduation and attendance rates have led to widespread scrutiny in recent years of virtual schools, which allow students to do Internet-based schooling on a computer at taxpayers' expense. One of the largest providers is K12 Inc., which serves 110,000 students in 31 states...more>>
Education Week: Schools See 'Incredible Progress' on Internet Connectivity, Report Says
More than 44 million students now learn in classrooms with high-speed internet connections, up from just 4 million five years ago, according to a new analysis by the nonprofit broadband advocacy group EducationSuperHighway...more>>
eSchool News: Computer science education is expanding, but states have work to do
A new report examines state-by-state progress toward computer science education and policies...more>>
EdSurge: India's Byju's Reaches Unicorn Status After $100 Million Funding Round
Byju's, a Bengaluru, India-based company behind an app that offers educational games, interactive videos and quizzes, has reportedly raised $100 million in a round from General Atlantic India, which will take a 5 percent equity stake in the company, according to DealStreetAsia. The deal values Byju's at $1 billion...more>>
Forbes: Education Startups Continue To Book More Cash From VCs
Bloomberg reported yesterday that Softbank is seeking to invest up to $500 million in Zuoyebang, an education-focused startup based in China, just months after it raised a $350 million Series D. And while that news is impressive, and borderline ridiculous, another education startup has scored some funding...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: K-12 Dealmaking
Achieve3000 Acquires Actively Learn, TAL Education Buys App Developer Dr. Panda...more>> ACT Invests in Assessment Company; VitalSource Makes Acquisition...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: What's Trending in New Ed-Tech 'Top 40' Digital Tools
The top five digital tools accessed most often in school districts in 2017-18 were all Google products-including YouTube, according to research by Lea(r)n Inc. on more than 2,000 ed-tech tools used in K-12 schools...more>>
RAND: Changes in What Teachers Know and Do in the Common Core Era
RAND Corporation researchers use data from surveys of the American Teacher Panel in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to examine change in use of instructional materials and knowledge of state standards and standards-aligned practices among mathematics and English language arts (ELA) teachers...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: Teachers' Biggest Need With K-12 Data: More Time to Make Sense of It
Teachers face an array of hurdles that stymie their ability to use data effectively. One roadblock trips them up more often than any other: a lack of time...more>>
THE Journal: Device Access Impacts Student Achievement
The U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress takes a look at how students and teachers are using computers for learning...more>>
EdSurge: Building a Learning Company: Three Entrepreneurs Dish Out Advice
Playing games in the classroom is not a new concept. So, it's perhaps not surprising that there are game-based edtech companies hoping to leave a mark in classrooms...more>>
Education Week: Do Students Need an Exam to Measure Workplace Skills? Four States Think So
Students take tests exhaustively throughout their K-12 careers-so do they need to take a separate exam to gauge reading and writing skills for work? It's a question still a long way away from having a clear answer...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: Venture Capital Firm, Standards-Setting Group Forge Partnership Around Interoperability
An organization that promotes "interoperability" in school districts-the seamless sharing of data across ed-tech products and systems-is partnering with a venture capital firm in trying to bring fledgling education companies on board with the concept...more>>
EdDive: DOJ awards more than $70M in grant funding for school safety
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced more than $70 million in grant funding through the STOP School Violence Act, which provides support for school security, student and faculty training, and to aid law enforcement officers and first responders during school violence incidents...more>>
EdSurge: FBI Warns Educators and Parents About Edtech's Cybersecurity Risks
...Specifically, the organization notes that the "widespread collection of sensitive information" by education technology vendors, such as web browsing history, biometric data and students' geolocation, could "present unique exploitation opportunities for criminals."...more>>
EdDive: Advocacy groups release major report on effects of policing in schools
Roughly 1.6 million students attend schools that have police on campus - but not a school counselor, according to a report released Thursday from the Advancement Project, an advocacy organization, and the Alliance for Educational Justice, described as a new civil rights organization...more>>
Huff Post: Democratic Senators Call For Investigation Into Virtual Charter Schools
Senators say they have questions about student performance and fiscal transparency in the online school systems...more>>
Washington Post: California Gov. Brown signs bill banning for-profit charter schools. But will it really do that?
California has permitted charter schools - which are publicly funded by privately operated, sometimes by for-profit companies - since 1992. Since then, the charter sector has grown so much that the state now has the most charter schools in the country and the most charter school students...more>>
District Administration: Calculating the true costs of choice in K12 education
Report raises concerns over taxpayers funding charters, vouchers and private schools...more>>
The 74: Private School Choice Enrolls a Half-Million Kids, & Growing; Florida, Wisconsin Have Top-Rated Programs, New Report Finds
Nearly a half-million students are enrolled in private school choice programs, about 45,000 more than in 2016-17, according to a new report from the American Federation for Children...more>>
Education Next: Public Support Climbs for Teacher Pay, School Expenditures, Charter Schools, and Universal Vouchers
Education's political landscape has shifted dramatically over the past year. To the consternation of most school-district officials, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos used the bully pulpit to promote charter schools, vouchers, and tax credits for private-school scholarships...more>>
Washington Post: Education--and Betsy DeVos--are issues in key political races this November
In Wisconsin, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, in office since 2011, is facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Tony Evers, the state's superintendent of schools - and education is a key issue...more>>
Education Week: Tax Hikes to Fund Schools? Once Taboo, the Idea Is Gaining Momentum
Politicians on the state campaign trail this year are making some eye-popping promises for parents and educators: billions more dollars for schools, double-digit pay raises for teachers, and hundreds of millions more to replace dilapidated schoolhouses...more>>
TIME: Education Is a Top Issue in the Midterms
Oklahoma isn't anybody's idea of a swing state-by any measure, it's one of the most Republican places in the country. But a poll in July put the Democratic nominee for governor, Drew Edmondson, up by a point over his Republican opponent, 40-39...more>>
Education Week: Winners and Losers From Capitol Hill's School Spending Agreement
We finally have an idea of how much Congress wants to spend on education. After months of wrangling, top lawmakers for the education budget struck a deal to fund the U.S. Department of Education for the upcoming fiscal year. It's not a done deal, because it still needs to pass the House and Senate, and President Donald Trump then has to sign it...more>>
ECS: 2018 Elections: Changes in State Education Leadership
This November, voters in states across the country will be heading to the polls to decide key leadership roles, including key state education leadership. Education Commission of the States is tracking the elections closely to keep you updated on what the impact could be on education systems in your state...more>>
EdWeek Market Brief: How the 2018 State Elections Could Shape the K-12 Market
Much of the public's focus during this year's mid-term elections is on the battle for control of the U.S. Congress. But it's the races for state-level offices around the country that are likely to have a much bigger impact on education policy and companies working in the K-12 market...more>>
Forbes: How To Crack The Toughest Nut In Education: High School
There's been a lot of handwringing lately about the lack of rigor in high school courses, and critics have blamed educators' "low expectations." But they've overlooked one powerful strategy that could boost both expectations and performance: teaching students to write about what they're learning...more>>
The Economist: Parents worry more about bullying than anything else
Around the world, schools and governments are converging on ways of tackling it...more>>
EdDive: Only a fraction of students consistently get grade-appropriate assignments
Low-income students, English learners, students of color and those with disabilities are far less likely to be given the chance to do grade-level work...more>>
Getting Smart: Families are Fundamental: Takeaways from The National Center for Families Learning Conference
Families matter. Literacy changes lives. Family literacy activates generational transformation and change. These tenants form the basis of the 2018 convening of the National Center for Families Learning Conference held this past week in Fort Lauderdale, FL...more>>
Forbes: Why Teachers Aren't Buying What Education Reformers Are Selling
So-called education reformers-myself included-constantly propose new plans, programs, and policies to fix whatever supposedly ails public education...more>>
Education Week: Speaking Skills Top Employer Wish Lists. But Schools Don't Teach Them
Employers say they have trouble finding new hires with good oral-communication skills. But relatively few regular public K-12 schools explicitly teach those skills, and even fewer teach them with real-world workplace scenarios...more>>
TNTP: The Opportunity Myth
What Students Can Show Us About How School Is Letting Them Down-and How to Fix It...more>>
Education Week: Vander Ark: The Promise & Challenge of Student-Centered Learning
In the old days (like 3 years ago) we told computers what to do, now they increasingly figure it out on their own. Artificial intelligence--code that learns--will prove to be humankind's greatest invention. It will help cure disease, create clean energy, produce cheap safe transportation...more>>
Hechinger: Working in a group might be the best way to help kids meet individual goals, study says
Researchers also say that they found collaboration led to higher grades for black students...more>>
Observatory: Survey: teaching and education data
A recent survey reveals teachers' opinions about data analysis in educational settings; those surveyed emphasize data importance, even though, they express training and access to information is critical...more>>
EdDive: Survey: One-third of students report being bullied
Based on responses from 160,000 students, the results show reports are up from one-fourth and slightly higher in majority white schools...more>>
APM Reports: Hard Words. Why aren't kids being taught to read?
Scientific research has shown how children learn to read and how they should be taught. But many educators don't know the science and, in some cases, actively resist it. As a result, millions of kids are being set up to fail...more>>

Higher Ed

Encoura: Are Certificates Really Booming? An Unsolved Mystery
Is there evidence that the certificate is muscling in on the degree market? On the surface, the numbers are impressive: undergraduate certificates saw 53% growth in completions over the past 20 years, and graduate certificates a massive 247%. But let's look at the bigger picture...more>>
EdSurge: RedShelf Nabs $25 Million in Series C Round
The round was led by DNS Capital LLC. Other investors included Tao Huang, COO and CTO of Morningstar, and Rick Lane, CEO of Trading Technologies...more>>
Chronicle: Higher Ed, Inc.
How the university became a profit-generating cog in the corporate machine...more>>
UV Letters: The Anti-Kavanaugh Generation
The more I hear about Judge Brett Kavanaugh's not-so-excellent adventures in the 1980s, the clearer the contrast with young Americans today...more>>
EdTech: Education Department Warns Universities to Improve Identity Management
As hackers attempt to target student loans, university IT teams need to take a look at their identity management systems...more>>
DOE Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Awards $4.9 Million Grant to University of California, Davis to Develop Free, Open Textbooks Program
To help stem the rising cost of college textbooks, the U.S. Department of Education today announced a $4.9 million grant to the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to lead a pilot program to develop free, open textbooks in targeted subjects...more>>
WSJ: College and Coding Boot Camp Find a Way to Team Up
Coding boot camps pitch themselves as a sure path to a lucrative job. Colleges say a liberal arts grounding is crucial to career success...more>>
Times Higher Ed: How will technology reshape the university by 2030?
The digital tide will not wash away campus-based learning, believe most respondents to THE's University Leaders Survey. David Matthews reports on what they see ahead for study options, scholarly conferences, scientific progress and more...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Google Curriculum, College Credit
Tech giant gets hands-on with its new online IT certificate, as a growing number of community colleges and Northeastern University create credit pathways with the curriculum...more>>
CNBC: Ed tech company Chegg plunges after disclosing data breach
Chegg plunged more than 12 percent Wednesday after disclosing a data breach that could affect customers' user information...more>>
University World News: The consolidation of Chinese private higher education
Higher education as an industry is facing unprecedented worldwide challenges due to an increase in competition and the need for greater efficiency. In China, the private sector in higher education is witnessing a trend of convergence by acquisitions - private educational groups acquiring other private institutions...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: New International Graduate Enrollments Fall Again
Report says international graduate enrollments were down for the second straight year last year, after a period of significant growth. Experts said it's hard to ignore the Trump factor...more>>
The PIE News: Edtech platform FutureLearn looking for outside investment
The Open University, which is hailed in the UK as the "pioneer" of distance learning, is looking for investment from outside sources for its online platform, FutureLearn...more>>
Observatory: A strong focus on research leads China to the top places in THE World University Rankings 2019
China is advancing in university rankings by giant leaps. Only a few days ago we reported that the Asian country swept in the Top 10 of emerging institutions in scientific research of 2018, according to the Nature Index, a classification that distinguishes universities and institutes considered as rising stars in scientific research...more>>
Traditional Educational Pathways Have Already Been Disrupted
A new report published by researchers at Inside Higher Education with support from the Entangled Group, On-Ramps and Off-Ramps: Alternative Credentials and Emerging Pathways Between Education and work, suggests that traditional education has already been radically disrupted...more>>
Gallup: Confidence in Higher Education Down Since 2015
Gallup finds 48% of U.S. adults expressing "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education this year, down from 57% in 2015. The decline is most evident among Republicans, whose confidence level has fallen by 17 percentage points, but Democrats and independents are also less confident now than they were three years ago...more>>
EdTech: Education Technology Offers Improvements to Talent Acquisition
Education technology has shifted how students and teachers interact in the classroom, and now the same innovations are transforming how institutions search for candidates for their leadership roles...more>>
WSJ: University of Michigan Raises $5 Billion, Others Close Behind
Mega-campaigns for public schools becoming more common as public funding wanes...more>>
EdDive: What is the future of the American college presidency?
The American college presidency is poised to undergo major change, with half of independent college presidents planning to leave their posts in the next five years, according to a report from the Council of Independent Colleges examining data from a 2016 survey of CIC and other college presidents' demographics, work priorities and frustrations...more>>
Motley Fool: Will Your School Pay This New Trump Tax?
Tax reform didn't just cut taxes. Find out who'll pay more -- and why they're fighting...more>>
Forbes: The Seven Deadly Sins Of Digital Badging In Education
An academic institution's digital badging initiative is getting off the ground and students are "earning" badges, or micro-credentials, but are they actually providing value to the student toward his or her future career?...more>>
Career Education Review: The Hidden Motivations of Prospective Students - New Research
Enrollment Resources recently compiled data from over 125,000 prospective students who had completed a detailed online survey delving into their goals, frustrations, motivations and current life/work situations...more>>
Campus Technology: Coursera's CEO on the Evolving Meaning of 'MOOC'
When you can bring huge numbers of students together with lots of well-branded universities and global enterprises seeking a highly skilled workforce, could those linkages be strong enough to forge a new future for massive open online courses?...more>>
Washington Post: Little scrutiny in DeVry sale, as DeVos targets protections
A little-known venture capitalist is on the verge of acquiring one of the biggest for-profit colleges in the country, a transaction that would put him in control of a troubled national chain that's more than 60 times the size of the tiny California school he currently owns...more>>
Politico: Judge rules DeVos delay of Obama-era student loan rules 'unlawful'
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' various delays of Obama-era regulations governing loan forgiveness for defrauded borrowers were illegal...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: For-Profit Chain Will Close Dozens of Campuses
Education Corporation of America says it will close nearly 30 campuses across the country by 2020 -- a response to lower student enrollment and another sign of restructuring in the for-profit sector...more>>
WSJ: ITT Bankruptcy Trustee Sues Lenders, Department of Education
The bankruptcy trustee charged with cleaning up after failed for-profit schools operator ITT Educational Services Inc. is suing the U.S. Department of Education and financial backers of a private loan program, accusing them of helping ITT victimize students...more>>
Hechinger: Popular "free college" programs yield mixed results
Researchers say tuition breaks from nearly 300 new scholarships don't always help the neediest students...more>>
Urban Institute: Evaluating the Return on Investment in Higher Education
An Assessment of Individual- and State-Level Returns...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: Free College Goes Mainstream
A growing number of Democratic candidates at the state and federal level are running on free college. But there's a sharp divide within the party and liberal policy circles over the concept...more>>
Fast Company: This tool will help you figure out if college or grad school will pay off
College is expensive and grad school is, too, and sometimes it's hard to say whether all that accumulated debt will actually pay off when it comes to making more money...more>>
Christensen: Is college worth it? It's a definite maybe.
With the start of the new school year just around the corner, prospective students are asking what has become a very tough question: Should I go to college? It used to be easier to give a clear answer...more>>
Bloomberg: U.S. Students Spend More Time Working Paid Jobs Than Going to Class
Facing mounting debt, U.S. college students spend double the time working paid jobs than in the library...more>>
Forbes: The Crazy Amount America Spends On Higher Education, In One Chart
As college students head back to campus for the new academic year, high tuition levels will doubtless be on everyone's mind...more>>
NPR: If 'Free College' Sounds Too Good To Be True, That's Because It Often Is
To millions of parents and students, they're magical words: free college. But is the idea pure fantasy?...more>>
The Atlantic: Why Is College in America So Expensive?
The outrageous price of a U.S. degree is unique in the world...more>>
Pew: Use of 529 Plans Rising-Along With Revenue Impact
Trend that started before the education savings program's 2017 expansion could affect federal and state costs...more>>
The 74: Small Charter Schools Among Big Winners in Nearly $400 Million in New Ed Dept Grants
The Education Department has awarded nearly $400 million in grants to help start, expand, and finance new charter schools...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: $100 Increase in Maximum Pell Grant
Congressional spending deal includes gains for student aid and NIH...more>>
EdSurge: Opinion: With the Fox in the Henhouse, Betsy DeVos's Ed Department Is Hurting Low-Income College Students
In the 19 months since becoming the U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos has issued a rush of announcements that remove or undermine previous rules designed to protect students from predatory corporate-run colleges and student debt-collection agencies-changes that are likely to impact low-income students disproportionately...more>>
The Atlantic: What an Audacious Hoax Reveals About Academia
Over the past 12 months, three scholars-James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, and Peter Boghossian-wrote 20 fake papers using fashionable jargon to argue for ridiculous conclusions, and tried to get them placed in high-profile journals in fields including gender studies, queer studies, and fat studies...more>>
Inside Higher Ed: A Tipping Point for Accreditors
Q&A with the co-editors of an anthology of essays on accreditation about new challenges for the college oversight bodies...more>>
EdSurge: Lambda School Raises $14M to Grow Coding School Offerings
LAMBDA SCHOOL, a 30-week online software and coding school, has raised $14 million in a Series A round led by GV. Stripe also participated in the round, which brings the company's total amount raised to $18.1 million, according to crunchbase...more>>

Et Alia

Business Insider: Global Edtech Investments
"An astonishing $10.58 billion in investment flowed to learning technology firms in the first three quarters of 2018," reports Sam S. Adkins, Metaari's Chief Researcher. "I have been tracking learning technology investment activity for twenty-two years and I have never seen such an incredible burst of global activity...more>>
BMO Capital Markets: The Education Industry: 2018
Key Investment Considerations - The U.S. private sector education market should see growth accelerate. This $122 billion industry-serving the childcare, K-12, postsecondary, and corporate training segments-is a small component (roughly 8.1%) of the estimated $1.5 trillion to be spent on education in the U.S. in 2018...more>>
BMO Capital Markets: First Takeaways From Back to School Conference
Yesterday, we held our 18th annual Back to School conference and have summarized key takeaways from the event as well as our Education Industry overview...more>>
BMO Capital Markets: Takeaways From Private Company Panels at the Back to School Conference
We provide a summary of takeaways from private company panels at our 18th Annual Back to School Conference, which covers a wide range of themes for investors and operators in the education sector...more>>
The EvoLLLution: What Will Be Important in the Learn and Work Ecosystem in 2030? How Do We Prepare?
Lumina Foundation recently sponsored the second of two convenings on AI Future Skills with the Institute for the Future (IFTF), an organization that has been forecasting ten-year futures for 50 years...more>>
Hechinger: These glasses give teachers superpowers
Augmented reality glasses for classrooms seem straight out of science fiction...more>>
EdSurge: Wiley to Acquire Learning House for $200 Million
Based in Louisville, Ky., Learning House offers several services, including an online program management business and The Software Guild, a coding bootcamp...more>>
Education Week: How People Learn: A Landmark Report Gets an Update
Learning is a conversation with the world, from a newborn's brain lighting up as his mother sings to him, to a teenager choking on a test for fear of fulfilling a stereotype, to elderly people heading off cognitive decline by learning a new language. In an update to its landmark reports on education research, the National Academies' new How People Learn II digs into what science can tell schools about how to build on students' culture and experience to improve learning...more>>
Hechinger: GED and other high school equivalency degrees drop by more than 40% nationwide since 2012
Decline linked to 2014 change in exam and adult ed budget cuts, researcher says...more>>
Forbes: Codam To CareerFoundry: Female Founders Are Transforming Tech Education
Corinne Vigreux cofounded Dutch sat nav business TomTom back in 1999. It was "the company that saved millions of marriages by showing the way," she joked at Forbes 30Under30 Europe Summit last month...more>>
Venture Beat: Amazon's Alexa Fund invests in assistants for health care and education
Amazon's $200 million Alexa Fund for the promotion of voice-powered products and conversational computing today announced investment in new early-stage startups Bamboo Learning, Endel, and Aivas...more>>
Science Daily: Unprecedented study finds US ranks 27th among nations investing in education, health care
Nation's 2016 ranking plummets from 6th in 1990; China sees increase in ranking from 69th to 44th...more>>
EdSurge: The Most Important Skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution? Try Ethics and Philosophy
For those keeping count, the world is now entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution...more>>
The PIE News: Tech platform for school counsellors takes off
Concourse Global in the US is a new company poised to revolutionise the higher education admissions industry by putting college counsellors back "in the driver's seat" during the application process, according to its directors...more>>
Deal Street Asia: China's English learning app Liulishuo raises $72m in US IPO
Luilishuo, the AI-powered English language learning app created and operated by Chinese artificial intelligence firm LAIX Inc, raised $71.9 million by offering 5.72 million American depositary shares (ADS) in its lower-than-targeted US initial public offering...more>>
Business Insider: The US was once a leader for healthcare and education - now it ranks 27th in the world
US investments in healthcare and education haven't changed much in the last three decades - and it's putting the country far behind its peers, according to a new study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington...more>>
EdSurge: ACT Is Acquiring Technology That Automatically Generates Test Questions
ACT, the nonprofit education organization best known for its college-readiness assessment, is acquiring the "automated item generation" (AIG) technology from Canada-based MGHL Consulting...more>>
EdSurge: At the start of this decade, the education industry saw hundreds of flowers bloom.
Launched from garages and tech accelerators, startup after startup burst onto the scene with technology tools for the education market...more>>
Nature: Insights from 200+ years of personalized learning
Current initiatives to personalize learning in schools, while seen as a contemporary reform, actually continue a 200+ year struggle to provide scalable, mass, public education that also addresses the variable needs of individual learners...more>>
Pew: A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying
59% of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online, and a similar share says it's a major problem for people their age. At the same time, teens mostly think teachers, social media companies and politicians are failing at addressing this issue...more>>
NPR: The American Dream Is Harder To Find In Some Neighborhoods
Does the neighborhood you grow up in determine how far you move up the economic ladder? A new online data tool being made public Monday finds a strong correlation between where people are raised and their chances of achieving the American dream...more>>
McKinsey: Asking the right questions to define government's role in cybersecurity
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for governments to manage cybersecurity. But asking some key questions can help leaders get started...more>>
HBR: The Virtual Work Skills You Need - Even If You Never Work Remotely
Maintaining strong, productive relationships with clients and co-workers can be challenging when you never see the person you're working with. Yet, it is common to have ongoing work relationships - sometimes lasting years - with people you've never met in person...more>>
McKinsey: Economic Conditions Snapshot, September 2018: McKinsey Global Survey results
Respondents express declining optimism on the economy, especially in emerging markets. The United States gains more attention as a destination for new business opportunities...more>>
EdSurge: The Flipped Hiring Revolution
...Deferring hiring decisions until after candidates start work can eliminate Hiring Friction, thereby reducing the burdensome requirement of pedigree accumulation. Candidates can be judged more on the basis of their will and skill, and whether they are ready to succeed in a job at the present point in their lives...more>>
HBR: How Companies Can Tap Into Talent Clusters
Bill Kerr, a professor at Harvard Business School, studies the increasing importance of talent clusters in our age of rapid technological advances. He argues that while talent and industries have always had a tendency to cluster, today's trend towards San Francisco, Boston, London and a handful of other cities is different...more>>
The Atlantic: Employers Are Looking for 'Influencers' Within Their Own Ranks
Some businesses, concerned about unreliable social-media personalities, are turning to their own employees and customers to serve as brand ambassadors...more>>
Venture Beat: Startups are getting 'People' wrong, and it will cost them
In June, my firm launched a survey with the goal of understanding the structure and makeup of the People function in startups...more>>
McKinsey: The overlooked essentials of employee well-being
If you really want to increase employees' health and well-being, focus on job control and social support...more>>
HBR: The Power of Curiosity
Francesca Gino, a professor at Harvard Business School, shares a compelling business case for curiosity. Her research shows allowing employees to exercise their curiosity can lead to fewer conflicts and better outcomes. However, even managers who value inquisitive thinking often discourage curiosity in the workplace because they fear it's inefficient and unproductive...more>>
CLO: The Future of How We Think
Immersive technologies are at the forefront of fundamental learning and development transformation...more>>
Entrepreneur: This Is How to Boost Employee Retention With Lifelong Learning
Wondering how to decrease turnover and increase competence at the same time? Open your (metaphorical) textbooks...more>>
Financial Times: JPMorgan's requirement for new staff: coding lessons
Hundreds of new investment bankers and asset managers undergo mandatory training...more>>
HR Dive: Digital transformation calls for leadership innovation
Nearly all (95%) of the 3,000 companies in a new Randstad US study, in partnership with XBInsight, said they believe a new kind of leadership will be necessary to address the changes digitization will make to organizational structures and operations...more>>
UT News: Business Genius Can Be Taught, Study Says
The academic approach to business strategy needs a jolt of future focus...more>>
Forbes: Seven Learning and Development Trends To Adopt In 2019
It's the time of year for human resources professionals to look back on employee performance and begin planning their training needs for 2019. To any business, human capital is its greatest asset and the biggest key to achieving business goals...more>>
HR Dive: Employee skill sets are falling behind, threatening competitiveness
Only 30% of employees have the skills they need to perform their work today, analysts at Gartner told attendees at the company's recent Gartner ReimagineHR conference, and only 20% of employees have the skills needed for both current and future jobs...more>>
HR Dive: Why more employers are helping workers map their career paths
In a business environment where upskilling is a necessity, it may be time to ask current employees: "Where do you see yourself in five years?"...more>>
CBS News: Some former students, employees say Apple co-founder's Woz U doesn't live up to promises
Americans are enrolling in computer coding "boot camps" in record numbers, but a CBS News investigation uncovers problems at Woz U, one of the field's newest and most recognizable programs...more>>
TechCrunch: Online education unicorn Udacity has quietly laid off 5% of staff - at least 25 people - since August
"Back in August, five percent of our global employees were laid off based on carefully considered, strategic business decisions," a spokesperson told TechCrunch in an emailed statement...more>>
The EvoLLLution | The Evolving Transactional Nature of Credentialing: The Future of Alternative Credentials
As credentialing-and the data embedded within credentials-continues to improve, their use for students and employers will grow exponentially...more>>
HRDive: One company's quest to rethink the apprenticeship
As businesses look for creative ways to address the skills gap, apprentices have emerged as one piece to that puzzle...more>>
WSJ: Companies Lure New Workers With College Coaching, Student Debt Repayment
As companies compete for workers in the tightest labor market in years, they're rolling out new education benefits like college coaching and student loan repayments to recruit employees...more>>
EdDive: How higher ed, industry can prep students for the workforce of the future
A recent study by PwC reveals a shocking statistic: Only 10% of teachers say they feel confident teaching high-level technology, even though they know students will need a strong tech knowledge base to succeed in the workforce...more>>
Hechinger: Ten jobs that are safe from robots
A college degree, problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to technological change will help land jobs at low risk for automation...more>>