ETCH Weekend Reading 8/27
Week of 8/21 - 8/25
Hello!
No announcements from me this week, straight to the links!
Funding / M&A
K12
Kinjo raises $6.5M / US, Gamified Learning / LiveOak Venture Partners, Silverton, Breyer Capital, Roble Ventures / ETCH Assessment of the deal
Atypical AI raises $4M / US, Personalized Learning / 468 Cap, Accelerator Venture Capital, Ascend VC, Bloomberg Beta, SNR
Creatively Focused raises $3M / US, Special Education / York IE, Mairs & Power Venture Capital, Groove Capital, Gopher Angels
Imagine Learning launches $50M venture fund / US, Digital Curriculum
Higher Ed
YouMakr.AI raises $500K / UK, Test Prep / Varshney Capital, Warwickshire Investment Group, V3 Investment Syndicate
Noodle acquires Meteor Learning / US, Online Program Management
Workforce
Pistachio raises €3.25M / Norway, Cybersecurity Training / Signals Venture Capital
Weekday raises $2.2M / US, Talent Network / Y Combinator, Venture Highway
People Moves
Gautam Thakar joins Prosus as CEO of EdTech / via Business Upturn
SNHU lays off 180, predominantly in technology and bootcamp divisions / via New Hampshire Union Leader
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Links
Early Childhood
A wave of childcare care center closures is coming as funding dries up. / via Hechinger Report
K12
Bill Simmons and Malcolm Gladwell discuss the future of youth sports. In complete seriousness, this was the most interesting piece of content I have read or listened to about childhood development this year. I am not saying the arguments are flawless; I am saying they were positively thought-provoking. Gladwell interview starts at 1:01:15, youth sports discussion at 1:16:58. / via The Ringer
Charter schools find quiet support in a world focused on private school choice. / via Education Week
But, apparently, not among the public schools they often share hallways with. / via 74Million
…which makes the positive results many charters demonstrate hard to place in the broader K12 landscape. Hard to place, but still fun to read about, like the way Paramount Schools mixes topics of interest (farm animals,are, a planetarium, etc.) with academic reigor to meet performance goals. / via the 74Million
And also related to private school choice, the rising trend in private education: teeny, tiny schools. / via Wall Street Journal
Schools are coming around on using ChatGPT in the classroom. Students everywhere yawn. / via Politico
Plagued by teacher shortages, some states turn to fast-track credentialing. / via 74Million
Education “intimidation” bills have skyrocketed since 2021. / via Axios
And are pushing First Lady Jill Biden to weigh in from the campaign trail. / via Washington Post
Michelle Obama’s new startup wants to change kids’ snack culture. Not exactly EdTech, but building on the former First Lady’s initiatives for improving school lunches and nutrition labels. / via Fast Company
Higher Ed
If you didn’t read about the Common App’s Direct Admissions study this week, I hope you were sipping piña coladas somewhere nice. / via Higher Ed Dive, Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, EdSurge, and Axios
Is a degree worth it? The headline says no, but most of the article says yes. / via Financial Times
Related, Let’s stop pretending college degrees don’t matter. “The skills-based hiring movement…may do little to expand economic opportunity. What’s worse, it sends a degree-skeptical message that risks hurting rather than helping those who would benefit most from pursuing an education beyond high school.” / via New York Times Opinion
Speaking of degree skepticism, Gen Z has a lot of it. Ignore the first headline (it is inconsistent with the data immediately below it), stick around for the data on skill acquisition channels and demand for work experience. / via 74Million
For those who might prefer a middle ground between skills and degrees, how about a non-selective community college with a 50%+ graduation rate goal? / via Inside Higher Ed
And, to round out this discussion, what about the trades? NASCAR legend Richard Petty claims, “If you’re able to work with your hands, you’ll never be out of work.” Set yourself up in Torrance with a copy of How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive and a you’ll be set for life. / via Washington Post Opinion
Education Department amends rules to college merger agreements. Particularly relevant if college closures continue to accelerate. / via Inside Higher Ed
Did you know the farm bill provides significant funding to universities? The more you know! / via Higher Ed Dive
Australia’s opposition party advocates for students to be refunded for “dud degrees.” Entertaining concept, unlikely to happen. / via Times Higher Education
The most impassioned defense of the college syllabus you will ever read. Also probably the last and only defense of the college syllabus you will ever read. / via The Atlantic
Workforce
3 big questions about AI and the future of work. AI will be woven into the fabric of the workplace, but adopted in uneven and, often, unequal ways without proper planning from the education sector. / via OpenCampus
Related, how AI is changing the job of the software developer, and skewing hiring towards more senior talent. / via Wall Street Journal Opinion
In a hot job market, the minimum wage becomes an afterthought. / via New York Times
EdTech
How big is the global education market? $8T, according to Morgan Stanley. This may be true on some level, but it is a lazy TAM for a startup - please include something more refined in your pitch decks! / via Financial Express
Six Red Marbles dabbles in the OPM market with Landmark College partnership. / via PRWeb
And PhysicsWallah gets into skills. / via YourStory
This email, EdTech Thoughts Weekend Reading, is the free sister publication of the EdTech Thoughts Weekly Update. It provides links to the week’s EdTech Funding, M&A, People moves, and a curated list of Links to relevant industry news. If you enjoyed this edition, I hope you will subscribe and/or forward to your friends!
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