Pluralsight goes private; AI teaching AI to teach; Comparing ‘learning loss’ reports

No. 514 | 12/16/20 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by It's been a SPAC-tacular season for "special purpose acquisition companies," those entities that have no founding business but instead raise money from the public to buy one. The acquired company then becomes public as a result. (It's like a shortcut; here's a smart explainer.) By one tally, some 165 SPACs across the world were listed this year—nearly double the count in 2019. Shaq's got a SPAC. As does former House Speaker Paul Ryan. Last year, London-based EdtechX Holdings launched the first edtech SPAC (which then acquired a Chinese company offering English training services). Last week, it announced its sequel, looking to raise $100 million to acquire another education company. "Targets will be located predominantly in the US, and also in Europe and Asia (excluding China)," noted a media brief, "ranging from $400m to $2bn in enterprise value." Others may follow. Michael Moe, the Silicon Valley magnate who founded GSV and invested in the likes of Chegg and Coursera, is reportedly looking to raise up to $250 million for his own edtech SPAC. Feeding the SPAC frenzy is the emergence of "unicorn" startups with billion-dollar valuations. As more edtech companies join this club, don't be surprised to see this trend continue. 📰 THE HEADLINES   AI INCEPTION: Edtech can make it easier to personalize learning for students, but creating effective teaching tools usually takes ample time and expertise. Now, researchers are building AI tools that make it easier for almost anyone to create an AI tutor. Instead of programmers doing the heavy lifting, one researcher explains, "the code is getting written by artificial intelligence." NARROWER DIVIDE: At a time when at-home learning is essential, millions of students across the country still face a worrying digital divide. Connecticut's newest solution: Give every K-12 student a laptop and free home internet access. By partnering with districts, internet service providers and social support groups, it's on a mission to connect even the most hard-to-reach households. ONE WEEK IN NOVEMBER: U.S. school districts were trending toward reopening in the fall. But that all changed one week in November as COVID-19 cases spiked across the country. An EdSurge heatmap analysis breaks down how that change looked across states and regions as many districts reverted back to remote instruction. SURVEYS ALL SAY...There is no shortage of analyses and reports on pandemic learning loss among K-12 students. What differs is how those reports measure, how many are measured and what exactly they found. One thing is clear: setbacks in math exceed those for reading. EdSurge columnist Frank Catalano dissects the results in his latest Edtech Reports Recap. 💰 KA'CHING!   PLURAL GOES PRIVATE: Another publicly traded edtech company is going private. On Sunday evening, Pluralsight, a provider of online training courses on technology skills, announced it reached an agreement to be acquired by Vista Equity Partners in an all-cash deal worth approximately $3.5 billion. Shareholders will receive $20.26 in cash per share—a price below its closing value on its first day on the public market in May 2018. KARMIC PAYBACK: Before COVID-19, retraining was a popular career choice. Now it is increasingly becoming an essential one. That's one reason why investors are betting on companies like Career Karma, which helps people find reskilling opportunities in technology fields. Last week, the startup raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Initialized Capital. Here's how the deal got started. Other Deals: Certica Solutions, a Wakefield, Mass.-based company offering assessment and data analytics services for the K-12 market, has reached a deal to be acquired by Instructure, the developer of the Canvas learning management system. Terms of the deal, which is expected to close by the end of 2020, were not disclosed. Google has acquired Neverware, a New York-based provider of virtualization technologies used by schools to run Chrome OS on older computers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. IntellectoKids, a London, U.K.-based provider of digital educational content for preschool-aged children, has raised $3 million in a Series A round led by Allrise Capital. Learners Edge, an Eagan, Minn.-based provider of professional development courses for teachers, has been acquired by private equity firm Quad-C Management. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The following is a message from our sponsor Virtual learning like we've never seen before Vocareum & Tueetor are recognized by AWS EdStart, the AWS EdTech startup accelerator. The founders are featured in the AWS EdStart Global Founders Series, highlighting an exclusive group of EdTech founders who have demonstrated innovative solutions and growth on the AWS Cloud. See what they're doing and how it's shaping education worldwide. 🎧 ON THE PODCAST   OPEN OR CLOSED CAMPUSES? Some colleges were committed to doing as much in-person teaching and activities as possible this semester, even during this health crisis. Other colleges decided early on to shutter campus and focus attention online. For our series finale of the Pandemic Campus Diaries, we ask: which decision was the right one for students and professors? 🗨️ JOIN THE CONVERSATION   Events horizon: Education industry conferences are changing plans for 2021. Among the latest updates: The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference, originally scheduled for March 29 to April 2 in San Diego, is now going virtual (on the same dates). See the latest updates in our tracker of U.S. education industry events. 🏃 MOVERS & SHAKERS   Avi Flombaum is now chief product officer at Revature, a Reston, Va.-based company that provides technology training and job placement services. He was previously the co-founder of coding bootcamp Flatiron School. Jaleh Bisharat, Maribel Perez Wadsworth and Becky Sheehan have joined the board of directors of Skillshare, the New York-based operator of an online learning marketplace. 👀 ALSO ON OUR RADAR   MBA programs are notoriously expensive. When offered virtually, are they worth the cost? (The New York Times) Slack is launching a new $50-million venture capital fund focused on future-of-work investments. (Axios) "114 studies on flipped classrooms show small payoff for big effort." (Hechinger Report) Looking for a job in edtech? You've come to the right place. EdSurge has the leading edtech jobs board in the industry with openings from schools, nonprofits and companies. Post a job | See all edtech jobs District Partnerships (Multiple Locations) Goalbook Goalbook is hiring for District Partnerships across the country to fuel our growth. You'll lead efforts to bring Goalbook into school districts and work closely with instructional leaders. Sales   •    Startup   •   Multiple   Customer Success Coordinator Breakout, Inc. Breakout EDU is seeking a highly motivated individual to fill the role of Customer Success to help make the Breakout EDU experience beneficial for our customers. Be part of a fast growing team that is looking to make learning fun and engaging. Customer Implementation / Customer Success   •    Startup   •   New York or Remote   School and District Inside Sales Representative Lalilo Lalilo is looking for a passionate School and District Inside Sales Representative. Sales  •    Startup   •   Remote   Direct Sales Representative, Northwest and Midwest  ENA ENA seeks experienced Direct Sales Representative for our CatchOn affiliate, an expansive data analytics tool that enables K-12 stakeholders to identify the apps and online tools that students and teachers are using in and outside of the classroom. Sales   •    Large Company   •   Multiple or Remote   Business Development Executive  GiveCampus We're looking for a Business Development Executive to help drive GiveCampus' growth in the pursuit of improving access, quality and affordability. Sales  •    Startup    •   Multiple or Remote   Director of Development Springboard Collaborative As Springboard experiences rapid year-over-year growth—primarily driven through fee-for-service contracts—we seek to bolster our development operation to keep pace with the increased demand for our services in marginalized communities. Marketing   •   Non Profit   •   Remote   Events Post an event   •   See all events and meetups   Learning Design at Boston College Join our 60-minute webinar hosted by our Program Director, Dr. Brian Smith, to learn more learning design, the learning sciences, and our Master's Program in Learning Engineering. Dec 21   •   Online   •   Free THANKS FOR READING   ➔ Got any feedback? We love hearing from readers. Shoot us a note, critiques, a joke—whatever you've got! ➔ Interested in reaching our readers? Sponsor this newsletter. ➔ Event planners: Feature your in-person or virtual event on our calendar & newsletters. EdSurge covers and connects the people, ideas and technologies that shape the future of learning. We are an independent news and research initiative of the International Society for Technology in Education. International Society for Technology in Education, 621 SW Morrison Street, Suite 800, Portland, Oregon 97205, USA, 800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 503.342.2848 (Int'l) Unsubscribe Manage preferences