Amazon‘s long game in education; Michael Moe‘s new edtech money

Plus: How running an SEL startup helped this female founder raise money in a male-dominated venture world

No. 520 | 01/27/21 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by Many case studies suggest that schools are not a hotspot for spreading COVID-19, and on Tuesday, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reinforced calls for schools to reopen with safety protocols in place.  But new strains emerging in the U.K. and South Africa may add yet another wrinkle. Early data suggest they are more easily transmissible, although whether that's the case for children is unclear. Still, the uncertainty is enough to force schools in Europe to close again. Robin Lake, the director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education who has been closely tracking school reopening trends, says the new strain makes it "increasingly unlikely" that most schools can reopen by the end of April, which was one of President Biden's goals. "We are in a race right now between vaccine distribution and these new variants becoming more common," says Dr. Asaf Bitton, a physician, health researcher and executive director of Ariadne Labs, in an interview with EdSurge, which will be published as a podcast next week. Stay tuned. 📰 THE HEADLINES MOE MONEY: "In the next 24 months, you're going to see more public companies in the digital learning space," predicts Michael Moe, founder of GSV and one of the edtech industry's earliest and most bullish investors. He recently raised $225 million for a "special purpose acquisition company" for education. He's not alone. A look at how the SPAC craze has hit edtech. NEW TOYS, SAME GAME: No surprise: Zoom took the top spot as the most frequently mentioned tool by teachers, according to a recent MDR report on edtech usage. Another analysis on K-12 app usage found "a striking pattern: many teachers are attempting to replicate their traditional classroom-based instruction over video calls." The tools may be different—but how they're used mostly mirrors existing practices. OVERCOMING THE ODDS: Last year, when female founders raised just 2.3 percent of all venture capital invested, Katie Dorn successfully closed a seed round for her social-emotional learning startup. But that journey didn't come without the condescension that all too many women encounter at male-dominated firms. What running an SEL company taught her about raising money as a female founder. Sponsored by FIRST CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: "Be curious instead of pressured when faced with something you don't know," suggests Faith Bongiorno, education implementation specialist for FIRST. She explains how employing a child's perspective helps both parents and teachers keep students engaged during exceptionally challenging times. VACCINATION MACHINATIONS: For months, they've been labeled "essential workers," celebrated for their sacrifices and hailed as heroes for their role in keeping the country going in the face of a deadly pandemic. But as vaccine distribution plans are finalized, early childhood educators in some states have found themselves snubbed by the very people who once praised them for stepping up in a crisis. Sponsored by ISTE & D2L THE FUTURE OF LEARNING: "As 2021 kicks off and we set our resolutions for the new year," Richard Culatta of ISTE and John Baker of D2L, pledge "continued efforts to respond to educators' professional learning needs." And they've issued an urgent plea for "state education leaders to also commit to the goal of addressing this critical aspect of digital equity." 💰 KA'CHING! BEATING 'BAD TELEVISION:' Back when Beth Porter led product development for edX, the MOOC platform reached plenty of students—but few actually completed the courses. Her latest venture seeks to build more engaging courses, powered by AI coaches and content recommendations. That startup, Esme Learning, just raised $7.5 million in Series A funding. Here's what's on the roadmap. Other Deals: A Pass Educational Group, a Union Lake, Mich.-based custom content developer for educational institutions, has acquired Victory Productions, another learning content developer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CanopyLAB, a Copenhagen-based provider of an AI-powered social learning platform, has raised $3 million in an investment round led by Sparkmind.vc. ClassDojo, a San Francisco-based provider of a school communication app, has raised $30 million in an investment round Product Hunt CEO Josh Buckley. Goalsetter, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based developer of a financial literacy app for kids, has raised $3.9 million in a seed round led by Astia. MindEdge Learning, a Waltham, Mass.-based developer of online higher-ed courses, has acquired Acuity Institute, a provider of workforce learning programs. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Penn Foster, a Boston-based online higher-ed and vocational programs, has received a "significant" but undisclosed investment from Baypine and Two Sigma Impact. TimelyMD, a Fort Worth, Texas-based telehealth provider focused on colleges and universities, has received a $60 million investment from JMI Equity. The following is a message from our sponsor A Modern Degree for the Modern Learning Environment Drexel University's online MS in Learning Technologies focuses on key tenets of education technology and design to prepare you for careers in a variety of settings. Taught by Drexel's renowned faculty, this degree is ideal for those interested in game-based learning, instructional design and technology leadership. Learn more. 🎧 ON THE PODCAST TEACHER TIKTOK IS A THING: Teachers are becoming stars these days on TikTok, that social media platform for sharing short videos. Some of them say the platform serves as a kind of virtual teaching lounge during COVID. But is it a good thing for the teaching profession that classroom instructors are part of a site known for dance crazes, jokes and other irreverent content? Two viral stars weigh in. 💬 TALK OF THE TOWN THE LONG GAME: Amazon's efforts to expand its footprint in K-12 education through digital tools have been largely overshadowed by its tech peers. But Jeff Bezos is known for playing the long game, and public education is very much part of it, opines Dominik Dresel, a school administrator and edtech entrepreneur. "I do not think public education leaders will have much of a choice in whether or not to answer when Amazon comes to knock and deliver," he writes. 🗨️ JOIN THE CONVERSATION   Educating Edtech: How are the edtech tools that educators use every day developed? How are educators involved in edtech development? In this webinar, join a panel of teachers, technologists and educators-turned-edtech founders to learn how tech tools are brought to market. Sign up today. Events horizon: Vaccine rollouts are on the horizon, but not soon enough. Education events scheduled as far out as November are going virtual. See the latest updates in our tracker of U.S. education industry events. 🏃 MOVERS & SHAKERS   Jean-Claude Brizard is now president and CEO of Digital Promise, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit supporting innovation in education. Brizard, a former school teacher and administrator who most recently served as a deputy director for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, takes over for Karen Cator, who left last October. Nathaniel Davis has stepped down as CEO of Stride (formerly known as K12 Inc.). His replacement: James Rhyu, who has served in various executive functions at the company for the past eight years. Jennifer Dearman has been appointed senior vice president of global success and operations at Udacity, a Mountain View, Calif.-based provider of online technology courses. Frances Messano has been promoted to president at NewSchools Venture Fund, an Oakland, Calif.-based education venture philanthropy. Jessica Rusin and Bijal Shah will serve, respectively, as chief technology officer and chief experience officer at Guild Education, a Denver-based provider of education programs for the workforce. Dr. Florida Starks has been appointed chief diversity officer at education publisher Pearson. 👀 ALSO ON OUR RADAR   "After Covid, will digital learning be the new normal?" (The Guardian) Elon Musk has donated $5 million to online education nonprofit Khan Academy (CNN) "Remote learning is transforming sex education for teens — and adults." (The Lily) Sponsored by Virtually Virtually helps you build and scale your live online learning program. Run classes on Zoom with built-in support for Stripe payments and student management. Ideal for bootcamps, accelerators, and any other group-based, live online learning programs. Try Virtually today!    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 jobs   Executive Director | The Mission Preparatory School | San Francisco, CA  Seeking an experienced leader to continue the school's record of academic excellence & cultivate a deep sense of belonging for all. This individual will work with the board and school to develop/execute against a vision for the next ten years.   Facilitator at Synthesis | Synthesis School | Remote We're looking for exceptional facilitators to join our team. Classroom experience is great, but not required. We are looking for smart, adaptive generalists who are passionate about what we're doing. We're hiring for part-time at $100/hour.   Founding Head of Schools | Portal Schools | Los Angeles, CA The Founding Head of School for Portal Schools' new Los Angeles region. This individual will implement the vision and mission of Portal Schools locally and lead the launch of up to eight microschools in the Los Angeles area over the next five years.   Fulfillment Operations Analyst | Zearn | Remote Zearn is looking for a detail-oriented Fulfillment Operations Analyst to support our growing sales by guiding customers through the process of ordering and receiving Zearn Math products.   Educational Sales Representative | Argument-Driven Inquiry | Austin, TX or Remote ADI is seeking Educational Sales Representatives. The ideal candidate will be will become an expert on ADI's solutions and identify opportunities to serve schools and districts and in doing so, achieve revenue targets.   Recruiting Coordinator | nXu Education | Remote nXu, a purpose development organization is looking for a Recruiting Coordinator to support the growth of our team. This individual will support nXu by screening, interviewing, and recommending candidates.   Events Post an event   •   See all events and meetups   Teaching Purposeful Minds | Apr 17-18 • Online • More than $250  This virtual conference will explore the importance of purpose, connections (including love and belonging), and curiosity and exploration, and how they can help support learning, coping, and personal growth. 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. 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