Montessori‘s $40M investment; Fixing the cybersecurity gap; AltSchool‘s next chapter

Plus: What have students and faculty learned from a fall pandemic semester?

No. 519 | 01/20/21 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by Inauguration Day is usually a moment to watch, to behold. But even the thought of a repeat of this month's violence at the Capitol has led some schools to rethink showing live footage to children. The subdued celebration, though, will not reflect all that needs to be done. On Day One, amid a health crisis that shows no sign of abating, President Biden will hit the ground running. Among the dozens of executive actions he'll take is an extension of a pause on federal student loan payments, and reviving programs to create a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants. Clear federal guidelines for safely reopening schools and businesses are expected to follow. Uncommon are the muted times when history is in the making. But with so much to do, some quiet, heads-down focus might offer a welcome relief. 📰 THE HEADLINES   CLOSING THE CYBER GAP: The pandemic has accelerated the need for cybersecurity as we rely on digital tools for remote work and learning. Yet despite the fact that this is a high-paying, in-demand field, there's an estimated shortage of 3.1 million cybersecurity workers. Rethink Education associate Joanne Cheng looks at the obstacles in the way and opportunities for edtech solutions to close the workforce gap. TATTLE-TALE: The University of Florida's "Gator Safe" app lets students report on many things—crime, request for assistance and … whether or not a professor moved an in-person class online. That last feature, according to university administrators, is designed to ensure that courses scheduled for the classroom happen as planned. Unsurprisingly, many professors are outraged. BODY CUES: How important is it for the teacher to be visible on screen in lecture videos? Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara are testing that question with a series of experiments. Here's what their look at the "theory of embodied instruction" reveals. SMASHING NORMS: For all the challenges that 2020 brought, there were also pockets of ingenuity for education providers like SMASH, which provides STEM training to underserved students. As it transitioned its programs online, the team learned five lessons that will shape its offerings past the pandemic. Among them, write its CEO and president: "The process of learning is just as important as what is being learned." Sponsored by AWS SEE IT LIKE ME: "The goal was to use this VR simulation with German high school students so that they could better understand the experiences of their new Syrian classmates," explains Izzy Ngo, co-founder of VERE360. We spoke with her about how the platform has since expanded to help students with science, history and SEL and why VR is so effective at boosting engagement when it comes to emotional subjects. 💰 KA'CHING! WHAT'S THE STORY, MONTESSORI? Montessori has a niche, perhaps even elitist reputation. Higher Ground Education wants to shed that image by building a network of schools and expanding access to teacher training to popularize these programs. To support its mission to "mainstream and modernize Montessori," says its CEO Ray Girn, the company just raised a $40 million investment. A look at where it's going. ALT+CONTROL+DELETE: In 2019, AltSchool, one of the most highly-funded U.S. edtech startups, sold its network of "microschools" and rebranded to Altitude Learning to focus on building and selling software. Now, it is selling that too—to Higher Ground Education. So what's left? An education consulting shop—one that might finally be profitable. Other Deals: Ironhack, a Miami-based provider of online bootcamps to help adults acquire tech skills, has raised $20 million in a Series B round led by Lumos Capital, with participation from Endeavor's Catalyst Fund and existing investors including Brighteye and Creas. Multiverse, a London-based startup that connects students with employers for tech apprenticeship programs, has raised $44 million in a Series B round led by General Catalyst to expand its operations to the U.S. (Fun fact: The company is co-founded by the son of former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.) Sana Labs, a Stockholm-based provider of an online workforce training platform powered by artificial intelligence, has raised $18 million in a Series A round led by EQT Ventures. uLesson, a Nigerian developer of a mobile learning platform with content aligned to K-12 curriculum in African countries, has raised $7.5 million in a Series A round led by Owl Ventures, a U.S.-based edtech investment firm. The following is a message from our sponsor NIPA is devoted to supporting a competitive edtech industry and contributing to the growth of Korean companies. At ISTE20 Live, 13 companies (Luxrobo, i-Scream media, Robo Risen, Woongjin Thinkbig, JH Educonn, K-Numbers, MICROCOMPUTING, MICROMOcomtech, Visang Education, Wise up, GeniRobot, T-IME Education C&P, PKLNS) participated in the NIPA Korea pavilion. Learn more about working with Korean edtech companies. 🎧 ON THE PODCAST HERE WE GO AGAIN: Fall was the first full semester under the shadow of COVID-19 and nobody really knew what to expect or how well various teaching adaptations would work. Now the spring is beginning and the virus still rages. Did schools learn anything? We talked with the professors and students who participated in our Pandemic Campus Diaries podcast series in the fall for their takeaways. 🗨️ JOIN THE CONVERSATION   A SMART-er future: In 2021, educators and technology providers will continue to innovate and to accelerate changes in our classrooms. Join us for Global EDU Summit's plenary session on Friday, Jan. 22, during which EdSurge managing editor Tony Wan will moderate a discussion about how the pandemic has accelerated the integration of technology into pedagogy, and how learning will continue to be transformed in 2021 and beyond. Events horizon: Vaccine rollouts are on the horizon, but not soon enough. Many education events scheduled through June 2021 have some virtual component, if not going fully remote. Others, like the LearnLaunch conference originally scheduled to take place in Boston this month, have been cancelled. See the latest updates in our tracker of U.S. education industry events. 🏃 MOVERS & SHAKERS   Alexandra Bernadotte, founder and CEO of Beyond 12, and UNCF (United Negro College Fund) president and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax have joined the board of directors of Cengage, the education publisher. Marcus Kingsley is vice president of sales at SchoolStatus, an Atlanta-based developer of a school communication platform for teacher-parent engagement. Paul Sheppard has been appointed chief financial officer of Amplify, a Brooklyn-based digital curriculum and assessment company. He previously served in the same role at Entangled, which was acquired by Guild Education. James Stoffer has been appointed CEO of Abre, a Cincinnati-based provider of learning management tools and administrative software for K-12 schools. He was previously an executive at edtech companies MasteryConnect and DreamBox Learning. 👀 ALSO ON OUR RADAR   Last week, we published a report on the $2.2 billion invested in U.S. edtech companies in 2020. Brighteye Ventures offers a similar analysis for the European edtech market, which tallied $711 million of venture investment. EDGE, an accelerator program for edtech startups housed at the University of Southern California, has announced the 13 participants in its latest cohort. The College Board, citing the impact of COVID-19, has announced it will discontinue offering SAT subject tests and the optional essay section. (The Washington Post) "Children's Screen Time Has Soared in the Pandemic, Alarming Parents and Researchers." (The New York Times) IN MEMORIAM   Frank Ferguson, who co-founded the education company Curriculum Associates in 1969 and served as its president from 1976-2008, and then as the company's chairman until 2017, has passed. 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   District Partnerships | Goalbook | OH/IN, Atlanta/Charlotte/Jacksonville 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.   Account Manager | Boclips | Remote Boclips is growing! We are expanding our sales team across all levels.   Sales Representative | inquirED | Chicago, IL or Remote inquirED is looking for a relational Sales Representative, passionate about bringing inquiry-based, culturally responsive learning to partners across the country.   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.   Product Manager | The Art of Education University | Remote AOEU is seeking a mission-driven, detail-oriented and design-minded Product Manager to help reimagine the AOEU digital experience. The Product Manager will lead all aspects of product development; from concept through to release.   Account Executive | Springboard Collaborative | Multiple Account Executives will prospect for new business at the school/building level in a defined sales territory, with opportunities to add small districts to their prospect list as we go.   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. 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