Reflecting on hope and learning in a most challenging year

Lest 2020 be forgot and never brought to mind, it accelerated trends that will extend into 2021 and beyond

No. 517 | 01/06/21 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by It has never been a better time to be in education. It has never been a worse time to be in education. Which is it for you? The answer depends on where you are in this ecosystem. Business has never been better for companies that are recording record growth, and courted by funders cutting big checks. On the other side, public schools and colleges, already strapped for cash to begin with, face increasingly dire financial circumstances. Having covered the industry for most of the past decade, the contrast between the state of public and private funding in education has been laid bare like never before. That's one of my reflections from 2020, a year where reporters so closely lived through what they were reporting on. My colleagues and I share glimpses of how we're feeling behind the scenes. Here's to 2021! Tony Wan, Managing Editor 📰 LOOKING BACK...AND AHEAD   We may be keen to forget 2020 as quickly as we can. But challenges and upheavals offer lessons and stories that shape the future.  Over the past weeks, EdSurge has compiled reflections from a diverse range of voices in the education community, including teachers, college professors, administrators and investors and CEOs. Here are the highs and lows they experienced, and what gives them hope for the future. Recent additions to the series: TIME CRUNCH: Time is the biggest barrier for upstart efforts trying to encourage working adults to acquire new skills and for companies allocating time for employees to learn new skills, argues Michelle Weise, a senior advisor at Imaginable Futures. The pandemic has revealed just how much people are juggling—caring for kids, supporting older family members and managing other responsibilities—and that needs to be recognized when designing higher education efforts. COLLEGE AS A PUBLIC GOOD: 2020 is the year that the disconnect between the purported mission of post-secondary institutions—enhancing the intellectual, social, and economic potential of students, staff, faculty, and community—and the actual operations became apparent to all, argues John Warner. He's the author of a new book "Sustainable. Resilient. Free: The Future of Public Higher Education," and he sees the events of 2020 as reason for a new collective understanding of higher education as a public good. CAN I GET AN ENCORE (DO YOU WANT MORE?): Last week shared the top edtech business news of 2020. Don't miss our chart-toppers for K-12 and higher-ed stories, which featured tales of burnout, resilience, Zoom learning and Zoom-bombing. 💰 KA'CHING!   ClassEDU, a Washington, D.C.-based developer of online classroom tools integrated with Zoom, has reportedly raised $30 million in a new funding round (paywalled) from investors including Owl Ventures. "CLAS is now in session." Michael Moe's edtech SPAC, Class Acceleration Corporation, has filed to raise $225 million through its initial public offering. EmpowerU, a Minneapolis-based provider of an online social-emotional learning program, has raised $1 million in a seed round led by Capita3; other investors include ECMC and GreatNorth Labs. Frontline Education, a Pennsylvania-based provider of K-12 administrative software, has acquired Forecast5 Analytics, a financial forecast and student analytics software developer for the K-12 market. Financial terms were not disclosed. Impero Software, a U.K.-based developer of online student safety and monitoring tools with U.S. operations based in Austin, has acquired Netop, a Danish company that provides classroom management software. Financial terms were not disclosed. NextStep, a Seattle-based provider of an education and job placement platform for healthcare, has raised $2.5 million from ZOMA Capital, ETF@JFFlabs, Springrock Ventures and JAZZ Venture Partners. Wiley, the publicly traded education publisher, has acquired Hindawi, an open-access publishing platform for research and journals, in a deal worth $298 million.   The following is a message from our sponsor Discover our latest educational technology and solutions Samsung Display is committed to helping schools realize the promise of a digital learning environment. With a diverse portfolio of enterprise technologies including smart signage, interactive displays, LED screens, video walls, and monitors and an ecosystem of software and hardware partners, Samsung provides schools with the right solutions to create an engaging learning environment for students. Learn more.  ✍️ COLUMNIST CORNER   2021 TEA LEAVES: While everyone's happy 2020 is over, many of the changes it accelerated will be here to stay, writes columnist Michael Horn. Among them: an increased reliance on cheaper, more convenient educational offerings, and a further crumbling of the false dichotomy between the value of short-term credentials and full degrees. 🗨️ JOIN THE CONVERSATION   WHAT PANDEMIC CAMPUS FELT LIKE: With a global pandemic raging, everyone knew that the fall 2020 semester would be challenging. But what was it really like to try to keep learning going—both at campuses that went back in person, and those to go fully online? For this special EdSurge Live forum next Tuesday, Jan. 12, we'll talk with the students and professors who shared their experiences all semester on our Pandemic Campus Diaries podcast series. RSVP here. IMMERSIVE INSTRUCTION Interactive 3D experiences are becoming more common, but how can this technology be used to teach core subjects and prepare students for a changing job market? Panelists will answer those questions and more in this panel discussion on real-time technology and interactive 3D in the classroom. Register now. Events horizon: Vaccine rollouts are on the horizon, but not soon enough. Many education conferences scheduled through June 2021 have some virtual component, if not going fully remote. See the latest updates in our tracker of U.S. education industry events. 🏃 MOVERS & SHAKERS   Shuana McBride has been appointed vice president of public relations and communications at Committee for Children, a Seattle-based nonprofit that publishes research on social-emotional learning. Christine Fox is the new senior director of external relations for the Consortium for School Networking. She was previously interim executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). Speaking of SETDA, Julia Fallon has been named that organization's executive director. She was previously at the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 👀 ALSO ON OUR RADAR   Edtech companies across the globe raised more than $16 billion in venture capital in 2020—32 times the amount raised in 2010. (HolonIQ) Gamified learning platform Kahoot reported invoiced revenues of $45.2 million in 2020—more than three times its tally in 2019. 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 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   •   OH/IN, Atlanta/Charlotte/Jacksonville   Senior Director of Development Harlem Lacrosse Harlem Lacrosse seeks a Senior Director of Development to increase the organization's overall fundraising capacity and to lead the fundraising and marketing functions for the organization at the national level. Marketing •    School   •   New York or Remote   Executive Director The Mission Preparatory Schol 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. C-Level Executive Leadership •    School   •   San Francisco, CA   Executive Director Lead By Learning This is a terrific leadership opportunity to come into a well-established org with an impeccable reputation for building learning communities among teachers and principals. The new ED will manage the staff, finance, operations, and fund development. C-Level Executive Leadership  •  Non Profit   •   Oakland, CA   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 and the Brain 59: Teaching Purposeful Minds 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. Apr 17-18 • Online • More than $250  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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