The Center for Education Market Dynamics launches to help district leaders make decisions that promote equity

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Center for Education Market Dynamics (http://www.educationmarkets.org) announced its official launch this week at the 2021 ASU+GSV Summit. The launch, which includes plans for a Spring 2022 release of its platform, sets the stage for the Center's efforts to help district leaders make informed decisions about products and services that can improve learning outcomes for underserved students. The Center — co-founded by education industry veterans and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation — aims to prepare Black, Latino, English language learners, and students affected by poverty for their academic futures by improving their access to high-quality materials and instruction.

High-quality curriculum has been shown to make a meaningful impact on student achievement — and generates a positive return on investment for districts. But Black, Latino, ELLs and students from lower-income backgrounds are much less likely to encounter rigorous, grade-appropriate curriculum and strong instruction than their peers.

The Center for Education Market Dynamics is built on the idea that better information in the market drives better decisions by all players in the education ecosystem — from district leaders to social entrepreneurs to philanthropies — and ultimately leads to better outcomes for students.

"Market-based solutions can make a profound impact on teaching and learning, but the best products and services often don't end up in the hands of the students who need them most," said Jeff Livingston, co-founder of The Center for Education Market Dynamics. "By giving district leaders better insight into what's working for districts like theirs, we can make the education market work more effectively for underserved students."

The Center for Education Market Dynamics team is made up of industry veterans, practitioners, policy experts, and technologists with decades of experience in all aspects of the education market. The Center is led by co-founders Jeff Livingston (formerly a McGraw-Hill SVP), Beth Mejia (formerly led marketing and editorial at McGraw-Hill and Pearson), and Jay Bakhru (formerly head of K-12 marketing at ETS). Livingston, Mejia, and Bakhru also serve as partners of EdSolutions, a strategic consulting firm serving the education industry.

The Center's platform will help district leaders make better purchasing decisions by providing them with accurate, contextualized information about who's using which solutions, at what price, using which funds — and what's making an impact. By combining these insights with a community that offers relevant perspectives and expert advice, the Center's platform will help district leaders turn useful information into insights that lead to action.

The Center is co-developing its platform with district leaders representing a combined 10 districts and 1.1M students across seven states, including California, Florida, and Texas. More than 50% of the platform's co-developers are BIPOC.

Francisco Villegas, Director of School Transformation for the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, said, "The Center is a resource that can help us identify what districts similar to mine are using as one of many data points that need to be considered when making decisions about curriculum."

By sending clearer signals about demand among districts, the Center's platform will also offer social entrepreneurs a faster pathway to scale — and a keener understanding of the contexts in which their products are actually used. Philanthropies will also benefit from the Center's insights by being able to target their investments toward areas with the potential for significant impact — and toward players who are up to the challenge.

"We have steady demand for what we offer, but without knowledge of who's using what curriculum, we're only scratching the surface. With better insights, we can scale by targeting the districts who need us most," said Laura Smith, Chief Financial Officer, UnboundEd.

At the ASU+GSV Summit, Center for Education Market Dynamics co-founder Jeff Livingston spoke about issues related to the Center's focus as part of several panel discussions, including:

"EdTech Market Transparency: Almost There, or a Long Way to Go?"
"Building a Sustainable Antiracist Learning Environment"
"Exploring the Necessity of Context: What Works Where, and Why in EdTech?"

More information about the Center's markets-based approach to improving outcomes and promoting equity can be found in its first white paper, Pivotal Decisions, available for free download via http://www.educationmarkets.org.

About The Center for Education Market Dynamics
The Center for Education Market Dynamics helps district leaders make informed decisions about products and services that can improve learning outcomes for underserved students. Built on the idea that better information leads to better decisions and, ultimately, better outcomes for learners. The Center — a project of EdSolutions, a strategic consulting firm serving the education market — will release the first version of its platform in Spring 2022.

Media Contact

Brian Belardi, The Center for Education Market Dynamics, +1 (919) 948-5830, [email protected]

SOURCE The Center for Education Market Dynamics

Related Links

http://www.educationmarkets.org