Special Report
Special Report

When Public Mission Meets Private Opportunity

April 24, 2013
The intersection between public mission and private opportunity continues to get busier as schools search for better ways to educate students, and entrepreneurs work to create products and services to help educators achieve their goals. This special report—a follow-up to our 2012 report “Accelerating Innovation” and produced with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York—examines the complex relationship between the private and public sectors in K-12. The report is part of Education Week's commitment to following the education industry and new approaches to schooling on a special Industry & Innovation channel.
  • School & District Management Schools Evaluate Whether to Privatize Support Services
    Districts' decisions about whether to contract out services or keep them in-house are influenced by myriad and often competing factors.
    Sean Cavanagh, April 22, 2013
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    4 min read
    School & District Management 'A La Carte' Purchasing Tactics Signal Districts' Unique Needs
    While K-12 procurement of curricular materials has long favored big companies, many districts are now relying on smaller, startup companies to supplement their curriculum needs.
    Amanda M. Fairbanks, April 22, 2013
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    8 min read
    School & District Management Beta Testing Ed. Products Can Get Tricky for Schools
    When school leaders agree to beta test a product, they know that they may be creating extra work for teachers and administrators, and that they may be forced to carve out class time for trying it out.
    Sean Cavanagh, April 22, 2013
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    8 min read
    School & District Management Big Ed. Companies Face K-12 Buying Shift
    Large education companies still carry advantages over their smaller counterparts, but experts say K-12 procurement practices are shifting to include a greater variety of vendors.
    Amanda M. Fairbanks, April 22, 2013
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    4 min read
    School & District Management Big-Name Companies Feature Larger-Impact Research Efforts
    Serious efficacy studies can start as high as $150,000, a price tag that keeps most smaller market players from commissioning similar studies.
    Robin L. Flanigan, April 22, 2013
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    4 min read
    Students in a music class use iPads to play a code-based scavenger hunt meant to teach them about the history of jazz at Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy in the Cherokee County, Ga., school system. District leaders there see benefits in the research larger companies can provide about their educational products.
    Students in a music class use iPads to play a code-based scavenger hunt meant to teach them about the history of jazz at Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy in the Cherokee County, Ga., school system. District leaders there see benefits in the research larger companies can provide about their educational products.
    David Walter Banks for Education Week
    School & District Management Schools Vet Ed. Companies' Research With a Critical Eye
    Educators are trying to make smart decisions about what learning products they use based on limited, and sometimes questionable, research about those products.
    Robin L. Flanigan, April 22, 2013
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    7 min read
    The Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, in New York City, offers students a curriculum in core academic subjects and gives them the opportunity to earn an associate degree in applied science from the New York City College of Technology. From Left, Alec Miller, 16, Brigette Luboa, 16, work on a project during a computer graphics art class at the school.
    The Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, in New York City, offers students a curriculum in core academic subjects and gives them the opportunity to earn an associate degree in applied science from the New York City College of Technology. From Left, Alec Miller, 16, Brigette Luboa, 16, work on a project during a computer graphics art class at the school.
    Melanie Burford/Prime for Education Week
    College & Workforce Readiness N.Y.C.-IBM Partnership Focuses on Students' Tech. Skills
    The public-private initiative between the technology company and a city school aims to prepare students for future careers.
    Sean Cavanagh, April 22, 2013
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    11 min read
    School & District Management Ed. Companies Exert Public-Policy Influence
    Some experts are alarmed at what they see as increasingly aggressive moves by companies, but others see those moves as the natural interplay between the private and public sectors.
    Michelle R. Davis, April 22, 2013
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    9 min read
    Scott Kinney, left, a senior vice president at Discovery Education, and Robert Onsi, a vice president of product development, are shown at a conference promoting digital classrooms at the company's Silver Spring, Md., headquarters. Mr. Kinney and Mr. Onsi have worked with states to ensure that Discovery's digital Techbooks can compete through traditional print textbook-adoption processes.
    Scott Kinney, left, a senior vice president at Discovery Education, and Robert Onsi, a vice president of product development, are shown at a conference promoting digital classrooms at the company's Silver Spring, Md., headquarters. Mr. Kinney and Mr. Onsi have worked with states to ensure that Discovery's digital Techbooks can compete through traditional print textbook-adoption processes.
    Lance Rosenfield/Prime for Education Week
    School & District Management Ed. Companies, K-12 Policymakers Seek Common Ground
    As the educational marketplace continues to grow, more companies are working with policymakers to iron out better ways to work together to meet the needs of schools.
    Michelle R. Davis, April 22, 2013
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    2 min read