Staff-Development Providers Eye New Opportunities
Still, the Industry Will Have to Compete for Market Share With Districts as School Systems Shift Ever More Professional Development In-House
People on the lookout for business opportunities have not often seen the glint of gold in helping teachers improve their craft. But the glint is brightening.
A potent combination of new federal money, a consensus around the importance of teacher effectiveness, and digital innovations has supercharged professional-development providers. Veterans are being joined as never before by new or expanded businesses.
In the late 1990s, venture capitalists and fund managers examined the education industry, with some even glancing in the direction of teacher professional development. But enthusiasm among advance-guard investors waned as businesses that managed K-12 schools struggled and as computerized lessons failed to narrow achievement gaps. The disappointments underscored that most of precollegiate education remains labor-intensive and change-averse—conditions that don’t...
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