There is a crisis in U.S. schools: Teachers, the most important ingredient in a child’s learning,1 are demoralized. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in six K-12 teachers reported that they were likely to leave the profession. During the pandemic, this number increased to one in four.2 While many factors impact teachers’ experience and success in […]
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As we exit the pandemic, workforce reskilling and upskilling sectors continue to see strong interest. Rapid dislocations in the labor market fueled by everything from emergent technologies to supply chain disruptions have created demand for skills instruction among both consumers and employers that is inspiring rapid innovation in both corporate and consumer training. For all […]
As the first year of “back-to-school” learning draws to a close, we want to take the opportunity to highlight some of the work our team’s been focused on in K-12. One of the aspects we love about this job is serving as a conduit for parents, educators, businesses and thought leaders, bringing their perspectives to […]
There is a crisis in U.S. schools: Teachers, the most important ingredient in a child’s learning,1 are demoralized. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in six K-12 teachers reported that they were likely to leave the profession. During the pandemic, this number increased to one in four.2 While many factors impact teachers’ experience and success in […]
There is a crisis in U.S. schools: Teachers, the most important ingredient in a child’s learning,1 are demoralized. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in six K-12 teachers reported that they were likely to leave the profession. During the pandemic, this number increased to one in four.2 There are many avenues to better support and […]
At Tyton, we are now starting to think about the longer-term future in ways that we weren’t a year ago. And the next chapter for impact investment and venture philanthropy in our specialist areas of education and workforce looks fascinating and challenging. A key reason for looking ahead is that we are moving “from pandemic […]
The downward pressure on the labor force due to demographics, the pandemic, and lower rates of participation continues to force employers to streamline hiring processes and relax job requirements. This pressure is especially acute in talent-starved industries like information technology. These dynamics have given rise to companies using skills-based training and assessments or fostering partnerships […]
Investor interest in the education sector remains strong. While early indications for 2022 suggest that the power dynamic could be swinging back in the direction of buyers, macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty are not discouraging the volume of education deals coming to market. Areas of greatest interest currently are not surprising and include early childhood and […]
Despite the occasional stalwart holdout, the consensus among most higher education stakeholders is that colleges must deliver a labor market return that justifies the rising cost of attendance and often the high degree of indebtedness incurred by students and their families. For more than 50 years, the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) has surveyed […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nationwide drops in K-12 academic benchmarks, with impacts on literacy rates perhaps being the most alarming indicator. Schools’ concerns about the lack of hands-on, in-person instruction, coupled with high levels of vacancies in teaching jobs have been covered broadly by the media. How schools are going to get students back […]
Across the last few years, the market for instruction materials in higher education has undergone a realignment of epic proportions. Widespread outrage over materials costs has caused publishers to introduce new, lower pricing models, led professors to explore free resources, sometimes funded by philanthropic projects, and forced many students to forgo textbooks altogether. The net […]
Even as mask mandates fall away, we continue to see the lingering effects of the pandemic in all areas of the education market. New priorities for institutions and a new sense of agency on the part of parents and learners are reshaping old markets and creating new ones and we continue to see these themes […]
Like the acceptance of online learning in post-secondary and K-12, the pandemic may also be a tipping point for employers hiring based on the candidate demonstrating the actual skills needed for a role, rather than broader credentials such as college degrees. Nicholas Java The U.S. labor force participation has declined by millions since the beginning […]
As the K-12 institutional supplemental academic services market explodes in the wake of the pandemic and available federal stimulus funding, it recalls a similar period in the early 2000s tied to the No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”) Act. That window of opportunity didn’t quite materialize and persist as many had hoped. It is important to […]
This month we highlight a shift we are beginning to see in the education deal market. Asset prices are facing pressure across the broader economy due in no small part to a stock market that may be anticipating an inevitable hike in interest rates. While this may begin to shift some leverage from sellers to […]
The 2020 emergency transition to remote learning and subsequent ubiquity of courses delivered online has students wanting to hold on to the best parts of the digital learning experience, including flexibility in where and when they learn. Faculty, having used a broad range of digital tools and approaches, want to hold on to the digital […]
We want to look to 2022 with hope. While the pandemic will continue, with a fair wind we will move from “epidemic” to “endemic” and we will start to get back to the in-person discussions, debates and human interaction that add so much enjoyment to our everyday, even as we continue to help clients grapple […]
Today’s higher education system produces persistent gaps in student outcomes for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other historically minoritized and low-income students. When outcomes data are reviewed by race and income, the gaps are stark. Minoritized students are less likely to attend a postsecondary (two- or four-year) institution, and those who do are less likely to […]
As pandemic-fueled demand drove education revenues and deal prices to record levels in the first year of the pandemic, key questions we were asked repeatedly by investors in both diligence and banking assignments were: Is the growth sustainable? Is the market demand for the products sustainable and will the current level of enthusiasm among investors […]
A Record-Setting Year for the Tyton Partners Banking Practice Provides Strong Momentum and a Favorable Outlook for 2022 2021 proved to be another record year for Tyton Partners Capital Markets, with 20 deals completed across the PreK-12, Post-Secondary, and Corporate L&D global markets. The current near-term macroeconomic conditions remain favorable for M&A with robust deal volume, […]
As we enter 2022, we continue to think about trends across the K-12 ecosystem. What signals are temporary, and when are we witnessing a more permanent shift? The past two years have produced an influx of capital, but what happens once the dollars are allocated? These are questions we ask ourselves daily. Our team share […]
With a second year of Covid under our belts and talk shifting from “pandemic” to “endemic,” it seems an opportune time to reflect on how some of the changes brought about by the virus may persist. Which altered practices are temporary, which are here to stay, and how should decision makers plan for a future […]
Three years since the promise of universal pre-K became a key plank of many Democrats’ political platforms, Congress appears close to passing groundbreaking legislation that would help states make universal pre-K a reality. President Biden’s Build Back Better Act has gone through multiple iterations in the past few months – and may still go through […]
Since the middle of the 20th Century a degree from an American university has been the most sought-after academic credential in the world. Until stifled by COVID-19, every year more than one million learners from around the world sought admission to U.S. colleges and universities. Now, however, as learners around the world – especially in […]
There is no company that better exemplifies the current moment in edtech (and edtech investing) than Indian consumer giant Byju’s (parent company Think & Learn Pvt Ltd). With (most recently available) reported annual revenue at March 2020 of $350 million and losses of $34 million, the company’s growth has reportedly accelerated since then through both acquisition and pandemic-fueled enthusiasm […]
Final report in Tyton Partners’ three-part series investigating the scale and scope of alternative education models concludes with an optimistic view of the future of SLPs As schools strive to achieve a “new normal” following the 2020-2021 academic school year conducted primarily remotely, the continued adoption of supplemental learning pods (SLPs) is impacted by whether […]
As students return to a more traditional “brick and mortar” school setting following a year of learning in a predominantly remote setting, school leaders are confronted by the overwhelming impact of the pandemic on student mental health and well-being. Not surprisingly, many school districts have responded by placing increased attention on the value of social […]
Since the beginning of the pandemic, large-sized deals in pre-K-12 and postsecondary have garnered lots of attention as they point to scale in the acceleration of digital learning. Recent notable examples include Kahoot’s $500M acquisition of Clever, 2U’s $800M acquisition of edX, and Platinum Equity’s acquisition of McGraw Hill for $4.5B, which we split evenly […]
A higher education state system administrator recently told us that employer partnerships are like flossing: valuable sure, but tedious and sometimes painful, and not nearly as prevalent as often claimed. Yet from Starbucks to Walmart to Amazon they are an increasingly prominent part of the higher education landscape and public institutions in particular given their broad missions must reckon with how they will serve and support this new class of student and new category of sponsor. Not unlike […]
Last month Anthology and Blackboard announced that the two companies would merge, creating the largest educational technology company in the world, with more than 4,000 institutional customers. Financial terms were not disclosed, but a Bloomberg reporter covering the merger estimated a combined enterprise value of $3 billion with the merger valuing Blackboard shares at $2 […]
Last week Democrats released details of their proposed $3.5 Trillion budget bill which includes approximately $111 Billion for higher education, the major portion of which is dedicated to a plan aimed at making community college effectively free in all 50 states. The plan is complex because of the wide variation in funding approaches and tuition […]
Last year at this time, we offered perspective on issues facing the K-12 community as a result of the pandemic. Most of us spent considerable time watching and supporting schools, students, and parents in their response. In one strand of our work at Tyton, we found that for parents, there was a pronounced shift in […]
Despite the challenges still associated with gathering in person, this year’s ASU+GSV Summit was a great success, allowing old friends to reunite and adding faces to names for new ones. We were pleased to have had a large presence at the conference, including participation in several panels, and were glad to have met with so […]
With extensive experience in the media, education, and non-profit sectors, Chris Liedel has spent the past 25 years driving growth and social impact initiatives for organizations including National Geographic, The Smithsonian, and the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Today, Tyton Partners announces that current firm Vice Chairman Liedel will expand his role at Tyton Partners to […]
Over the past year, the pandemic has shone a light on and exacerbated pre-existing structural challenges that persist and prevent access and equity in higher education. The criticality of collaboration across diverse stakeholders – institutions, companies, investors, philanthropy, and policy-makers – to address these issues has been part of what drove our development of the […]
In April, we reported on an increased appetite among investors for the K-12 sector, marked by larger, later-stage deals. This trend has continued through Q2 and Q3 of 2021. Up-and-coming names in K-12 educational assessment (Formative) and academic support services (Paper) have raised unprecedented amounts in recently announced Series A and C financings. Similarly, innovative […]
2021 Transformational SaaS and Technology Transactions 2021 Tech-Enabled Services Transactions With global investors racing to deploy billions of dollars across the edtech ecosystem, Tyton Partners continues to be a trusted advisor to many of the preeminent investors, executives, and entrepreneurs navigating a dynamic capital markets environment that is outpacing previous fundraising records. We are […]
We are excited to be a sponsor at this year’s ASU+GSV Summit. After a year away, we are eager to use the week in San Diego to visit and reconnect on the important issues occurring across K12, Higher Education, Workforce Development, and Impact Investing, as well as driving toward new solutions in for-profit and nonprofit […]
Despite recent announcements that many of the nation’s largest school districts will return to fully in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year, almost half of parents say they won’t discontinue many of the remote and hybrid learning models adopted in response to pandemic-related school shutdowns. That is according to findings from the second publication in […]
With global investors racing to deploy billions of dollars across the edtech ecosystem, Tyton Partners continues to be a trusted advisor to many of the pre-eminent investors, executives, and entrepreneurs navigating a dynamic capital markets environment that is outpacing previous fundraising records. During the first half of the year, the Tyton Partners Investment Banking team […]
The awakening of public markets to the growth potential of technology education was solidified with an exclamation mark during the month of June. Trace Urdan explains why real investor demand seems likely to continue unabated through the second half of the year.
The 2U/EdX combination closed the end of a very busy June in #highered capital markets activity. But what does the deal actually mean for the future of alternative credentials for those unable or unwilling to pay degree program prices?
For more than a decade Tyton Partners has been on the frontlines of advising investors and companies on how to move the global education market forward in ways that improve educational outcomes. That is why we were delighted to support the planning, development, and recent launch of A-Street Ventures, LP, launched by Marc Sternberg, the […]
The moral and economic imperative to close racial equity gaps is gaining warranted and newfound momentum across the workforce sector. If you attended JFF’s Horizons conference last week, you probably noticed the explicit focus on the intersection of racial equity and workforce issues weaved throughout the conference’s main sessions. Perspectives on how race factors into […]
A family of reports from Tyton Partners examine how academic institutions can implement practices that increase equitable outcomes in higher education Tyton Partners has released the annual updates of Hitting their Stride, Time for Class, and Driving Toward a Degree which collectively examine the evolving gap existing between the perception and practice of equity¹ across […]
Driving Toward a Degree is a research collaborative for increasing student success across the higher education landscape. Since 2016, data has been collected and analyzed via longitudinal primary research to understand the state of institutional practices and technology adoption that facilitate holistic student support. The goal is to offer insights to help institutions evolve their […]
Since 2014, Tyton Partners has monitored the dynamics of the higher education digital learning and courseware market with the goals of understanding the needs of institutions, instructors, and students and investigating how suppliers are evolving to meet those needs. This 2021 summary provides an updated view on how the pandemic has altered the landscape of […]
The decline in Fall 2020 higher education enrollments—especially at community colleges— has been well reported.¹ However, the impact of higher drop, fail, and withdrawal (DFW) rates among enrolled students and the increased need for learning recovery are just now becoming apparent. Results from the 2021 Hitting Their Stride (HTS) survey add to the understanding of […]
Former operator and entrepreneur becomes the first elected partner in firm history The leadership team at Tyton Partners is delighted to announce the next phase of the firm’s growth with the election of Jeff Dinski to partner in its consulting practice. Jeff has been with Tyton Partners since June 2016 and has more than 20 […]
Our survey took the pulse of K-12 teachers to get a sense of how their practice evolved this current year – and what next year has in store for them.
As the U.S. collectively emerges from the pandemic, we see no slowdown in enthusiasm for EdTech among investors. The pace and size of deals across all dimensions of the education market continues to grow. And the enthusiasm seems well-warranted. K-12 and post-secondary institutions find themselves with new federal funds to deploy and corporations are as eager as ever to upskill, reskill or simply retain talent through sponsored training.
Just over a year ago, in a matter of a few weeks nearly every American college and university transformed from primarily face-to-face to remote learning. The result, with little thought for the transformative effect, has been the creation of thousands of public-private partnerships, arraying proprietary platforms and private capital (Zoom has a market cap of $100-billion) into […]
Tyton Partners is pleased to announce the promotion of Kristen Fox to Managing Director in the firm’s consulting practice. In this role, she will continue to advise clients on organizational transformation in higher education, revenue diversification, digital learning, and forging high-impact education to career pathways. “Kristen is an experienced consultant with more than 15 years’ […]
Tyton Partners releases “School Disrupted,” a three-part series investigating the scale and scope of alternative education models and the future state of K-12 in the wake of COVID-19 Parent agency increased dramatically as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country during the last year. Without notice, households were forced to change behavior, schools to transform […]
LXPs are more than a fad. They represent an investible EdTech category that is quickly becoming central to corporations’ efforts to upskill and reskill employees.
Over the past 12 months, the federal government has directed an unprecedented amount of money — nearly $75 billion — to U.S. higher education
Market activity in corporate training and workforce development across the first four months of 2021
As we enter the second quarter, it seems increasingly clear that the pace of deal activity established in the second half of 2020 is likely to continue through 2021.
Over the last three months the U.S. K-12 market generated more than $3 billion of deal activity. As schools and districts transition
The higher education landscape is shifting in big and small ways. On the one hand, the pandemic…
PRESS RELEASES |FEB 18, 2019 Source: Press Release BOSTON, MA (Feb 18, 2019) – Tyton Partners has released Driving Toward a Degree 2019, the largest longitudinal nation-wide study that measures the adoption and impact of various structures, processes, practices, and technologies related to student success in higher education. The two-part study includes survey responses […]
Outcomes-driven training is an old idea, but one with newfound momentum as investors, workforce intermediaries, government agencies…
While February may be the shortest month of the year, its limited duration belied the volume of sector activity. The U.S. K-12 market experienced ~$1.1 billion in deal value across a single week…
Many of us at Tyton are former K-12 educators. It has been a long year for our former colleagues across the country who are the linchpin in our K-12 system. Fortunately, yesterday, the Biden administration announced that it will use the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for Covid-19 vaccinations to deliver to states and local communities […]
We are excited to share that in the five months since its launch, the Tyton Partners’ Center for Higher Education Transformation has begun work on a number of exciting projects, including several potential partnership initiatives, as well as efforts to help institutions catalyze new growth and reimagine their approach to online program offerings. As challenging as […]
Education market activity started the year strongly, with nearly 70 announced deals across the first month of 2021…
Transformational Higher Education and Human Capital Optimization Solution Providers (click on tombstones to read press releases): Best-in-Class K-12 Curriculum and Software Players: Emerging International EdTech Software and Service Providers: As we look forward to 2021, following a challenging but productive year in 2020, we are grateful for the hard work, […]
Even as we sprint into a new year, this month we take a quick look back at the year that was in the education investment landscape. While much of the investment activity volume took the form of debt to support businesses through the pandemic, enthusiasm and interest in the sector remained strong. And, with considerable […]
Last Wednesday, Joe Biden was sworn in as our 46th President. Discussions immediately centered on what the new administration would do to carry the nation to the other side of the crisis. His response was swift: a massive $1.9 trillion proposal that highlights direct aid to American institutions – among those, K-12 education, which has […]
This month, we share new insights from our ongoing series of faculty surveys regarding the impact of the pandemic on teaching and learning in higher education. Nearly a year into the global pandemic that has forced higher education to rethink and shift how instruction is delivered, faculty – especially those teaching introductory-level courses – are […]
This past fall, higher education faculty across the country, after having worked throughout the summer to rebuild and redesign courses, showed up to “keep teaching” for their students, primarily in hybrid, highly-flexible and online courses. As we close in on the one-year mark of the pandemic, 852 faculty teaching introductory courses are calling for urgent […]
This month we highlight the alternative credential market, which has experienced accelerated growth during the pandemic as consumers have sought everything from self-edification to labor market reskilling. Over the past several years in both our consulting and banking practices, Tyton Partners has been at the heart of the development of this emergent phenomenon in a variety […]
This month, we share our perspectives on the growing market for alternative credentials and consider the role specifically for higher education institutions. The demand for faster, cheaper pathways to employment creates enormous opportunities for colleges and universities, but these opportunities also raise significant questions. Understanding where these programs properly fit, whether adjacent to or inside […]
It is speculation season as we navigate the transition from one presidential administration to another, with the added wrinkle of the as-yet undecided composition of the U.S. Senate. While a great deal of press coverage has been devoted to policy predictions, only a handful have addressed implications for those providing products and services to schools […]
As this tumultuous year draws to a close, we have been reflecting on the events of the past year and what 2021 brings for impact investing in education and the future of work. Looking back, we are encouraged by the role impact investors played, whether in nurturing grantees and investees through this difficult period; rapidly […]
In September we announced the addition of two highly respected higher education executives, Greg Finkelstein and Michael Goldstein, to the Tyton Partners team in conjunction with the launch of a new initiative aimed at providing a greater range of services to colleges and universities. The Center for Higher Education Transformation is an initiative of the […]
In September we announced the addition of two highly respected higher education executives, Greg Finkelstein and Michael Goldstein, to the Tyton Partners team in conjunction with the launch of a new initiative aimed at providing a greater range of services to colleges and universities. The Center for Higher Education Transformation is a joint offering between […]
The first day of school looked starkly different this year for teachers and students nationwide. As districts continue to face uncertainty around how and where learning will happen, teachers are doing their best to engage students and deliver high-quality educational experiences. As teachers are stretched ever further by rising expectations, all stakeholders, from parents to […]
With most students from K-20 still predominantly remote, this month we decided to focus on the hottest “learning” platform in education – Zoom. More specifically, we wonder to what extent the eponymous platform can become a durable presence in the market beyond this Covid period. It is a question we know many of you are […]
Like you, we have had a busy start to the proverbial new academic year. Our clients, colleagues, and friends throughout higher education are working harder than ever to navigate this most uncommon back-to-school transition. A few noteworthy items from us: On September 23rd, we announced the launch of the Center for Higher Education Transformation. The […]
This summer, college and university faculty across the country planned for a fall like no other. After the rapid and unprecedented movement to emergency remote teaching this spring, faculty were collectively exhausted. Yet they started to prepare for a fall that they expected to include a combination of online and hybrid modalities while awaiting guidance […]
The continuing economic crisis of 2020 revealed some bare truths that persisted even before COVID: 21st century workers, especially lower and middle skilled, will need to navigate career paths more defined by variety and near-constant change than consistency. Building a stable, sustainable working life across the many jobs and industries that make up a contemporary […]
BOSTON, MA (September 23, 2020) – Colleges and universities are experiencing never-before-seen levels of change, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher education institutions of all types and sizes face a barrage of pressures to improve outcomes and sustainability despite a declining and evolving student population. Tyton Partners has launched its Center for Higher Education Transformation […]
Over the past several years, our firm has developed a significant amount of expertise and ecosystem insight around alternative credential and bootcamp programs, corporate/professional training, digital skills talent acquisition, and the broader workforce development sectors. The COVID situation has accelerated the adoption of models with high student/employer ROI and clear line-of-sight to an employment or […]
With the return to school upon us, the K-12 community still has more questions than answers. Rather than subside, many challenges related to teaching and learning have intensified and rather than align, many key stakeholders – and priorities – have clashed. Underneath all the noise and frustration is a universal truth: all children need and […]
With summer now behind us, it is a deal-closing sprint to the calendar end of this most unusual year. Through all the tumult, the markets have remained active. More than 50 M&A and investment deals were announced August, led by Cambium Learning’s nearly $800 million acquisition of Rosetta Stone; an additional dozen deals had equity […]
As we begin a fall term unlike any before (and hopefully unlike any again) we wish you a safe and smooth start to the academic year. If we can be helpful in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out. This month, we are focusing our newsletter on equity in higher education. The combination […]
Tyton Partners has been deeply involved in the global education and training ecosystems for many years, frequently operating at the intersection of mission-driven private capital and philanthropy. While education has not been as top-of-mind for impact investors, family offices and foundations as other sectors, it is now becoming increasingly prominent. The pandemic and the movement […]
In May, we detailed a few of the open questions relating to the impact of COVID-19 that we knew would be relevant for our workforce and corporate training networks. This month we’re back with updated views on those same questions, based on fresh data and several months of dialogue with companies and organizations on the […]
As higher education experiences a summer unlike any other, we wish you all a smooth start to the upcoming term. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be helpful as you manage and implement change. We are devoting the bulk of our newsletter this month to the dramatic announcement from the University […]
Since 2015, Tyton Partners has tracked the state of higher education digital learning, courseware and digital adoption via Time for Class, the largest longitudinal study of faculty and administrators focused on digital learning strategy, tools, and practice. Our 2020 release is designed for institutions and includes a series of short research briefs on targeted topics […]
In the past two weeks, the debate over K-12 schools reopening has captured the nation’s attention. The current administration has made its position clear – schools should prepare to fully reopen this fall – and is introducing plans to incentivize this outcome with a Republican-sponsored stimulus package. Fundamentally, K-12 learning is in a tenuous state. […]
The 2020 Hitting Their Stride (HTS) survey reveals growing adoption and awareness of proven developmental reforms as well as many faculty and administrators describing changes underway on campus. However, despite these positive reports, the perceived levels of change and implementation do not always align with on-the-ground reality. To get past the critical tipping point from […]
As schools and districts plan for a return to school in the fall of 2020, social emotional learning has a critical role to play in helping students cope with the trauma of the past few months and overcome the learning loss that occurred in the spring. Over the past year, Tyton Partners has been working […]
This spring, higher education institutions engaged in a rapid and unprecedented movement to remote teaching and learning that exposed a new cohort of faculty with no prior experience teaching online to the use of digital learning tools and techniques. Counter to the prevailing sentiment in the popular press, this transition left many faculty with a […]
SAN FRANCISCO and NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Carrick Capital Partners (“Carrick”), an investment firm focused on software and software-enabled businesses, today announced that it is acquiring Flatiron School, one of the country’s leading technical bootcamps from WeWork. Flatiron School graduates its students with highly in-demand skills in software engineering, data science, UX/UI design, and cybersecurity. Flatiron […]
Back in April, we shared early insights from teachers as to how they and their students were contending with the abrupt transition to remote learning. As an historic school year draws to a close, we wanted to check back on teachers’ spring experience and their perspective on their community’s plans for the 2020-2021 academic year. […]
In this newsletter, Tyton Partners is pleased to share early insights from a national survey of faculty regarding the key challenges they and their students faced this spring as they undertook a rapid transition to remote learning. The preliminary findings paint a picture of a sometimes disorganized response to a pandemic that exacerbated underlying inequities […]
Building on our previous outreach to parents, K-12 teachers, and early childhood educators, we solicited feedback from K-12 executives to better understand how they have steered their organizations though the current challenges and the initiatives they have implemented to ensure continued service to districts, educators, and students. We have highlighted selected findings below; more detailed […]
Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Aztec in its sale to PSG. About Aztec Software Since 1980, Aztec Software has been in the business of improving the lives of adult and young adults through computerized skills remediation, with a focus on core academic subject areas, as well as those skills for ABE and […]
The current coronavirus pandemic has created a series of specific and difficult challenges for higher education. Through its advisory practices, Tyton Partners is committed to helping institutions navigate the short and long-term ramifications of these challenges. To that end, this months’ newsletter marks the start of a new cadence for us and over the coming […]
One of the questions we hear most often talking to K-12 stakeholders these days is, “What will happen to K-12 budgets?” As you know, this one simple question masks an incredibly complex set of conditions and criteria that must be parsed to be able to answer it credibly at the federal level, let alone at […]
We hope you had a pleasant weekend and a productive start to the week. Today, we offer perspective on the early childhood education community, including insights drawn from a pulse survey of ECE leaders and teachers conducted late last week. Building on our previous surveys distributed to parents and K-12 teachers, we solicited feedback from […]
While the severity of this crisis cannot be underestimated, we are inspired by how organizations are shifting their stance from “managing through” to “managing out of” the crisis. In that spirit, we have three items to highlight in this week’s newsletter: A Summary of Higher Ed Suppliers’ Actions – The first is a refreshed link […]
Last week we shared initial perspectives on where we believe the K-12 sector may be headed in the near term. This week we offer insights drawn from teachers who are working to support their students in remote learning environments. Building on our survey to parents last month, this past week we surveyed PreK-12 educators nationwide […]
Last week we shared data from a pulse survey of parents of PreK-12 students across the U.S. to better understand the current state of their children’s remote learning experience. We hope you found it valuable and we plan to check in with parents again shortly. As we continue to track activity across the ecosystem, we […]
We hope this note finds you and your family safe and healthy during this unprecedented time. We also hope that your communities – both personal and professional – have proved helpful in navigating the current transitions. It is in that spirit of community that we are reaching out to you and our higher education networks. […]
Since our note last week, conditions in the K-12 community continue to shift on a nearly daily basis. Eight states have now announced school closures for the entire academic year with most others closed at least through April, if not longer. For many, the specter of a fully remote spring semester is a growing reality. […]
We hope this note finds you and your family safe and healthy during this unprecedented time. We also hope that your communities – both personal and professional – have proved helpful in navigating the current transitions. It is in that spirit of community that we are reaching out to you and our K-12 networks. For […]
After a strong end to 2019, which included several high-profile transactions and a continued investment in building our practice in Europe and China, we enter 2020 with 9 active deals under LOI, and a dozen new mandates to kick off the new year. This is complemented by a pipeline that remains robust notwithstanding the uncertainty […]
Happy new year and hope you have had a wonderful start to the 20’s. After tracking more than 350 deals in the education sector in 2019, we thought we’d take you for a quick spin highlighting the year’s key investment dynamics and deal volume. And, we offer perspective into what we see as continued areas […]
The sprint between Thanksgiving and 2019 year-end is officially on, and with it, companies and investors striving to get those last 2019 deals done. We hope to have a few of our own announced shortly and look forward to sharing more in the new year as we embark on a number of new sell-side mandates. […]
Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to HelioCampus in its sale to Pamlico Capital. HelioCampus is a first-to-market business performance analytics tech enabled services platform for colleges and universities. Founded in 2015, HelioCampus’ technology platform consolidates, organizes, and manages an institution’s data as HelioCampus’ data scientists partner with customers to develop solutions for their most pressing […]
As we bear down on the holidays, we find the sector particularly active on the deal front, with a number of compelling platforms in or coming to market. We expect many of you remain busy and hope that you will be able to carve out time for turkey later this month. Early last month, we […]
MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ Tyton Partners acted as exclusive advisor to Accelify Solutions, LLC (“Accelify”), in its sale to Frontline Education (“Frontline”). Accelify is a leading SaaS provider of special education management systems that are designed to help school districts strengthen special education (“SPED”) operations and compliance and maximize Medicaid reimbursement. The company’s suite of […]
Hope you have had a good transition into Fall. As we review the September deals, the lighter volume of activity is offset by both the size and strategic dynamism of those investments announced. Perhaps most notable, student-centered edtech darling Chegg continued its evolution by jumping fulling into the education delivery market via its acquisition of […]
Developmental education has long been a critical issue in higher education. Historical approaches required students to take a multi-semester sequence of non-credit-bearing courses. The year or more spent in developmental education left many students discouraged and financially strapped. Those who dropped out left with high levels of debt and no college credit to show for […]
Hope you had a wonderful end to the summer and are well prepared for the mad dash to the end of the year. August was a somewhat quiet month, punctuated by a few notable deals including Cambium Learning’s acquisition of AIR’s K-12 testing business, Coursera’s first acquisition to bring more robust pedagogy to its evolving […]
One of the most notable events across the past month occurred in the waning days of July as 2U experienced a significant decline in its stock price coming out of its earnings call. As we highlight below, while the headlines may have appeared grim, the underlying story is one that should reassure investors of the […]
JULY 10, 2019. SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE) Tyton Partners acted as exclusive advisor to Cloud Academy in its sale to QA. Cloud Academy is the leading enterprise digital skills development platform accelerating innovation through guided Learning Paths, Hands-on Labs, and Skill Assessment. Companies trust Cloud Academy to deliver role-specific training on leading clouds (AWS, Azure, Google […]
Bernie and Liz Aren’t the Only Ones Tackling Student Finance The predicament facing higher education is well chronicled: its costs continue to rise ahead of inflation and well ahead of direct government subsidies, forcing tuition prices higher even as its student population grows more diverse, less affluent, and less able to pay full price, without […]
Educational publishing is a sector roiled by change. Last month’s head-turning announcement of the planned merger of McGraw-Hill Education and Cengage Learning was yet another stark reminder that the emergence of digital technology is continuing to lower barriers to entry in the educational content market, creating the same types of pressures on entrenched players and […]
Source: Press Release BOSTON, MA (May 21, 2019) – Tyton Partners has released the Time for Class Toolkit, a set of research-based briefs designed to support institutional dialogue, decision-making and action around instructional practices and digital learning tools, especially adaptive courseware. The kit was built using data from Time for Class, a national longitudinal survey […]
SAN DIEGO, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Fullstack Academy in its sale to Zovio. Fullstack Academy’s coding bootcamps train students across the country in on-campus and remote programs. Through its own campuses, online, and through university partnerships, graduates of Fullstack programs are trained to succeed in an environment of increasing […]
Deal news this month reflects a phenomenon that we have been tracking for some time – an accelerating level of activity in the online program management (OPM) sector. Of course, 2U’s $750 million acquisition of Trilogy represents the most dazzling example. But Zovio’s purchase of Fullstack in April and TutorMe this month, Red Venture’s purchase […]
Much discussion of late has been focused on the place and practice of online education among traditional institutions. Earlier this year, in the pages of The New York Times, University of Michigan professor and public policy analyst Dr. Sue Dynarski highlighted research suggesting that fully online programs do a particular disservice to the neediest students. […]
WAKEFIELD, Mass., April 11, 2019 Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to TE21, Inc. in its sale to Certica Solutions. TE21, Inc. is an award-winning education company that offers mission critical solutions to meet the needs of K-12 schools and districts. TE21 provides benchmark assessments, item bank, intervention solutions, professional development, and education improvement […]
This month Tyton Banking had the privilege of advising Fullstack Academy in its sale to Bridgepoint Education for $17.5 million in cash and 2.5 million shares of common stock. Fullstack offers remote and in-person career training programs to consumers focused on software engineering, and recently partnered with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to launch coding bootcamps for […]
Source: Press Release BOSTON, MA (April 2, 2019) – Tyton Partners and NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) – proudly announce the appointment of Dr. Lydia Kyei-Blankson as Senior Research Fellow at the NACADA Center for Research at Kansas State University (KSU). Dr. Kyei-Blankson, is the Associate Professor of Educational Administration and Foundations […]
This report follows Tyton Partners’ 2015 two-part series Driving Toward a Degree: The Evolution of Planning and Advising in Higher Education, the 2016 publication Driving Toward a Degree: Establishing a Baseline on Integrated Approaches to Planning and Advising, and the 2017 publication Driving Toward a Degree: The Evolution of Academic Advising in Higher Education. 2019’s publication titled, Driving Toward […]
February education transactions underscore traditional university’s desire for comprehensive solutions, suggesting further consolidation of the technology-based services landscape. Meanwhile, Private Equity demonstrates continued interest in subscription-based administrative software. Rapid change in the employment market continues to drive deal counts and grow ties between education offerings and employment services. We hope these observations provide insights into […]
Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to All Campus in its sale to Education Growth Partners.
Source: Press Release BOSTON, MA (Feb 19, 2019) – Tyton Partners has released Driving Toward a Degree 2019, the largest longitudinal nation-wide study that measures the adoption and impact of various structures, processes, practices, and technologies related to student success in higher education. The two-part study includes survey responses from 3,300 institutional stakeholders from nearly 1,300 […]
For this monthly deal round-up we took a look at knowledge services metrics from 2018. In the data we see evidence of a robust, vibrant, and perhaps most importantly, stable market. Venture and M&A deals are taking place in fairly equal quantities — suggesting steady maturation of winning approaches into sustainable businesses — and across […]
Hoboken, NJ (November 1, 2018) Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Wiley in it’s acquisition of Learning House. Read the press release here. About Wiley Wiley is a global leader in research and education. Our online scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, and our digital learning, assessment, certification and student-lifecycle services and solutions help universities, […]
The Bottom Line Years ago, siloed student supports were the standard, while holistic student supports were merely a blip on the higher education radar. Today, increasing numbers of institutions are aiming to achieve integration across supports to serve the whole student. Drawing from our 2018 Driving Towards a Degree survey that reached over 3,300 administrators, […]
BOSTON, MA (Sep 19, 2018) – An update to the Courseware in Context (CWiC) Framework was released today. The CWiC Framework is an open, field-owned suite of resources designed to help postsecondary decision makers make informed selections of digital courseware products, and support effective adoption and implementation of these solutions. It was developed and initially […]
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 Carnegie Learning has merged with New Mountain Learning, a portfolio company of CIP Capital CIP Capital today officially announced that it has completed an investment in Carnegie Learning, a leading provider of innovative, research-proven math products and services, and will be merging it with recently acquired New Mountain Learning (NML), a leading […]
DENVER, July 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Hack Reactor in its sale to Galvanize. Hack Reactor is an immersive full-stack development program that teaches students software engineering at our campuses in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, New York City, and through our Remote campus. Students master advanced HTML and CSS, front-end JavaScript frameworks like Backbone […]
JULY 12, 2018. LA CROSSE, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE) Apollo Education Group has closed on its sale of the College for Financial Planning (CFFP) to Kaplan Professional Education, a unit of global education provider Kaplan, Inc. Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Apollo. For over 45 years, CFFP has been the education provider of choice […]
SAN FRANCISCO, June 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Pathgather in its sale to Degreed. The deal merges the two companies that invented the learning experience platform (LXP) category. Founded in 2012, Pathgather has developed a learning experience platform that aggregates all content across channels and ties specific skill […]
JUNE 28, 2018 Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Digital Measures in its sale to Watermark. Digital Measures is a SaaS technology platform for centralizing faculty data and activities to address accreditation, evaluate performance, facilitate promotion and tenure, and showcase faculty achievements. The company is a leader in faculty information and serves 350 […]
JUNE 20, 2018 EAGAN, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE) Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Castle Worldwide in its sale to Scantron. Castle is an accomplished, widely respected, full-service certification and licensure testing company. It has over 30 years-experience and leadership in the science of psychometrics, licensure and certification test development, and internet-based test delivery. Castle’s […]
Tyton Partners Recognizes 50 International Education Companies with Impact Tyton Partners names the 2018 Tyton Global Growth50 at EdTechX Conference in London London, June 19, 2018 – Tyton Partners, the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector, today announced its Tyton Growth50, a recognition of dynamic growth-stage companies in […]
The Bottom Line By kindergarten, 90% of a child’s brain capacity develops, yet per pupil funding for public Pre-K programs is just over a third of funding available in K-12. The outcome is often limited access and participation in early childhood education (ECE) programs and unmet curriculum and educator professional development (PD) needs. Ultimately states […]
APRIL 25, 2018 London-based Learning Technologies Group (LTG) is acquiring PeopleFluent from investment managers Bedford Funding I LP and Bedford HCM Holdings GP LLC in an all-cash deal for $150 million. The deal was financed in part through a new share placement of 85 million pounds (approximately $120 million). Tyton Partners sourced and identified PeopleFluent […]
The Bottom Line In the fading glow of March Madness, we turn our attention to another kind of Cinderella story: the untold impact of online courses (versus online programs) on enrollment growth and more importantly completion rates for colleges and universities. There are now more than three million students enrolled in at least one online […]
MONTEREY, Calif., April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Really Good Stuff, LLC, a subsidiary of Excelligence Learning Corporation, the Monterey, California-based leading provider of educational tools and solutions to early childhood and elementary teachers and parents, announced its acquisition of Steve Spangler Science, the Denver-based creator and marketer of innovative STEM-based products and learning experiences that introduce young minds to future […]
NEW YORK, March 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Watermark, the largest provider of assessment software for higher education institutions worldwide, announced today that TCV has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the company. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions. TCV is one of […]
Wolters Kluwer Health announces today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Firecracker, an adaptive learning, assessment, and study-planning solution used by more than 20 percent of U.S. medical students. Firecracker will become part of the Health Learning, Research & Practice group, which produces high quality medical education and practice content under the Lippincott […]
The Bottom Line Poorly understood shifts in basal textbook spending, particularly in hard-to-track open territory states, have created confusion among large publishers and their investors as the market has become less predictable. And the shift to digital, which was once thought to represent a financial boon to the leading publishers, has instead created openings for […]
THE BOTTOM LINE Remember when UC Berkeley began pulling down public access to more than 20,000 videos, podcasts and other instructional materials from YouTube, iTunes and the university’s website? It has been almost a year since the university, in response to a DOJ order, began removing all content that is inaccessible to people with disabilities. […]
Tyton Partners has officially launched the 2018 Tyton Global Growth50, a recognition of dynamic growth-stage companies across all markets in the global education sector. In a space enamored with new, the Tyton Global Growth50 celebrates sustainability. The list recognizes the top 50 organizations achieving impact at scale through a combination of strong financial performance, market […]
PITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Carnegie Learning, Inc., a research-proven leader of mathematics technology, curriculum and services, has announced a strategic alliance with the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian has long been a leading developer of research-based science and engineering curriculum through its Smithsonian Science Education Center, which was established in 1985 to help transform the teaching and learning of […]
NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Nov. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ Tyton Partners acted as a financial advisor to Motion Math in its sale to Curriculum Associates. The deal will enhance Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready program by enriching student experience in developing critical math skills. Motion Math engages students with visual math games that promote a growth mindset through feedback and coaching, challenging and […]
The Bottom Line As we head to Philadelphia for EDUCAUSE this week, we’re struck by the symbol of the Liberty Bell as we contemplate the fractured state of higher education’s service to the adult learner. The recent OIG findings threaten to dismantle the progress WGU has made in scaling an education model that is achieving […]
Batavia, IL, October 24, 2017 – Tyton Partners represented WhiteBox Learning in its sale to Flinn Scientific Tyton Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to WhiteBox Learning LLC (“WhiteBox”) in its sale to Flinn Scientific. WhiteBox is a leading SaaS provider of a comprehensive activity-based learning system that offers science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) […]
Few firms know the global education market as well as Boston-based Tyton Partners. Kirsten Noben talks to founder Chris Curran about current trends There are only a few education deals in the US which Tyton Partners are not familiar with. The investment banking and strategy consultancy firm, first launched in 2010 in Boston by Chris Curran and Adam Newman […]
Source: Press Release NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwired – Oct 12, 2017) – Trace Urdan has joined Tyton Partners, the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector, as a Managing Director. Trace will be primarily focused on developing new relationships in support of the Firm’s banking and consulting practices and […]
Source: Press Release BOSTON, MA (Oct 12, 2017) – Tyton Partners has released Driving Toward a Degree 2017, the latest report in a series that measures the extent and impact of various practices and products related to academic advising across higher education institutions nationwide. The two-part study includes survey responses from 2,200 institutional stakeholders from […]
The Bottom Line Barriers to entering or advancing in the United States labor market have created economic insecurity for millions of Americans. This population, many of whom are women, minorities, and immigrants, often lack the skills and opportunities to find meaningful and / or sustained employment. They struggle with acquiring the level of training or […]
Source: Press release (PR NEWSWIRE Sep 28, 2017) -Tyton Partners (www.tytonpartners.com) acted as co-advisor to DMGT Hobsons, Inc., in the sale of product lines Radius, AppReview, ApplyYourself, Connect, and Retain to Campus Management Corp., a Leeds Equity Partners portfolio company. These solutions are used globally by more than 700 higher education institutions. JEGI (www.jegi.com), was […]
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 Tyton Partners acted as co-advisor to DMGT Hobsons, Inc., in the sale of product lines Radius, AppReview, ApplyYourself, Connect, and Retain to Campus Management Corp., a Leeds Equity Partners portfolio company. These solutions are used globally by more than 700 higher education institutions. JEGI (www.jegi.com), was lead advisor to DMGT’s Hobsons, Inc. […]
Source: Press Release CHICAGO, IL (September 26, 2017) –The Joyce Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation capitalize the Employment Technology Fund The Employment Technology Fund (“ETF”), an innovative impact investing initiative of the New Venture Fund, and made possible with funding from these leading foundations—The Joyce Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, […]
An Innovative Approach to Closing the Employment Opportunity Gap The Employment Technology Fund (“ETF” or the “Fund”) is an innovative impact investing initiative of the New Venture Fund (“NVF”), made possible with funding from these leading foundations – The JoyceFoundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation. ETF’s purpose is to invest […]
BOSTON, MA (Sep 21, 2017) – An update to the Courseware in Context (CWiC) Framework was released today. The CWiC Framework is an open, field-owned suite of resources designed to help postsecondary decision-makers make informed selections of digital courseware products, and support effective adoption and implementation of these solutions. It was developed and initially released […]
Bottom Line In search of the Swiss Army knife – the technology product that does everything well – institutions have struggled to realize the promise of an integrated technology solution that dramatically improves academic advising. Drawing largely from a 2017 survey that reached over 2,200 administrators and advisors across 1,400 institutions, as well as interviews […]
Bottom Line In late June, Arthur Wayne Johnson was appointed as head of the Office of Federal Student Aid at the US DOE. Challenges abound for Johnson with 750,000 college-bound high school seniors failing to submit the FAFSA despite being eligible for aid and nearly 3 million students abandoning their postsecondary education due to financial […]
Source: Inside Higher Ed. June 2017 New framework aims to help professors make sense of the landscape of digital tools that promise to change the nature of learning. The idea that the adoption of digital instructional technologies will lag without faculty buy-in is becoming widely accepted by college administrators and (smart) vendors alike. So, too, […]
Source: Inside Higher Ed. July 2017 ERP, LMS, SIS — and now SSMS? Colleges need enterprise-level systems — not narrow, problem-specific technology products — to improve student persistence and job placement rates, the technology and research company EAB argues. Such a system, the company suggests, could be called a “student success management system.” Click here […]
Source: Inside Higher Ed. June 2017 Colleges’ ambitions for technology-enabled instruction have outstripped actual use, more because of practical impediments than philosophical ones, analysis suggests. Professors’ views about the role of technology in learning are easy to caricature.Some faculty members cling to their yellowed lecture notes and reject new technology-enabled approaches because they believe what they’re doing […]
The Bottom Line A rapidly expanding collection of companies and organizations are operating and launching Alternative Pathways programs to accelerate individuals’ economic and employment mobility. While drawing on elements of more traditional education-to-employment programs, Alternative Pathways programs (APPs) explicitly prepare participants for validated, in-demand workforce opportunities, often in a much shorter timeframe, and sometimes at a […]
A publication focusing on identifying challenges and emerging solutions related to technology in the U.S. financial aid system. Challenges and complexities within the financial aid process have a significant impact on students’ ability to pay for and complete school. Nearly 3 million students drop out every year for reasons related to finances. Beginning in 2016, […]
Source: Press Release NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwired – Jun 12, 2017) – Cory Reid has joined Tyton Partners, the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector, as a Managing Director. He will be primarily focused on developing new business relationships with EdTech, SaaS, and emerging tech-enabled services businesses in […]
The Time for Class series was first published in 2015 to share findings from Tyton Partners’ 2014 surveys of over 2,700 postsecondary faculty and administrators on their use and perceptions of digital courseware. This paper is an update to the Time for Class series and includes findings from two fall 2016 surveys of a national […]
A two-part publication highlighting how alternative pathways programs can accelerate employment prospects for low-income adults In the latter half of 2016, Tyton Partners conducted national research on behalf of The James Irvine Foundation regarding innovative education-to-employment opportunities for low-income adults. The goal of this initiative was to better understand the emerging ecosystem of Alternative Pathways […]
The Bottom Line Purdue’s acquisition of Kaplan University has been the subject of much debate. Punditry aside, a look at the data offers a different perspective on the rationale for the combination: academic efficiency. Kaplan University’s online instructional delivery and related student support spending is nearly 4.5x lower than Purdue’s. Sure, graduation rates are lower, […]
Source: Press Release INDIANAPOLIS, IN–(Marketwired – May 08, 2017) – Strada Education Network℠, an innovative new nonprofit dedicated to improving students’ college success and connecting them to rewarding careers, announced today that InsideTrack®, the leading provider of student success coaching, will join its growing network of mission-driven companies. “InsideTrack’s proven student coaching solutions expand our network’s […]
The Bottom Line The impact and efficacy of digital learning is being vigorously debated. The challenge is that digital learning is used to support a range of strategic priorities across postsecondary institutions. Administrators report that its greatest impact is on improving scheduling flexibility and access for students. When executed well, this enables higher graduation rates. […]
Source: Press Release (Minneapolis, MN) February 21, 2017 — Capstone, a leading publisher of children’s books and digital reading products and services, announced today that Francisco Partners, a leading technology investment firm, has acquired myON. In conjunction with the transaction, Francisco Partners plans to make a significant growth investment in myON. Since launching in 2011, myON has […]
Source: Press Release IOWA CITY, February 22, 2017 – IOWA—ACT, Inc., a national leader in college and career readiness assessment, announced today it intends to invest in ProExam, a not-for-profit organization focused on noncognitive assessment and professional credentialing, with a merger between the two organizations expected in 2018. “Education and workplace success require a holistic set […]
Source: Press Release MONTEREY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Excelligence Learning Corporation, a leading provider of educational tools and solutions to early childhood and elementary school teachers and parents, has acquired ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI). CCEI, headquartered in Duluth, Ga., is a leading provider of online professional development and data systems for the early child care and education market. […]
Source: PRESS RELEASE- MONTEREY, Calif., April 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Excelligence Learning Corporation, a leading provider of educational tools and solutions to early childhood and elementary school teachers and parents, has acquired Frog Street Press, Inc. Frog Street, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading provider of comprehensive early childhood education solutions for children of ages 0 – 5 years to […]
Source: Inside Higher Ed. March 2017 A new report about how to assure quality for nontraditional higher ed providers prompts a more basic question: What do we mean by quality? Eleven experts weigh in. The call last week for a new system of quality assurance for alternative providers of higher education got us here at Inside […]
The Bottom Line The assessment and curriculum markets have each experienced less than 5% CAGR since 2013. However, an emerging set of integrated offerings – those that tightly embed assessment within curricular offerings – have grown at 5x that rate. Are you playing in the right segment of the market? Traditional assessment providers are struggling […]
Source: EdSurge, February 2017 Education technology is riddled with acronyms, and here’s another one to boot: iPASS. What confusingly sounds like an app is in fact an idea that goes far beyond digital tools. It stands for “integrated planning and advising student success” which in practice looks like new approaches to academic advising and degree […]
Source: University Ventures, November 2016 Volume VI, #23 I’ve never understood why some people insist on keeping their ideas secret. I always assume if I have an idea, dozens of others have had the same one. It’s not ideas that determine success, it’s execution. Which is why, from the beginning, I’ve always been happy to […]
Does your left hand know what your right hand is doing? The number of campus stakeholders involved in academic advising is growing — making efforts more holistic, but more complicated. Are advising stakeholders on the same page at your institution? Trying to figure out how best to improve student outcomes at your institution? If you’re […]
BOOTCAMPS ATTRACTING INVESTORS AND STRATEGIC ACQUIRERS Skills training bootcamps have seen explosive growth, driven by compelling employment outcomes and a high student return-on-investment. The success of this innovative model has drawn the interest of capital providers, strategic acquirers, private lenders, and the Department of Education. We expect continued growth, but also anticipate the competitive landscape […]
BOSTON, MA–(Marketwired – Oct 11, 2016) – Today marks the official launch of the Courseware in Context (CWiC) Framework, a research-based resource to help postsecondary decision-makers navigate the digital courseware market and effectively adopt and implement courseware solutions. The Framework, developed through a collaboration between the Online Learning Consortium (“OLC”) and Tyton Partners, with contributions from […]
The Bottom Line The millions of dollars invested in technology solutions to help U.S. adults find and sustain employment disproportionately favor those targeted at high-skilled, white-collar opportunities, but this may change. Why? The Employment Technology Equation Tyton Partners’ analysis of the employment technology landscape, informed by a comprehensive review of more than 500 suppliers active […]
Source: Press Release PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jouve, a provider of cross-media solutions for designing, enriching, and distributing content, today announced the acquisition of Six Red Marbles, LLC, a Boston-based agency specializing in Learning Experience Design for markets that include education, publishing, and knowledge-driven enterprises. Jouve Chairman and CEO Geoffrey Godet noted that “the purchase of Six Red […]
Source: BOSTON and RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Cengage, an education and technology company, today announced the acquisition of WebAssign, a leading provider of digital learning solutions for higher education. The acquisition strengthens Cengage’s position as a market leader in science, technology and math offering three unique platforms for faculty and institutions. BOSTON […]
Education sector M&A activity increased once again in 2015. Nick Herbert takes a look at the deals and emergent sector trends. Source: Education Investor, July/August 2016 [Excerpted here by permission] “There has been a bit of a micro-bubble in ed tech,” says Chris Curran, Founder and Managing Director at Tyton Partners. “There are still multitudes of phenomenal […]
Source: Press Release Company Recognizes Top 50 Growth-Stage Companies in the Education Sector Achieving Impact at Scale BOSTON, MA–(Marketwired – Sep 7, 2016) – Tyton Partners, the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector, today released their annual Tyton Growth50 list, which recognizes the top 50 organizations achieving impact […]
Source: Press Release STAMFORD, CT–(Marketwired – Sep 8, 2016) – Tyton Partners, a leading advisory firm in the global knowledge market, today announced that Rich Flynn, former president of Apollo Education Ventures, will join the firm’s senior leadership team as a Managing Director in Tyton Partners’ investment banking practice. Rich has over 25 years of […]
We are excited to announce the 2016 Tyton Growth50, which recognizes the top 50 organizations achieving impact at scale. Our effort with this initiative is to highlight dynamic companies that have pushed beyond the start-up phase and offer insight into what is required to sustain and extend market success across the education sector. In reflecting […]
THE BOTTOM LINE Tyton Partners analysis indicates that this year’s game-based learning investments will grow by more than 20% over last year. What is game-based learning, and what investment potential does it offer? INVESTORS ARE PLAYING GAMES Since 2013, more than 300 investment deals with an estimated value of $3.5 billion involved companies that […]
Source: Edsurge The latest Tyton research focuses on how higher-ed institutions are using advising and planning technology. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and in collaboration with National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the Global Community on Academic Advising (NACADA), […]
Source: Inside Higher Ed Major study of adaptive learning finds inconclusive results about its ability to improve outcomes and lower costs, but use at two-year colleges and in remedial courses shows potential. Click here to read the full story
Source: Bloomberg.com What people might learn from the combined companies after the Microsoft deal. Click here for the full story.
Source: Press Release As postsecondary student retention and completion rates in the US fail to improve at expected rates, there has been an increased focus on advising and specifically an approach called integrated planning and advising for student success (iPASS). Tyton Partners and the Babson Survey Research Group collaborated with The Global Community for Academic […]
The Bottom Line Institutions find themselves in one of four categories on the road to achieving an ideal advising situation for their students. Where is your institution on this road? Institutions Face Several Barriers on the Road to Ideal Advising Tyton Partners recently conducted its first annual postsecondary planning and advising survey of more than 1,400 administrators, faculty, […]
Tyton Partners has officially launched the second annual Tyton Growth50, an annual recognition of dynamic growth-stage companies across all markets in the education sector. In a space enamored with new, the Tyton Growth50 celebrates sustainability. The list recognizes the top 50 organizations achieving impact at scale through a combination of strong financial performance, market penetration, […]
The Bottom Line Adaptive teaching is breaking the black box of adaptive learning. What is it and why does it matter? Beyond the Black Box – Adaptive Teaching Tyton Partners’ long-standing evaluation of adaptive learning models and adoption dynamics in higher education has revealed many gaps and opportunities. One critical evolution in the space has […]
Tyton Partners Places Call for Growth Companies With Staying Power Nominations for the 2016 Tyton Growth50 are open, recognizing growth-stage companies in education sector achieving impact at scale Boston, April 19, 2015 – Tyton Partners, the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector, today announced it is accepting […]
Tyton Partners has officially launched the second annual Tyton Growth50, an annual recognition of dynamic growth-stage companies across all markets in the education sector. In a space enamored with new, the Tyton Growth50 celebrates sustainability. The list recognizes the top 50 organizations achieving impact at scale through a combination of strong financial performance, market penetration, […]
Over the past four years, adaptive learning has gone from an ill-defined concept in postsecondary education to an important category of teaching and learning technology. Definitions of adaptive learning have been proposed and rejected, with the term often dismissed as “marketing-speak” among skeptical buyers. Despite the confusion surrounding this technology, a promising road lies ahead […]
What does it take to go from start-up to scale in the education sector? In 2015, Tyton Partners launched the Tyton Growth50, an annual recognition of dynamic growth-stage companies across all markets in the education sector. In March 2016, we had the chance to sit down with leaders from three of those inaugural winners during our […]
The Bottom Line Tyton Partners’ tracking of postsecondary education investment deals highlighted an attractive category for the investor community in 2015: career services. By our count, companies supporting individuals’ transition from education to the workforce received the highest number of investments. What’s the common thread investors are looking for? Each year, Tyton Partners tracks equity investments […]
The Bottom Line Companies and investors are always searching for a blue ocean in the education sector. Why aren’t any of them diving in here? Beneath the Surface of the Adult Education Opportunity Tyton Partners’ analysis of the adult education ecosystem, informed by a national survey of more than 1,000 program administrators and instructors, reveals […]
Published by: Campus Technology The year 2015 was a turning point for data analytics technology. Now is the time for higher education institutions to put data to use and give students the advising support they need to succeed. Read the full article here.
Published By: University Business Presidents and other thought leaders look ahead on security, enrollment and tuition. Read the full article here.
Published by: Inside Higher Ed A national association of public universities is throwing its weight behind the use of adaptive courseware, an emerging form of online course delivery that responds to students’ learning styles and levels of achievement. Read the full article here.
The methods for signaling individuals’ capabilities and competencies are rapidly changing, even as little consensus exists about the value and validation of these alternative methods. In one area, however, leaders from the postsecondary and workforce community do agree – student transcripts do not convey the information and insight they should for students or employers. As postsecondary institutions […]
Published by: EDUCAUSE Review Presenting evidence of learning should be a hallmark of society’s increasing orientation toward lifelong learning and transparency of capabilities. Executing this vision requires a far-ranging systemic effort. Read the full article here
A two-part publication series on instructional technologies within adult education The number of US adults lacking basic skills in the areas of literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy is substantial – nearly one in six US adults maintains low literacy skills, while nearly one in three possesses low numeracy skills – and the consequences are debilitating. […]
Hachette Livre a signé le 10 septembre 2015 un partenariat avec Knewton, la start-up new-yorkaise en pointe aux États-Unis sur l’adaptive learning. Outre-Atlantique, ce nouveau mode d’apprentissage mêle algorithmes, psychologie cognitive et big datas afin de personnaliser l’enseignement. Universités américaines et éditeurs de logiciels y voient des opportunités fortes, malgré un coût conséquent. Le point […]
A confluence of factors, including a shift to performance-based funding and declining student enrollment, has led to an increased focus on student retention and on-time graduation at postsecondary institutions. In response, over 100 vendors in the integrated planning and advising services market have introduced products aimed at improving student retention and graduation rates. These product […]
Published by: Huff Post There are 36 million adults in the United States — nearly 15% of the adult population — who read at what are called “basic” and “below-basic” levels. While these individuals struggle to use the written word in work and life, as many as 3 in 4 of them have a smartphone. That’s […]
As the education sector continues to grow, businesses are learning how to transition from start-up to scale, preserving the integrity of their mission while achieving broad-based awareness and financial stability. Building on our Growth50 initiative, Tyton Partners is excited to have assembled a diverse panel of edtech entrepreneurs to host a panel discussion at SXSWedu […]
Adaptive learning continues to evolve. Is this evolution leading to more adoption and improved outcomes? Tyton Partners is working in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Post Secondary Success team to, better understand the market for adaptive learning technologies for higher education. Our goal is to disseminate findings broadly to the field with […]
Published by: EducationInvestor M&A activity in the US education industry is hotter than ever. Kirsten Noben looks at what’s driving the trend and the subsectors getting most love After the recession caused a slowdown, M&A activity in the US education space has begun to heat up again. According to a report published by investment bank […]
Published by: Inside Higher Ed The mudslinging in the debate over the use of digital courseware has reached Hatfield-and-McCoy levels of feuding. I have heard at least one higher education leader say, “The only faculty that are afraid of being replaced by digital courseware are those who deserve to be replaced by digital courseware.” Also […]
Through our research with 20+ institutions and 120+ companies supporting institutions around student success and retention, we have identified 9 product categories that institutions can employ for planning and advising. The graphic below shows a subset of 40+ companies that are at various stages of maturity but have demonstrated product breadth with an offering in at […]
The world doesn’t need another list, right? Wrong, or at least that’s what we thought when the Tyton Growth50 was hatched earlier this year. Based on the early engagement and reaction we’ve had with folks in the field, our instincts were correct. The education sector did need another list, but one focused on those organizations […]
Published by: The Hechinger Report Teachers are the people who must effectively blend high-tech tools into their instruction, but relatively few of them have much say over what classroom technology is purchased. As a result, education technology companies spend a lot of time courting school administrators, because they’re the people most likely to decide what […]
Published by: The Hechinger Report NEW YORK CITY – Millions of dollars are being dangled as an incentive to get people to invent education technology that helps teach adults who struggle with basic reading and writing. The Barbara Bush Adult Literacy XPrize, announced today, offers $7 million in prizes for those who create technology for […]
A three-part publication series on digital courseware in higher education Pressure is mounting in the postsecondary education ecosystem to improve the quality of teaching and learning, while increasing accessibility and affordability for students. It is widely accepted that educational outcomes are better when instruction is personalized to students’ needs and objectives and effective personalized learning […]
The education sector – stretching from early childhood through to corporate, professional and life-long learning – is in the midst of an epic period of investment activity and national discussion. A steady stream of tenacious entrepreneurs and emergent product and service models are pushing up against long-standing practices and institutional systems. Driving and achieving scale […]
U.S. post-secondary institutions spend over $1 billion annually on academic planning and advising and, despite this, on-time student graduation rates and freshman retention rates have not improved over the last 10 years. It is safe to say that the current approaches of most institutions are not working and yet identifying and implementing improved practices is […]
Published by: Inside Higher Ed LinkedIn has become a company to watch in higher education. This week the job networking site announced it would spend $1.5 billion to buy lynda.com, an online course portal. The deal is the biggest so far for LinkedIn, which has roughly 300 million users. Last year the publicly traded company unveiled a college ranking system based […]
Patience is a virtue when it comes to investing in education. Lynda.com’s sale to LinkedIn for $1.5B is the latest in an increasingly long line of large transactions in the education market. About this time last year, Renaissance Learning was acquired for $1.1B. Two unicorns inside of twelve months. In education. Unbelievable. Some are concerned about valuations […]
Published by: EducationDIVE The sector has demand for instructional technologies but very little supply Education technology initiatives have exploded in recent years. School districts at the elementary and secondary level have purchased tablets, laptops, and Chromebooks while digital programming companies have produced new educational applications for their students. Testing companies have created adaptive versions of […]
Published by: eCampus News National survey of adult educators shows opportunity for instructional technology to dramatically improve and expand adult basic education. Read Full Article
Published by: Campus Technology While schools have placed a great deal of attention on technology in the classroom, one instructional segment that has been left behind, it appears, is adult education. Although 86 percent of adult education administrators and practitioners said they believe that technology solutions can “effectively support” adult education, only 54 percent of […]
Published by: EdSurge ADULT ACTION: Education’s not just about the kids; there are 36 million US adults who lack basic skills. And despite the fact that 85 percent of respondents in a report from Tyton Partners and Joyce Foundation on this topic say technology can play a role, there’s still much to be desired. Read Full Article
Landmark national survey of adult educators shows tremendous opportunity for instructional technology to dramatically improve and expand adult basic education BOSTON, March 31, 2015 – Thirty-six million American adults lack the basic skills required for meaningful employment in today’s workforce, and only a fraction are served by existing educational programs. New research finds a huge […]
Published by: eCampus News A new study provides the ed-tech community with some of the only research into postsecondary faculty perspectives on the state of the digital courseware market. Read Full Article
Published by: Inside Higher Ed Tyton Partners, the former Education Growth Advisors, this week released the first of three papers based on surveys it conducted on faculty and administrator attitudes about digital courseware. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded the surveys, which yielded 2,700 responses. Read Full Article
Published by: Campus Technology More than half, 54 percent, of faculty used digital courseware in the 2013-2014 school year, according to a new survey, “Faculty Perspectives on Courseware,” from Tyton Partners. Almost as many, 52 percent, told researchers they value its potential impact. Read Full Article
New Research Provides Insights and Actions for Courseware Suppliers and Institutions to Support Adoption and Improve Satisfaction BOSTON, (March 10, 2015) – Tyton Partners today released findings from a national survey of postsecondary faculty that reveals the current state of courseware adoption, as well as insight into barriers to adoption at their institutions and faculty […]
Published by: The EvoLLLution The traditional approaches to measuring and sharing an individual’s learning no longer match the expectations of students, employers and higher education administrators. Transcripts—the official record for what a student has learned—simply do not capture or communicate an individual’s capabilities and understate skills such as critical thinking, teamwork and problem solving. But […]
Published by: Inside Higher Ed An investment banking and consulting firm focused on education, Tyton Partners, is issuing a report today that attempts to create a framework for measuring “evidence of learning.” Read Full Article
Published by: Campus Technology Two new studies put out by a company that does higher education consulting propose a framework and offer a kind of buying guide for developing an environment that helps students optimize their educational paths to college and career success — including taking into account what has been learned outside of school. […]
BOSTON, (February 10, 2015) – Colleges and universities now have a framework that synthesizes the holistic set of learning experiences accrued by individuals. “Evidence of Learning: The Case for an Integrated Competency Management System for Students, Higher Education and Employers” is the latest research from Tyton Partners (formerly Education Growth Advisors) and was funded by […]
In the past several years, record amounts of investment capital have financed new companies serving – and targeting – US colleges and universities. These efforts often seek to enhance or shift established practices and processes, injecting innovative models and ideas into the existing postsecondary landscape. Across the Evidence of Learning framework, the diversity of stakeholders […]
A shift in expectations is occurring among core postsecondary education stakeholders – students, employers, and institutional administrators and faculty – regarding the “evidence of learning” required in today’s world and its effective validation and presentation. The ability of individuals to present their evidence of learning should be a hallmark of our society’s increasing orientation toward […]
Published by: EdSurge GROWING TO BE A TITAN: Education Growth Advisors, a consulting and advisory firm serving the education sector, is changing its name to Tyton Partners. Founded in 2010, EGA has worked in tandem with private equity firm, Education Growth Partners, and has advised dozens of financing and acquisition deals worth a combined $4 billion. Read […]
Published by: University Business Education Growth Advisors announced today that it has become Tyton Partners, an evolved advisory firm that provides investment banking and strategy consulting services to the global knowledge sector. Under the new name, the firm will continue to offer in-depth market perspective and insight that helps drive growth and innovation in the […]
Education Growth Advisors is now Tyton Partners Since Education Growth Advisors was established in 2010, we have experienced significant growth. We now have 14 professionals across our two offices in Boston and Stamford (CT), who bring a depth of knowledge and experience and expand all aspects of our investment banking, strategy consulting and operations capabilities. […]
Leading Education Investment Banking and Strategy Consulting Firm Expands to Serve the Global Knowledge Sector.
The online program management space is growing at an estimated 35% annual rate and is expected to be a $1.5+ billion domestic market in 2015. The OPM space consists primarily of outsourced higher education service providers that enable online education. However, these providers have essentially become comprehensive contract manufacturers for higher education institutions, delivering services […]
Stakes are higher than ever in today’s K–12 assessment environment.
In a classroom at Wheatley Education Campus in Washington, D.C., a pair of representatives from Discovery Education are chatting with Shannon Brown, a middle school math and social studies teacher, about a field trip her students will take to Discovery Communications’ headquarters the next day. “They’ve been talking about it all week,” Brown tells them. […]
We hope you had a productive 2014, and that 2015 offers an even more rewarding trajectory for you and your organization. Since launching our firm in June 2010, we have been infrequent communicators regarding the scope and success of our team’s efforts. Our New Year’s resolution is to change that, and we’re excited to share […]
For-profit, early-stage investment in the postsecondary education ecosystem more than tripled from 2010 to 2013, and investments through October 2014 suggest continued growth in the amount of capital flowing into postsecondary-oriented businesses. Capital flow increases since 2010 are largely driven by increased volume in seed and early-stage venture capital investment. The Education Delivery and Software/Services […]
Pressure is mounting in the postsecondary education ecosystem to improve the quality of teaching and learning, while increasing accessibility and affordability for students. Digital courseware has the potential to alleviate the pressures building through the delivery of scalable, personalized instruction; however, the category as a whole has not delivered on its promise. Our summer 2014 […]
Boston, MA – Through a new partnership between Cengage Learning, a leading education company, and Pathbrite, the world’s leading Portfolio Learning Platform, students will have access to Pathbrite’s best-in-class e-portfolio in Cengage Learning’s course solutions. The addition of an e-portfolio to MindTap’s high quality course content differentiates it as the only truly comprehensive student centric […]
Salt Lake City, UT – Datamark, the leader in data-driven enrollment marketing, today announced it has acquired the technology assets of Altius Education, including its competency-based online learning platform, Helix, as well as its enrollment management and student retention platforms. An investment group led by Oakleigh Thorne, current Chairman of the Board of Datamark and […]
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — Camden Partners Holdings, LLC is pleased to announce that Calvert Education Services (CES), a portfolio company in Camden Partners Strategic Fund IV acquired VSCHOOLZ, Inc., a Huizenga Education Company, to strengthen their digital presence in the K-12 market. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In response to the rapidly evolving […]
Among the innovations sweeping across the higher education landscape, adaptive learning may remain one of the least understood and most misrepresented. At the same time, few “true” adaptive learning solutions have achieved meaningful scale of institutional adoption. However, given the challenges facing higher education institutions today and the profound rethinking of their missions and models […]
Adaptive learning is a more personalized, technology-enabled, and data-driven approach to learning that has the potential to deepen student engagement with learning materials, customize students’ pathways through curriculum, and permit instructors to use class time in more focused and productive ways. Adaptive learning aims to make a significant contribution to improving retention, measuring student learning, […]
