Voice from the Industry. Stepping Up for Students Who Need Our Help Tim McHugh, Co-owner, Saddleback Educational Publishing — Friday, April 25, 2014 Last week, the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights released parts of an ongoing study discussing longstanding inequities in American schools that leave minority students and students with disabilities at a disadvantage.
The report shines a new light on an issue that many studies and testimonials have already told us— that students of color get less than their fair share of access to the in-school resources that matter for achievement. What is the role of companies in our industry? Read More » Have You Jumped on the Metadata Bandwagon? Dave Gladney, Director of Communications Technology/LRMI Project Manager, Association of American Publishers PreK-12 Learning Group — Friday, April 04, 2014 There is growing evidence regarding how mainstream metadata conversations have become. Technology Tools and Success: Involving the End User in the Decision-Making Process A. In the News: Tablets and Apps in K-12…And What This Means for App Developers. In the News: Tablets and Apps in K-12…And What This Means for App Developers Pegeen Wright, President, Pegeen Wright Associates — Friday, August 02, 2013 News Highlights From the Past Three Months Apple Awarded $30 Million iPad Deal From LA Unified School DistrictAmplify Announces One of the Largest Tablet Deployments in K-12 EducationMicrosoft will give 10,000 Surface tablets to educators attending ISTE With Google Play For Education, Google Looks To Challenge Apple’s Dominance In The ClassroomEducational Resources is releasing the LearnPad tablet solution to the US market.MonkeyTab's New Tablet for Education Tablet Shipments into the U.S.
Education Sector Expanded by 103% in 2012 Have you seen the news today? Apple’s iPad is clearly the dominant tablet in K-12. The Impact of Common Core and College and Career Readiness on a District’s Digital Decisions. Tom Schenck, President and COO, Follett School Solutions — Friday, September 06, 2013 Common Core is here.
So is the need to increase students’ readiness for the future. As a result, the discussion about the need to adopt and prepare has now shifted to the need to implement and measure. Districts across the country are implementing (or attempting to implement) these higher learning objectives. Capturing Top Sales Talent Quickly Is Essential to Your Revenue Growth. Lisa Sacchetti, CPC, President, The Renaissance Network, Inc. — Friday, January 10, 2014 In the competitive Education and Technology market, successful sales executives are busy building pipeline, closing deals and, ideally, capturing market share away from their competitors.
To hire these kinds of candidates, organizations must have a streamlined interview process in place—one that can capture top performers quickly. Follow these six (6) steps to capture the best candidate: Have a clear understanding of the position for which you are hiring prior to interviewing. By doing so, you can evaluate candidates for the specific skill set, cognitive ability, and behavioral traits necessary to perform successfully. The ideal hiring process should take no longer than 15 days, from the day a hiring manager receives a resume and conducts a phone interview to the day the candidate returns a signed offer letter. Paying Attention to What’s Going on Beyond the K-12 Market Buzz: Don’t Get Blindsided! Robin Warner, Managing Director, DeSilva+Phillips Investment Bank — Friday, January 31, 2014 Today’s education executives and educators have Herculean jobs in a sector that is constantly changing to meet new mandates and adjust to the digital world.
I represent education and book publishing businesses in the sale of their companies, so I am speaking with people in these sectors almost 24/7 and have gleaned some critical insights. Where is the buzz? What are the areas of focus in K-12 in 2014? I could write several articles on these questions alone. Voice from the Field. 10 Biggest Barriers to Mobile Technology Adoption Travis Allen, President and CEO, iSchool Initiative — Friday, March 28, 2014 For the past five years I have watched schools move toward mobile technology and have seen a consistent top 10 barriers to mobile technology adoption: Lack of vision and leadership “We don’t have money” Curriculum hasn’t changed Technology is only supplementing what was already there Technology infrastructure Culture of the teachers, the administrators, and the students Parent and community culture Takes too long for change Assessment Buying tablets and not a learning solution Read More » Five Critical Ingredients for Supporting Technology-Enhanced Learning Initiatives Scott Kinney, Senior Vice President, Discovery Education — Friday, March 14, 2014 Progressive education leaders are now creating comprehensive learning initiatives in which technology is a component of a larger systemic shift directed toward improving student outcomes.
Read More » Agile Education Marketing. Throughout the year, schools generally go through several steps in the evaluation and buying cycle.
First they determine their needs, then they seek solutions and request information, and finally they review alternatives and select a product for purchase. Ongoing marketing is needed at every stage, but knowing the key points along the way can help you refine your marketing and sales strategy and maximize your opportunities. Schools and districts in the U.S. generally operate on a July 1-June 30 fiscal year, with one exception—school libraries, which use a calendar fiscal year.
They must consider the regulations attached to state, federal, and local funds, and those regulations generally involve timing.
K-12 Sales: From Pilot to Adoption. A Proven Process Turns Pilots into Adoptions Let's set the scenario before we get going.
Let’s assume you're a manager for a company that sells instructional materials or educational software. A Really Special K-12 Sales Opportunity! Are you looking for new opportunities to drive more business with K-12 district administrators?
Here's an alert about something special for you to consider. The time may be ripe for you to change your mind about special education. Why? Because, frankly, it may not be as special as it used to be and not considering a strategic response to the trends could put your sales plans at risk. Different Minds. New Sales Trends for Professional Development Services. Our HOT NEWS column this month is timely, given our recent coverage of the shift in our market from a product-centric model to more reliance on revenue and profits from the sales of services to educators.
I encourage you to listen to STS Radio to hear opinions and advice from experts on how you can benefit from this trend. Data and analysis supplied by Bob Resnick of EMR (Education Market Research) about the market opportunity for PD (professional development) points to hot topics and areas of need that educators ranked as part of the Spring 2012 National Survey of Professional Development Trends. Common Core State Standards Are the Core of PD Priorities In terms of key district professional development goals for this year, there was a fair amount of consensus that professional development designed for “teachers” was the best fit with current specific needs.
Clearly, interest in Common Core State Standards is way up, along with a continued emphasis on Core Curriculum Areas. The ELL Market – Is It an Opportunity to Boost Your School Sales? Who Are ELLs? Should They Be Part of Your K-12 Education Marketing Strategy? ELLs are a fast-growing student population in schools across the country. From the 1993-1994 through the 2003-2004 school years, 45 of the 51 states (including the District of Columbia) experienced increases in ELL enrollment.
In fact, almost half the states had triple-digit ELL growth rates (over 100 percent) in that time-frame. Several of the states with unprecedented recent ELL growth—North Carolina and Georgia, for example—have never had any significant number of ELLs before in their states and districts. How to Make Strategic Partnerships Work: Seven Education-Market Success Factors. Do You Need Distribution Clout, School Sales Savvy, or Education Marketing Expertise?
The core reason that many managers are looking for partners is a general bucket called “distribution.” But, in fact, not many senior managers in our industry are looking for a distributor, at least by the classic definition. Distributors specialize in operations: things like inventory management, delivery systems, and handling a high volume of transactions. How to Sell Your Annual Renewal Service to Schools. A pioneer in the area of subscription-based software services for schools, Dan Meyer, CEO of Atomic Learning, offered his perspective on how to sell and market a service to schools that depends on annual renewals: a licensing strategy and growing trend in the education market. Q. Dan, Atomic Learning provides video tutorials (for popular software applications) and sells to schools by subscription. Your company is a pioneer in the subscription-pricing model.
Tips for Successful Software Demos in Schools. Technology in Schools May Not Be What You Expect When your school sales team is asked to demonstrate software or an Internet program to educators, did you ever wonder why their eyeballs roll? It's like a teenager being told that the preacher’s kid would be a great prom date! New Federal Funding Flexibility Means Sales Opportunities Now. Selling to Schools Tip: Educate Your Prospects About Changes to Federal Policies Here’s an update to my article titled “How to Find Treasure in Education Niche Markets” which you’ll find on SellingToSchools.com. When Secretary of Education Arne Duncan took office, he promised expanded guidance for Title I and IDEA federal funds. Education Sales Forecasting: How to Use Your CRM to Deliver Revenue During Tough Economic Times.
Seven Ways to Build Rapport with School Administrators. School Sales Success Depends on the Relationship Fit Everyone who works in the school market agrees that educators are more relational than other professionals. New Ways for K-12 School Administrators to Hear Your Message. Education Marketing Advice and School Marketing Best Practices. How to Get a Meeting with District Administrators. What You Need To Know About Selling Services to School Administrators: Part Two. Part Two: Tapping the Future: Creating Your New Value Proposition Four Characteristics Distinguish Selling Services from Selling Products. What You Need To Know About Selling Services to School Administrators. Seven Strategies for Reaching School Decision Makers. School Sales Strategies. Fast Facts and Stats: PreK-12 U.S. Education Market eBook. The Expert's Guide to the K12 School Market.