Michelle Caffrey

In this interactive polling session, attendees will get a window into the markets that their industry peers are looking to expand to next – and why. We’ll ask about the biggest state markets and others that draw intrigue by virtue of their growing student populations or other characteristics. And we’ll ask about the opportunities education companies see outside the United States. At a glance, China’s education sector appears to have lost some luster recently. Which global markets have become more attractive and will draw investments from providers working in curriculum, assessment, ed-tech, PD, SEL, and other areas?

Many education companies count on venture capital to fuel growth innovation. But with the once-mighty flow of venture funding having slowed, company leaders are likely to face increasingly tough questions from funders about how their products will solve the practical challenges facing teachers, administrators and students in equitable ways. They’ll also face questions about how their missions align with longstanding district interests in addressing academic and social-emotional needs across their enormously diverse communities. In this interactive discussion, Dr. Vanessa Monterosa, a senior associate partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, draws from her experience supporting equity-focused venture leaders and designing an investment process that leverages educator voices. She’ll also draw on her experiences as a key district influencer: Dr. Monterosa is a former LAUSD administrator who designed and led districtwide digital citizenship strategy and other ed-tech initiatives in the nation’s second-largest school system. Participants will: • Get first-hand perspective on the types of vision and messaging that resonate with a mission-focused funder • Understand trends and patterns that shape social impact funding • Learn how to prove to potential funders that your company has thought about practical questions for implementing your vision in schools

Over the course of just a few years, education companies’ workplaces have been transformed. Many employees now expect to be allowed to work mostly remotely – and many employers have sought to accommodate their desires. But for education organizations, new workplace flexibility creates a new set of challenges. How can education companies create a coherent, mission-focused organizational culture in an environment in which most of employees’ contact with each other is via a computer screen? Education companies also face questions about how quickly they should ask workers to return to the office – if at all – and about whether job flexibility has become a requirement for acquiring talent. In this panel, we talk to education company officials about the new normal, and how they’re trying to nurture and maintain environments that serve both their organizations’ missions and employees’ needs.