Optimizing Ed Tech for an Expanded Definition of Student Success

By Justin Wedell, Associate Partner

The expanded definition of student success is having a moment. For those seeking to support social emotional learning and cultivate a more positive school culture and climate, there are more frameworks, workshops, and providers to choose from than ever before, as well as an ever-increasing pool of funding to fuel the demand. On NewSchools’ Ed Tech team, we’re interested in better understanding and shaping the role of ed tech within this context. That’s why we focused our 2019 investment strategy on ventures developing technology-enabled products to support an expanded definition of student success.

After extensive market research and the launch of our most competitive investment challenge to-date, we selected 11 ventures to fund and support in their efforts to develop engaging, enriching and research-based products. We’re learning a lot throughout this process, which we’re excited to share to support the efforts of those educators, funders, and innovators committed to the space. Below, I’ve highlighted two resources we are releasing today that we hope will help guide the field.

• Optimizing Ed Tech for an Expanded Definition of Student Success: A Research Review for Ed Tech Developers. Research on ed tech’s specific role in supporting an expanded definition of student success currently lags behind the interest and demand from the PreK-12 marketplace. However, there is significant relevant research about social emotional development and school climate and culture that is applicable to the design of ed tech tools. To this end, we partnered with MBZ Labs to review and synthesize the lessons from more than 100 publications into six actionable levers that ed tech developers can use to support research-aligned product development. This is an excellent resource for developers seeking to enhance their products, as well as for both funders and purchasers looking to better understand what they should screen for when selecting new products.
• Expanded Definition of Student Success Ed Tech Challenge — Reflections on the Applicant Pool. NewSchools’ Expanded Definition of Student Success Ed Tech Challenge was our most competitive to-date, yielding 192 applicants. This analysis offers a holistic perspective on the unique approaches, challenges, and opportunities of the current landscape of ed tech solutions supporting an expanded definition of student success. For funders and purchasers, this resource provides a detailed overview of the state of the entrepreneurial field and the options available. For ed tech innovators, it offers a window into the challenges and opportunities of this nascent space.

These resources are not the final word on our efforts to explore the role of ed tech in an expanded definition of student success. Rather, we consider them to be part of a broader portfolio of insights to which we will continue adding. We look forward to continuing this work and supporting an ed tech ecosystem committed to enhancing positive outcomes and opportunities of all children.