Welcome to the Press Room
EdisonLearning™
Acquires
Provost Systems®, Inc.
Technology acquisition plus innovative school design transform education
company
NEW YORK AND SANTA CLARA, CALIF., July 1, 2008 --- Company President
and CEO Terry Stecz, announced the acquisition of the education software
company Provost Systems®, based in Santa
Clara, Calif. With
this action, the education management company, formally known as Edison
Schools, extends its client base serving over 350,000 children in 21 states and
the United Kingdom and inaugurates a new company approach to teaching and
learning for all children.
The technology purchase comes after a two-year, full-scale strategic and
operational transformation of the education management company. “This purchase
is the first in a series of acquisitions and partnerships that will lead to a
portfolio of the most comprehensive online achievement management solutions to
improve learning for all children,” said Stecz, CEO of the company since
January, 2007. “The acquisition and our new school design led to the
re-invention of the company as EdisonLearning™,” said Stecz.
“There is no single solution to addressing the diverse learning needs of all
K-12 student populations across all demographics and public educators demand a
range of products and services to meet their needs. With the addition of
Provost Systems, EdisonLearning combines its 17 years of experience and core
competencies in teaching and learning with a fully integrated online and
web-based technology solution that can dramatically achieve universal student
access to a genuine, individualized learning experience,” continued Stecz. The
acquisition also builds upon the company’s strategy of offering school designs
and achievement services to a broader array of clients.
Provost Systems President, Anthony Kim – who founded the company in 2000 in Santa Clara, Calif.
– said his firm’s acquisition by EdisonLearning will benefit schools and
students. “School districts can now have a working partner that will help them
integrate technology so they can optimize their own learning environments and
empower their teachers and students,” he said. “Provost Systems’ capabilities
will help EdisonLearning expand its already robust legacy of using customized
learning tools to individually tailor lessons to students in meaningful and
motivating ways.”
Provost Systems provides a proven and comprehensive user-friendly solution for
management of day-to-day administrative and academic operations in today’s
quick-paced online environment. Their integrated suite of software includes a
student information system, benchmarking and standards alignment systems, and a
student
and family portal to allow students to access courses and academic records.
Provost Systems also has a unique model for curriculum which will allow it to
be used in multiple learning environments, from a fully online school to a
hybrid instructional environment and can be customized for individualized
extended learning opportunities. “Through this new capacity we can now maximize
learning for each and every child,” said Ray Rozycki, Chief Academic Officer of
Provost Systems.
EdisonLearning also announced the formal launch of The EdisonLearning
Institute™, the company’s research and development arm headed by Dr. John
Chubb, who serves as its Managing Director. The EdisonLearning Institute will
be responsible for developing research-based, customizable school designs that
focus on improving the quality of instruction and creation of high achievement
school cultures. The Edison Learning Institute will deploy an open innovation
strategy for identifying and vetting new concepts with educators, researchers,
foundations and governments, both in the U.S. and globally.
The EdisonLearning Institute’s most important priority is the creation of a new
whole school design. The new school design is defined by four cornerstones: top
talent; culture of engagement and aspiration; demanding content and customized
instruction; and achievement-driven management. “The new school design builds
on our proven experience driving academic results in the classroom for
thousands of children, most of whom are
the most economically disadvantaged in America. In partnership with public
educators, we are providing
superior educational value and cost-effective solutions. With The
EdisonLearning Institute, we are greatly strengthening our capacity to deliver
a greater number of research-driven solutions for our current and new online
clients with improved efficiency and effectiveness,” said Stecz.
Beta sites throughout the country are new distinctive venues to accommodate
curriculum advances like My
Learning Labs, where the classroom content remains the focus, but activities
and lessons are chosen and
tailored to take advantage of the instructional venue, and new Library Media
Centers that uphold the tradition of the library as a place for engaged
learning where students can pursue their curiosity, interests, and passions.
Here, the Library Media Specialist collaboratively supports classroom learning
by providing quality resources and strategies for using information and
technology within the context of classroom content.
“Too many students are being taught in classes very much like the ones their
parents and even grandparents attended, not benefiting fully from new research,
technology and advances in education. Today, we can provide Internet-based
solutions that will accelerate the learning curve for all children and connect
them in new and engaging ways with their teachers and communities.” Stecz said.
“It’s important that we work in partnership with
public educators to use path-breaking technology and ideas to open the
classroom to the world and accelerate learning for the 21st Century, not only
for those who can afford it, but for all children.”
“The acquisition of Provost signifies a great accomplishment,” said Stecz. “It
represents an important next step as we move deliberately to ensure that
EdisonLearning continues its powerful legacy and proud tradition of educational
leadership. It also fulfills an important promise to our clients, to our
investors and to ourselves – to be the preeminent partner in providing
innovative achievement management solutions that deliver superior learning
outcomes for all children”.
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EdisonLearning is the nation’s leading public school innovator and partner for
school districts and charter
schools in the U.S and the U.K.
We work with school administrators, teachers, and parents to provide learning
solutions that drive achievement and improve educational outcomes.
Our School Design is our company’s business and innovation core. We offer an
expanding portfolio of products in Achievement Services (Alliance), Extended Education (Learning
Force) and now in the online space (Provost Systems), with individualized
web-based learning applications that truly prepare students for college and a
future in the 21st century workplace. At EdisonLearning, we believe that every
child can learn.
Media Contacts:
Michael Serpe
EdisonLearning
mserpe@edisonschools.com
(212) 419-1744
Kelly Rohrs
Edelman
kelly.rohrs@edelman.com
(212) 819-4852