http://www.eduventures.com The Education Economy Published by Eduventures, Inc. January 8, 2003 No. 135
Editor's Note: We are pleased to announce the upcoming publication of the second edition of The Eduventures 100: Leading Businesses Transforming the Education Economy. This in-depth resource will provide a year-end assessment of leading pre-K-12, postsecondary, and corporate training businesses that demonstrated market leadership in 2002 and that Eduventures expects will continue to drive industry success through 2003. Look for the report later this month at www.eduventures.com <http://www.eduventures.com> . As always, we look forward to your feedback; please direct comments to us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] INDUSTRY FOCUS A Letter from Eduventures President & CEO Thomas D. Dretler Dear Industry Colleagues, As we enter 2003 - a year that many of us expect will continue to be challenging from an economic and geopolitical perspective, I want to share with you our warmest wishes for a happy and healthy new year and some insight into the way in which Eduventures is helping its clients prepare for the challenges and opportunities in the year ahead. In 2003, we believe organizations will face similar challenges to those faced in 2002 – restricted budgets, long sales cycles, management turnover, turbulent capital markets, and industry consolidation. However, we believe firmly that growth opportunities in 2003 are great for those organizations that can improve efficiencies, maintain their customer or enrollment base, and develop strategies to take advantage of the myriad opportunities available in this rapidly evolving market. Eduventures is a research and advisory firm dedicated to supporting the growth of organizations operating in the K-12, higher education, and corporate learning markets. Our mission is to improve education by helping organizations in this market achieve their goals. We serve education businesses, technology vendors, financial firms, educational institutions, and service organizations committed to improving learning outcomes around the world. We offer our clients an annualized relationship that produces measurable business results. The relationship takes the form of a research services subscription that is supported by a suite of research products. The service provides our client organizations with direct, hands-on support from Eduventures in developing strategy, testing assumptions, and identifying opportunities for growth. The research products provide data and insight in four key areas: 1) market definition and forecasts; 2) competitive assessments; 3) M&A alerts and analysis; and 4) customer data. As a supplement to our research packages, Eduventures offers advisory services that allow for the production of more customized and proprietary client deliverables. Hundreds of Eduventures’ clients have commissioned projects ranging from strategic plan development to in-depth customer surveys to identifying acquisition opportunities to custom research. All projects are confidential and staffed by best-in-class analysts who have a unique understanding of the market and our clients’ needs. Eduventures also provides – through our partnership with Reed Exhibition Companies – conferences that connect vendors and educational institutions in meaningful ways that allow for incisive industry discussion and opportunities to transact business. We believe that now, more than ever, organizations in education markets need an ongoing resource that can support the development and execution of organizational strategies that will allow them to grow and prosper during these uncertain economic times. Through our research and advisory practices and industry events, Eduventures strives to be that resource.
From our corporate family to yours, we wish for you a happy, healthy, and
prosperous 2003, and we look forward to serving you in the year ahead. Sincerely, Thomas D. Dretler President & CEO Eduventures, Inc. INDUSTRY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS: December 16, 2002 - January 3, 2003 Compiled by Kristen Holmstrand <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For a complete list of headlines and summaries of key stories, please visit our Daily Newswire <http://www.eduventures.com/news/latest_headlines.cfm> at http://www.eduventures.com/news/latest_headlines.cfm. M&A / FINANCING [Pre-K-12] Alacritude, LLC Raises $3.1 Million in Series A Financing http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021227/cgf001_1.html Sale of Houghton Mifflin Completed http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021231/312026_1.html ProQuest Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Bigchalk http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021218/dew035_1.html Courier Announces Sale of Courier Custom Publishing http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021217/172410_1.html [Postsecondary] Corinthian Colleges Completes Acquisition of Learning Tree University, Inc.'s Assets http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030102/lath040_1.html Career Education Closes Five-Year $200 Million Credit Facility http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021219/192451_1.html Kaplan Higher Education Acquires RETS Technical Center http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021217/nytu085_1.html [Corporate & Professional] RoboGroup Expands its E-Learning Operations, and Acquires TrainNet Assets from Mentergy http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021223/nym088_1.html CDI Education Corporation Completes $5.5 Million Financing and Closes $12 Million Banking Agreement http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/021220/cdi_education_financg_1.html Provant Announces the Sale of Businesses http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021215/152010_1.html EARNINGS & OTHER FINANCIAL NEWS [Pre-K-12] Edison Schools Reports Significant Improvement in Year-End Cash Position http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030103/nyf057_1.html [Postsecondary] Virtual Academics to Change Name to Cenuco http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030102/flth002_1.html PARTNERSHIPS [Postsecondary] ELearning Dynamics and Wake Forest University Announce Classroom Technology Partnership http://www.elearningdynamics.com/ [Corporate & Professional] Plateau Systems and DigitalThink Partner to Provide E-Learning Solution http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021219/sfth004_1.html NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES [Postsecondary] Aplia Expands Product Line, Broadens Role as New-Generation Educational Publishing Company http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030103/sff012_1.html [Corporate & Professional] ATG Powers Harvard Business School Publishing with Online Initiatives http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021216/162091_1.html CONTRACTS & CUSTOMER WINS [Pre-K-12] The Princeton Review and the School District of Philadelphia Partner to Improve Student Achievement http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021223/nym014_1.html ETeacher Wins Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tender to Operate a Virtual School in Over 60 Countries Worldwide http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021219/lnth011_1.html [Corporate & Professional] THINQ LMS Supports Business Transformation at the United States Postal Service http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021218/182058_1.html Perrigo Selects Plateau Systems to Manage Worldwide Learning, Enable FDA Compliance http://www.plateau.com POLICY & RESEARCH [Pre-K-12] New Federal School Plan Flawed, Report Says http://www.stateline.org/story.do?storyId=279526 More Schools Rely on Tests, But Study Raises Doubts http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/28/education/28EXAM.html SRI Study Indicates Usefulness of Handheld Computers for Scientific Inquiry-Based Learning http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021217/sftu035_1.html [Postsecondary] Bush Administration's Proposals for Higher Education Act Include Performance-Based Grants http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/12/2002122001n.htm College Groups Challenge Copyright Office on Exceptions to Digital-Copyright Law http://chronicle.com/free/2002/12/2002122001t.htm MARKET TRENDS [Pre-K-12] Big Teacher Gap Now Filling In http://www.christiansciencemonitor.com/2002/1226/p01s01-ussc.html [Postsecondary] Another Bleak Budget Year for Higher Education http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i17/17a02101.htm New Baby Boom Swamps Colleges http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030102/4746299s.htm [Corporate & Professional] Costs Negate E-Learning ROI http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/roi/story/0,10801,77008,00.htm l Moving Beyond the Classroom with Executive Education http://hbsworkingknowledge.hbs.edu/pubitem.jhtml?id=3217&sid=0&pid=0&t=innov ation _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
