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Key players in the changing business of education.

Key players in the changing business of education.

The business of education is booming. With more than US$600 billion in public and private money up for grabs each year, the education market is crowded with innovators trying to cash in. While K-12 remains the biggest sector - worth $310 billion this year - the recent emphasis on lifelong learning is creating new niches and expanding old ones. These are some of the more interesting and significant players in the evolving education marketplace.

SATELLITE $151.4 million Source: Simba Information

TUTORING $37.5 billion Source: Salomon Smith Barney

BOOKS $7.4 billion Source: Simba Information

ADMIN $1 billion Source: Salomon Smith Barney

SOFTWARE $683.1 million Source: Simba Information

INTERNET $63.8 million Source: Simba Information

TRAINING $59 billion Source: Montgomery Securities

  • DigitalThink
  • PensarÉ
  • [Productivity Point International 2. MindQ Publishing3. Knowledge University 4. TEC Worldwide](https://more-deals.info/wired/archive/6.09/#ppi)%3C/li%3E%3C/ul%3E%3Cp class="paywall">TOYS Less than $1 billion Source: Salomon Smith Barney

    TELEVISION Not available

    __MindQ Publishing __
    Java academy
    Used in 223 corporations
    MindQ must be doing something right - its corporate clients have included Sun, IBM, Microsoft, Asymetrix, and Borland. Its highly interactive Developer Training for Java modules teach Java programming skills and let developers learn at their own pace. Knowledge Universe

    __Channel One __
    Commercials in class
    8.1 million students
    For the privilege of showing ads to kids, Channel One provides satellite links, TVs, and 12-minute newscasts. A recent study found that Channel One students were more likely than most to agree that they want what they see advertised and that designer labels are important.

    Computer Curriculum Corporation
    Software leviathan
    2 million students
    The largest K-12 software provider, CCC's 50 titles allow teachers to monitor individual needs and track class progress. The company's latest offering, EdMAP, is a collaborative system for managing school lesson plans.
    Addison Wesley Longman/Simon & Schuster

    __ Pearson __
    Publishing powerhouse
    $3.8 billion in 1997 sales
    If bigger is better, Pearson is as good as it gets. The British company, which also owns the Financial Times and Penguin Books, acquired Simon & Schuster's education divisions from Viacom for $3.6 billion. That acquisition, in combination with its own Addison Wesley Longman, makes Pearson the world's biggest educational publisher.

    __ Addison Wesley Longman/Simon & Schuster __
    Big bucks from books
    $1.8 billion combined 1997 revenues
    Although Pearson has not yet announced a name for its combined educational publishing businesses, the new company's imprints include Silver Burdett Ginn, Prentice Hall School, and Scott Foresman.
    Pearson

__ Knowledge Universe __
Branding blitz
Private company; annual revenues exceed $1 billion
Knowledge Universe wants to become a cradle-to-grave educational brand. Cofounded by Oracle bossLarry Ellison and former junk-bond king Michael Milken, KU views the education market - from preschool to retirees - as a continuum. On an acquisition rampage, Knowledge Universe has picked up a range of companies estimated to be worth $4 to $6 billion.

__ Children's Discovery Centers of America __
Wholesome kiddie care
20,000 students
Children's Discovery Centers focus on "whole child" development, emphasizing cognitive, social, physical, and creative development. They also teach language skills and logical thinking. Knowledge Universe

__ Knowledge University __
Virtual vo-tech
Not yet launched
The exact launch date is still hush-hush, but Knowledge University will be an online post-secondary school offering "degree, certificate, and continuing-education programs to corporations and individuals." Distance learning will be an essential part of the company's strategy. Knowledge Universe

__ TEC Worldwide __
Schooling the boss
5,000 member CEOs
TEC (The Executive Committee) helps CEOs work more effectively by making it less lonely at the top. The company organizes 340 peer advisory groups nationwide, through which members can exchange ideas, war stories, and management strategies. Knowledge Universe

__ LeapFrog __
Phonics fun
$50 million projected
1998 retail sales
Designed with help from Stanford education professor Robert Calfee, LeapFrog's toys show children the shapes, sounds, and pronunciation of letters and words. LeapFrog's newest toy, Hug & Learn Little Leap, teaches reading, phonics, and manners. Knowledge Universe

__ Blue's clues __
Kermit crusher
5 million weekly viewers
Despite cable's limited reach, Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues out-Nielsens both Barney and Sesame Street. The show teaches cooperation, cause and effect, and problem solving. Best of all, Blue's Clues kids outperform nonviewers in standardized tests.

__ PensarÉ __
MUDs for management
16,000 users
Pensaré's most innovative courses co-opt an addictive gaming genre - MUDs - for corporate role-playing. Employees are trained while they create usable work, and Pensaré catalogs the knowledge they acquire in an "institutional memory" database.

__ Productivity Point International __
Teaching infotech
1 million students
PPI recommends the software needed to bring a company into the information age, then teaches employees how to use it. Training happens at one of PPI's 133 centers, or through distance-learning programs.

__ MaMaMedia __
Portal for pupils
90,000 registered users
MaMaMedia aims to be the portal of choice for children under 12. To that end it focuses on the three Xs: eXploration, eXpression, and eXchange. Started by MIT Media Lab grads, MaMaMedia's site features parent-approved content and links.

__ DigitalThink __
Cyber school
30,000 students
More focused on corporate training than continuing-ed programs like the University of Phoenix, DigitalThink's Web-based courses range from computer programming to wine appreciation. The company offers interactive quizzes, live chat sessions, and personal tutoring via email.

__ Lucas Learning __
Yoda for young minds
Launching fall 1998
Shamelessly leveraging the Star Wars brand to reach 10- to 14-year-olds, Lucas Learning's first title, Star Wars DroidWorks, puts students on the floor of a robot factory to teach them the principles of energy, light, magnetism, motion, and, of course, force.

__ The Learning Company & Brøderbund __
Myst meets MayaQuest
20 million registered users
The education sector is not immune to mergermania, as this summer marriage proved. Brøderbund's edutainment line - including Carmen San Diego, Riven, and Myst - combined with TLC learning products such as MayaQuest make this a duo to watch.

__ The Edison Project __
Chain of controversy
23,000 students
Founded by Chris Whittle - creator of Channel One - the Edison Project hopes to make a profit running K-12 public schools. Progress has lagged behind ambitious goals, but Edison offers a Technology as a Second Language curriculum, longer school days, and customized assessment.

__ Score! __
Personal coaching
20,000 students
Owned by test-prep guru Kaplan Educational Centers, Score! is based on a sports model that includes academic coaches, computer-based tutoring, and learning through positive experiences. Los Angeles selected Score! to run programs at 25 public schools.

__ Educational Management Group __
Virtual voyages
Used in 4,200 schools
EMG feasts on K-12 tech budgets: For about $30,000, it sets schools up with a live, televised satellite link to globe-trotting camera crews. Students interact with the crews through classroom speakerphones.
Addison Wesley Longman/Simon & Schuster