K-12 Dealmaking: PowerSchool Acquires Behavioral Management System; ETS Takes Majority Stake in Kira Talent
PowerSchool, a provider of student information systems and other products, is making an acquisition designed to expand its information database to include measurements of student behavior and social-emotional well-being.
The company says it plans to acquire Kickboard, a K-12 solution for behavioral management.
“By combining Kickboard’s behavior management solutions for K-12 education, we’re taking an important step to providing real, comprehensive insights that give educators a complete view of the whole student,” said PowerSchool CEO Hardeep Gulati in a statement.
The merger will allow teachers using PowerSchool to track student social-emotional well-being along with student performance, attendance, and other data mechanisms.
Kickboard, which launched in 2009, uses its software to track issues relating to chronic absenteeism, family engagement, and academic needs.
This is PowerSchool’s 13th acquisition in five years.
Education testing organization acquires a majority stake in Kira Talent. ETS, a major provider of educational testing and assessment development services, has acquired a majority stake in the Toronto-based, holistic admissions system Kira Talent.
“Kira Talent’s offerings will serve as a well-suited addition to our Global Higher Education portfolio for which a sharp, intentional focus on holistic admissions has always been at the forefront,” said ETS Associate Vice President of Global Higher Education Alberto Acereda, in a statement published by PR Newswire.
Kira Talent, which began in 2012, will operate as a subsidiary of ETS and thus maintain its CEO and staff. The company will continue to develop its education admissions solutions, which include a new suite of assessment products and expanding its interview platform.
Nairobi, Kenya-based startup closes a funding round. Craydel, an education consultancy platform, raised $1 million in a round led by Enza Capital, which also saw participation from Future of Learning Fund, BriteGaze, Bisk Ventures, and Tekton Ventures.
“The current student experience in accessing higher education is abysmal. There is no aggregation of choices, and decision-making is influenced by biases and misinformation,” said CEO Manish Sardana in a statement published by TechCrunch. “We are transforming the way students discover, compare, and apply to higher education in Africa.”
The startup, which launched earlier this year, has partnered with 90 universities and vocational colleges across Africa and the world. They currently provide a listing of 3,000 higher education programs.
Correction: The original version of this item misstated ETS’ role in a transaction involving Kira Talent. ETS is acquiring a majority stake in the company.
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