Insights & Analysis

Education, K-12, Opinion

Reversing Learning Loss: By District, By School, By Student

There is a unique challenge when it comes to addressing the causes of learning loss for the stakeholders looking to reverse the recent trends identified in the Nation’s Report Card and other assessment reports.

Superintendents are charged with overseeing and managing achievement — as well as budgeting, personnel, and a whole host of administrative responsibilities. But ask superintendents what motivates their day-to-day career objectives and they will tell you about the students they see in each and every building within their district. They know them by name. They can probably tell you who their teachers are. They are sources of both pride and legitimate concern. They are, after all, real people…not merely data points on a spreadsheet.

What’s required now is a truly collaborative and cooperative effort to stop learning loss in its tracks, reverse declining assessment scores in reading, mathematics and other subjects, and get student achievement back to pre-pandemic levels and beyond.

Fiscal Health, K-12, Opinion, Uncategorized

Better Data Makes Better Budgets

As we enter budgeting season, finance directors, superintendents and other administrators are facing dilemmas and difficult decisions. Whether trying to prioritize the allocation of stimulus or other surplus funds, or processing the challenging demands of budget cuts, it’s decision time.

The problem we see is many administrators are forced to make difficult decisions with limited data and incomplete information. As we will illustrate, placing unnecessary blinders on your budgeting can lead to incorrect conclusions and potentially misplaced allocations of resources.

Education, K-12, Webinars

Watch Webinar Replay: School Transparency Reporting Made Easy

31a “At-Risk” Reporting Made Easy — in Minutes, not Hours!

The 31a “At-Risk” reporting process can be daunting. Districts frequently use handwritten forms, spreadsheets or Google sheets to collect the information and involve several personnel across the district — principals, secretaries, counselors, social workers, and teachers — to manually identify students who meet at least one of the 13 eligibility criteria and/or which programs and services these students are receiving. And this process must be done at least three times per year! This requires several hours of time from individuals, let alone cumulatively across the district it can require hundreds of hours.

Watch the replay of our recent Webinar to learn how the Munetix 31a Toolkit automates the eligibility, programs, and services reporting processes so entire process can be done in minutes — not hours!

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Education, K-12, Opinion

How to Align Curriculum and Student Achievement Data to Achieve True Equity in Education

As Michigan curriculum professionals, educators and assessment administrators gather for the annual Michigan School Testing Conference (MSTC), achievement data and equity in education are back in the spotlight. Learn how curriculum can combine with power of academic performance analytics to improve assessment scores, close achievement gaps, and foster equity in education.

Education, K-12, Opinion

How Will New Mexico “Move the Needle” in Student Achievement?

The NAMSBO Winter Conference may serve as an early report card on New Mexico’s Public Education Department initiative to “Move the Needle.”

Along with a proposed $4.3 billion support package from the state Public Education Department, lawmakers are mulling several pieces of legislation for the session, including revamping graduation requirements and increasing the amount of time students spend in school.

Those proposals, lawmakers and education officials have said, aim to improve student outcomes and close gaps for “at-risk” students, tackle statewide educator vacancies and better support schools and their leaders.

Fiscal Health, K-12, Opinion, Uncategorized

Ohio School Districts Discovering Better Budgeting Tools

As Ohio school district administrators enter budgeting season, finance directors, superintendents and other administrators are facing dilemmas and difficult decisions. Whether trying to prioritize the allocation of stimulus or other surplus funds, or processing the challenging demands of budget cuts, it’s decision time.

The problem we see is many administrators are forced to make difficult decisions with limited data and incomplete information. As we will illustrate, placing unnecessary blinders on your budgeting can lead to incorrect conclusions and potentially misplaced allocations of resources.

Education, K-12, Opinion

Can Curriculum Alone Improve Assessment Outcomes in Michigan? 

As Michigan curriculum professionals, educators and assessment administrators gather for the annual Michigan School Testing Conference (MSTC), achievement data and equity in education are back in the spotlight. Learn how curriculum can combine with power of academic performance analytics to improve assessment scores, close achievement gaps, and foster equity in education.

Education, Fiscal Health, K-12, Municipal, News, Press Releases

Ginny Norton Joins Munetrix as Chief Executive Officer

Munetrix appoints CEO with track record of growing EdTech SaaS business

Munetrix today announces that Ginny Norton joins the company as Chief Executive Officer. Norton began her position on January 3rd, following a successful tenure at Hatch Early Learning, a leading provider of early learning technology. Munetrix Co-Founder Buzz Brown will remain in a leadership role with the company, moving to its Board of Directors in the capacity of Chairman.

Norton brings a wealth of experience in the K-12 EdTech industry as a business and commercial leader and innovator. Serving most recently as President since 2007, Norton joined Hatch in 1992, launching a career trajectory that included roles as National Sales Director and Vice President of Revenue, a position she led for nearly 10 years before being named President. During her leadership tenure, Norton spearheaded the company’s business model transformation to improve revenue predictability, an initiative that entailed transforming the business model from physical goods distribution to a subscription business model and led the execution of a product innovation strategy that captured 12% market share of the publicly funded early childhood market with 36 months of launch.

Franklin Foster, Partner at Essex Bay Capital, said: “Ginny is an industry-recognized visionary and thought leader. She has a demonstrated track record of driving growth and creating value, and her commercial and product knowledge makes her an ideal partner for Munetrix’s customers. Together with Ginny, we are looking forward to scaling Munetrix organically and through acquisitions. We thank Buzz for leading the company in its growth journey and look forward to partnering with him in as Chairman of the Board.”

“I have spent my entire career focused on how innovation can create a lasting effect on education and student outcomes,” Norton says, “and I am excited to apply those passions and acquired insights to help lead Munetrix forward in its next phase of growth. Munetrix’s shared passion for elevating outcomes for education and local governments customers are obvious and established, and I am excited to embark on this new challenge and advance Munetrix’s mission alongside its talented and committed team.”

Named a Finalist for EdTech Digest’s 2022 “Visionary Leader” Award, Norton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Richmond University, and was a four-year scholarship athlete. She gives back to the EdTech community by serving as a volunteer mentor with Promise Venture Studios.

About Essex Bay Capital

Essex Bay invests in small to mid-sized private companies, partnering with management to accelerate growth. Founded in 2021, the firm targets platform companies of $1-10M EBITDA at close, or $1-10M ARR for SaaS businesses. With 20+ years of investing experience, and 70+ completed acquisitions, the Essex Bay team brings proficiency in building companies organically and through acquisitions to create sustainable value. Learn more at essexbay.com.

Education, K-12, Opinion

Is Your “Check Student” Light On?

The earlier signs of student risk can be discovered, the sooner remediation can begin. The sooner interventive action can be taken, the more likely it is to be effective in reversing course. The easier it is to use, the more users will rely on it. Ultimately, the more children we save, the stronger our communities will be and the more fulfilling and impactful our own careers will become. 

Education, K-12, Opinion

How to Measure Investments in Equity Relative to Student Achievement 

A closer examination of equity and student achievement data reveals some surprising counter-intuition, in places. As will be discussed and presented by John Humphries, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association for Equity in Funding, monetary investments in instructional spending do not always directly correlate with equity in student achievement gains. It is also worth noting discrepancies between per-pupil spending and their intended outcomes regarding staffing levels, classroom size, and quality of education.
Wisconsin Act 89 has made things both easier and more challenging. As educators everywhere place an increasing focus and emphasis on achieving equity and equality in education—working to address historical inequities and increase opportunities for all students—a new challenge has emerged to present an even greater hurdle: not knowing what we don’t know. This is especially critical as stakeholders work together to specifically address the equity piece of equity and equality, as equity should be regarded as a destination, or something demonstrably achievable, as opposed to a mere goal of ambiguous “improvement.”

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