WITHIN REACH? All the money from investors, foundations and other funders has yet to make much of a dent in the systemic challenges in the U.S. K-12 education systems, according to Reach Capital. In its recently published “2016 Edtech Outlook,” the edtech venture firm (and investor in EdSurge) draws on publicly available data to assemble slides that depict the inequities that confront teachers and students today.
Among the challenges: zip code remains a determinant of success, as students in high-income neighborhoods and families are much more likely to have access to educational opportunities and finish college. Bilingual, STEM and special-ed teachers are still in short supply. The slides also highlight a few tools—including some built by Reach’s portfolio companies—and trends that attempt to address these problems. Readers decide: How well do these investments align with the problems?
