Can This Be the K-12 Edtech Marketplace That Finally Succeeds?

In 2012, First Book, a nonprofit that provides affordable learning materials to kids in need, approached the publishers of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and asked: Can you make a bilingual version of the popular children’s book? At the time, the publisher sold English and Spanish versions separately. As part of its pitch, First Book made an offer that the publisher couldn’t refuse: It promised to buy 30,000 copies of the bilingual version. To date, it has purchased more than 100,000 copies (and the publisher has sold many more in retail stores). That First Book can sway publishers to produce new materials speaks to the growing influence of its community of 430,000 teachers, tutors and social workers who serve students from low-income backgrounds. Founded in 1992, the organization regularly surveys its network about what materials they want and shares this information with publishers.