Are K-12 Curriculum Tools a Smart Investment? What Investors and Our Data Say

“Curriculum is becoming commoditized.” So says Jason Palmer, a general partner at New Markets Venture Partners. And he’s not alone. In conversations with edtech investors, some reported that the K-12 market has seen an influx of instructional content, particularly in the form of open educational resources (OERs). That can give them pause when it comes to investing in propriety K-12 curriculum products.The increasing availability, accessibility and quality of OER materials offer districts the opportunity to move away from textbook publishers and develop their own curriculum. OERs are openly-licensed educational materials that can be downloaded, modified and shared with others to help support student learning. Some are even free. The trend has won admirers in the upper echelon of the education system as well. Through the #GoOpen initiative, launched in 2015, the U.S. Department of Education has encouraged K-12 school districts to use OERs in the classroom, and free up funds typically spent on textbooks for other much-needed resources. With OERs, educators can become curriculum makers. Many tools give teachers the flexibility to customize lesson plans for their students by pulling in up-to-date content and activities, without waiting for the latest textbook versions to hit the market.