EdCircuit Staff 
Partnership will increase equitable access to high-quality learning technologies, including those that meet the Project Unicorn interoperability requirements
October 11, 2018
Raleigh, NC and Brooklyn, NY―Lea(R)n and Project Unicorn today announced the launch of the Project Unicorn Product Library powered by LearnPlatform, a hub for schools and districts to discover interoperable education technology tools. The partnership between these two edtech leaders will advance their shared mission to increase equitable access to high-quality learning technologies, including through enhanced interoperability, and student data privacy and security. The hub is designed to allow for comprehensive edtech management, informed decision making and increased transparency in purchasing for schools and districts. Learn more by attending a collaboratively-presented webinar, November 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
“Today’s school districts use hundreds of different technology tools, and gathering actionable data from these tools is key to ensuring that complex edtech ecosystems are driving positive student results,” said Karl Rectanus, Co-Founder and CEO of Lea(R)n. “Better interoperability leads to more useful data, which is why we are working with Project Unicorn to prioritize interoperability and enhance districts’ access to tools that meet their required standards.”
The Project Unicorn Product Library powered by LearnPlatform is the go-to hub for districts to identify edtech products that have established their commitment to data interoperability by signing the Project Unicorn EdTech Vendor Pledge. Product providers that sign the pledge are dedicated to helping students and families transition to connected classrooms; advocating for data interoperability; accelerating progress toward data interoperability for their products; and ensuring adherence to industry standards regarding privacy and security. Project Unicorn and Lea(R)n believe interoperability is a powerful tool to make data actionable and transform teaching and learning, and the new product library will give districts quicker and better access to interoperable products.
“Today’s partnership announcement signals an important step in creating transparency and accountability in the edtech sector. We are thrilled to be able to provide a free resource to districts and schools around the country to understand what products have committed to the Project Unicorn rubric, interoperability standards, and industry standard privacy and security protections,” said Erin Mote, Executive Director of InnovateEDU, the leaders of the Project Unicorn initiative.
Districts that have accessed the Project Unicorn library will also become eligible for a discount on all district-wide LearnPlatform licenses. Currently in use by more than 2,000 school districts, universities and associations nationwide, LearnPlatform boasts a library of more than 5,000 edtech products and research-based insights from more than 100,000 U.S. educators. Districts that use this comprehensive edtech management and rapid-cycle evaluation system are able to organize, streamline and analyze their technology to improve instructional, operational and financial decisions.
By using LearnPlatform, districts can also see which products have achieved the IMPACT-Ready designation, a single reference point to easily determine whether edtech tools meet districts’ essential requirements. One of these requirements is a commitment to data interoperability, demonstrated when providers sign the Project Unicorn pledge, and the designation also includes commitments to student data privacy and security, as well as transparency into accessibility. Product providers who have already signed the Project Unicorn EdTech Vendor Pledge can upgrade to IMPACT-Ready status by making a commitment to these additional elements.
The Project Unicorn Product Library powered by LearnPlatform is now available free to schools and districts nationwide. Access the library and register for the November 1 webinar by visiting https://web.archive.org/web/20230206195533/https://projectunicorn.learnplatform.com/
About LearnPlatform
LearnPlatform is the comprehensive edtech management and rapid-cycle evaluation system for educators and administrators to organize, streamline and analyze their classroom technology to improve instructional, operational and financial decisions. The SaaS edtech system of record gives education organizations the ability to inventory and select digital learning tools, establish and maintain regulatory compliance, and measure outcomes to gain meaningful, actionable evidence to ensure learning ecosystems are safe and cost-effective. K-12 districts, higher ed institutions and state education agencies use the research-based LearnPlatform to continuously improve standards of practice that drive blended and personalized learning at scale, expand equitable access to education technologies and increase student achievement.
About Project Unicorn
Project Unicorn is an effort to improve data interoperability within K-12 education. We aim to create a community of innovators who make the broader case for secure interoperability by determining shared priorities, working in partnership with school systems and vendors to understand its importance and benefits, creating a demand-side push for interoperability through partnerships, and educating buyers to consider the total cost of ownership through informed comparison of vendors. Project Unicorn does not endorse a specific product or data standard but instead is an educational advocacy initiative dedicated to the secure, controlled interchange of data.
Media Contact
MindRocket Media Group
info@mindrocketmediagroup.com
Erin Mote
InnovateEDU
347-593-8369
erin@innovateedunyc.org
