Business

The touch-and-swipe interface of the digital marketplace makes it feel so easy. Looking for an app to teach your 5-year-old how to read? Flick your finger over to the education aisles of the App Store (or Google Play, or the Amazon Appstore), and press “buy.”

News Corp said it sold its digital education brand, Amplify, to a management team supported by a group of private investors following slowing growth in the digital curriculum market.The company did not disclose financial terms of the deal.

News Corp announced today that it has sold its Amplify Insight and Learning businesses to a management team supported by a group of private investors. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. As a result of the sale, beginning in First Quarter of Fiscal 2016, News Corp will reflect the results of its Digital Education segment as discontinued operations. “We are extremely proud of the crucial work that the Amplify team has done to create a digital platform for the future. It is tragic that so many children are digitally literate but functionally illiterate, and it has been the cherished vision of all at Amplify to ensure that students, regardless of their background, have access to a contemporary curriculum delivered on a contemporary platform,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. “There is no doubt that the foundations laid by the creative team at Amplify will be profoundly influential in coming years as both curriculum and classroom evolve. All who have been involved in the Amplify business at News Corp should be conscious of their contribution to education in the US and beyond.”

New Online Destination To Discover, Share and Sell Digital Learning Tools and Teacher-Created Content; HMH Marketplace Will Connect Edtech Start-Ups and Educators; ‘Curious Classroom’ Contest Invites Teachers To Showcase Original Creations

Welcome Boston’s newest resident: LEGO.

In this interview with edCircuit, Ryan Craig, Managing Director at University Ventures, discusses current trends in investing.

EduVentures analyzes higher education investment trends, spotlighting student services, employer influence, and edtech at the BMO Back to School Conference.

Cengage Learning Expands Institutional Business with Learning Objects’ Customizable Platform and Services for Online Programs; Acquisition Confirms Cengage Learning’s Position as an Integrated Digital Solutions Company

Photo credit: Kelly MartinBy George AndersonIn 2010, Target  set a goal of donating $1 billion for education by the end of this year. Last month, the retailer celebrated reaching that goal, having donated to schools both inside and out of the U.S. Now, Target says it will end its “Take Charge of Education” program next spring and shift to health and wellness initiatives as the focus of its cause marketing efforts.Read the rest of the story at Forbes.