WebbAlign, the widely accepted and highly valued approach to evaluating alignment of standards and assessments, announces a new partnership program to help K-12 educational publishers validate the rigor of their curriculum and assessments. The WebbAlign Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Partner Program is available for publishers committed to implementing the framework through an ongoing process guided by Dr. Norman Webb and his team.

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.

In a high-profile speech Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged states to shift a healthy share of local and state correctional spending on nonviolent offenders to teachers—especially to raise teachers’ salaries at high-poverty schools and help stop the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

Mike Lawrence, CEO of CUE, talks with Dr. Berger about professional development and the role CUE plays in advancing technology and learning. Lawrence discusses CUE’s role with Connected Educator Month including the CEM Cafe and Twitter chats that will be happening all month!IntervieweeMike Lawrence has been impacting education as a teacher, administrator, technology coordinator and non-profit leader for twenty years. He is a respected presenter, at national conferences and events and was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2003. He assisted in the development and launch of the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) and co-founded the Google Certified Teacher program.  He currently serves as CEO of CUE (CUE.org). Each year, thousands of educators attend CUE’s conference events and professional learning opportunities, making it the premier Educational Technology association.Interviewer featured on the edCircuit,  in EdTech Review India, Scholastic’s District Administrator and on RFD TV’s Rural Education Special. As an industry personality Dr. Berger has interviewed Ministers of Education, leading voices like Sir Ken Robinson, U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan, AFT President Randi Weingarten and other global thought leaders. Dr. Berger is a guest lecturer at Vanderbilt University and resides with his wife and two children in Nashville.

 Blue Sky Alternative Investments — Wednesday, September 30, 2015Math Curriculum Provider Receives Major Investment To Boost Presence in U.S. MarketSt. Charles, MO. (Sept. 30, 2015) – Blue Sky Alternative Investments (ASX:BLA) has stamped the education-technology sector as one to watch after securing a multi-million dollar stake in ORIGO Education through its private equity division.“ORIGO Education is leading the market in innovative learning,” stated Lachlan McMurdo, investment director for Blue Sky Private Equity. “The key competitive advantage lies in the high quality of their resources, written by an expert team of authors. Educators worldwide seek out ORIGO’s founders because of the impressive intellectual property they have developed over the years.”The capital investment will enable the company to increase research and development across its existing suite of products. ORIGO creates resources that empower teachers, engage students, and promote a deep level of mathematical understanding. Its elementary mathematics solutions are tailored to local curricula through cloud-based digital products. ORIGO has won several long-term contracts over the past two years, boosting revenue by 400 percent in 2014. The company’s core product, Stepping Stones, is used in over 100 school districts across the US including three of the top 50 largest – reaching half-a-million students. “The fact prominent school districts have selected ORIGO’s products over other established education publishers has strengthened our reputation both in the U.S. and internationally,” said James Burnett, co-founder of ORIGO Education. “ORIGO’s successful expansion in the massive U.S. market is proof of the global scalability of the business. Its recurring revenue base gives us and our investors a great deal of confidence,” said McMurdo. The K-5 math instructional materials market in the U.S. alone is worth $1.3 billion in revenue each year, according to research by the investment firm. “We are excited about the opportunities this partnership brings,” said Burnett. “Our expanded capacity will drive the development of products and services that disrupt the status quo to positively impact students in the classroom. It will also equip us with the resources to cultivate new territories and product markets, and gain widespread adoption of our core curriculum.” To learn more about ORIGO Stepping Stones, visit .About ORIGO Education ORIGO Education covers all facets of elementary mathematics education, from traditional printed products to digital interactive resources and professional learning. ORIGO’s web-based curriculum, Stepping Stones, is a comprehensive, core mathematics curriculum for grades K–5. The technology-rich program blends online resources with traditional printed materials, resulting in a classroom that is engaged and provides differentiated learning. Professional development videos are embedded within the online program, giving teachers the confidence and knowledge they need to be successful. For more information about Stepping Stones, visit .

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.”