President ’ s Perspective
ACTIONABLE , TIMELY DATA and INFORMATION on the EDmarket
BY JIM MCGARRY EDmarket President & CEO
What is the size of the market ? What trends are happening in distribution ? How many school bonds are active ?
Who are the curriculum development specialists in a specific school district ?
These are examples of some of the questions your membership investment and participation can help us answer . As part of our new strategic vision , the EDmarket board wants our association to provide more strategic information to our members and the industry .
Starting with the first quarter of 2018 , EDmarket has partnered with the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association ( BIFMA ) to , for the first time , collect data about shipments in the educational furniture industry . EDmarket ’ s Equipment Manufacturers Council has developed the list of categories in which the data will be collected . Working with BDO , an international accounting firm , all data will be confidentially recorded and compiled so that we will be able to measure total volume and help our members to understand market share and industry trends .
We are also creating a partnership with the Software and Information Industry Association ’ s ( SIIA ) Education Technology Industry Association ( ETIN ) to compile similar data for the edtech industry . This important project will capture the size of this growing market and track the trends in investment , development and implementation across the spectrum of products from learning management systems , to course materials and next generation schools . The data will be confidentially compiled by Consulting Services for Education ( CS4Ed ).
Last year we published the Trends in EDtech Distribution Study . This year we are doing a deeper dive into one of the key trends , the impact of Education Service Agencies ( ESA ) and Consortium Buying . There are 553 ESAs in the U . S . and many of them are very involved in the evaluation , procurement , reselling and professional development of educational products . Their mission can vary significantly from market to market and this study will help EDmarket members better understand this trend and determine how ESAs and buying consortia will fit into your marketing programs .
In conjunction with EDspaces we are developing a new study to better understand the intersection of space , technology , curriculum and pedagogy . Many of our education sessions illustrate the impact and importance of the physical space to student outcomes and experiences . EDmarket is putting together a study to answer many of the questions around space and learning to give our members better third- party data to help their customers make essential decisions when designing and planning new educational environments . If you are interested in sponsoring this study , please let us know .
And of course we have our partnerships with SchoolBondFinder and Agile Education Marketing which give our members the opportunity to know exactly what is happening with each bond initiative in the U . S . and access to a database of every administrative professional and teacher every school district nationwide .
EDmarket is working hard for our members to give you the information , data and tools to expand your business and make better decisions as you navigate the education marketplace . Thank you for your participation in these important endeavors . n
36 essentials | spring 2018