Archive for December, 2009
Secretary Arne Duncan, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski visited Jefferson Middle School in Washington, D.C., this week to announce “Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online.”
The free guidebook is designed to help parents when talking with children about safety and the Internet. Topics include safe use of social networking web sites, cyberbullying, and protecting computers from viruses and other malicious software. It is available at http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/net-cetera.aspx .
The guidebook was produced through a partnership of more than a dozen federal agencies and the technology industry. This partnership is responsible also for the federal government’s online safety website: OnGuardOnline.gov. OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips on how to guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
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Dec
WASHINGTON and KITCHENER, ONTARIO, Dec 15, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) and Desire2Learn Incorporated (Desire2Learn) announced today that the companies have reached an agreement to license each other’s worldwide e-learning patent portfolios and settle all outstanding litigation between them. Under the terms of the Agreement, the companies will dismiss their pending litigation.”We are pleased to have resolved our differences with Desire2Learn,” said Michael Chasen, President and CEO of Blackboard. “Bringing this matter to resolution is in the best interests of both of our organizations, our respective clients and the broader education community.”
“We’re pleased to enter this agreement, and believe it is in the best interests of the educational community,” said John Baker, President and CEO of Desire2Learn. “We will continue to focus our attention on our clients, as well as the development of our products and services.”
Additional details of the settlement were not disclosed.
For more information about Blackboard, please visit http://www.blackboard.com.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard’s solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
About Desire2Learn Incorporated
Desire2Learn is a world-leading provider of enterprise eLearning solutions that enable institutions and other organizations to create teaching and learning environments that reflect their vision, values, goals, pedagogical approaches and branding. Founded in 1999, Desire2Learn has subsidiaries, offices and personnel located in North America, the U.K. and Australia. Desire2Learn supports more than five million learners worldwide and clients include higher education, K-12, as well as associations, government and other leading organizations. For more information, visit: www.Desire2Learn.com, call 1.519.772.0325 or toll-free 1.888.772.0325 (within North America), 0808.234.6744 (U.K.) and +61 412 067 308 (Australia).
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of our Form 10-Q filed on November 6, 2009 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of December 15, 2009. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to December 15, 2009.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.
http://www.blackboard.com
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Dec
Purchase from Thoma Bravo and Co-Investors Completed on Schedule
FAIRFAX, Va. (BUSINESS WIRE), December 10, 2009 – Datatel, Inc., the industry’s most experienced provider of higher education software, services, and insight, announced today that affiliates of Hellman & Friedman LLC have completed their purchase of Datatel. The planned acquisition from Thoma Bravo and its co-investors, including Trident Capital, HarbourVest Partners and JP Morgan Asset Management, first was announced on November 9, 2009.
“This marks another milestone in the growth of our company,” said John Speer, Datatel President and CEO. “The business community once again has confirmed Datatel as a high-quality asset that has grown stronger over its 40-year history. Hellman & Friedman recognizes our ability to continue to provide innovative solutions for our higher education clients, making them more competitive and improving service to their diverse constituents.”
“Hellman & Friedman has been observing the consistent growth of Datatel for a number of years, and we have been extremely impressed with its stability, technology, and excellent reputation for client service,” said Anupam Mishra, Director of Hellman & Friedman. “We look forward to working closely with management to continue to grow this world-class software franchise.”
About Datatel, Inc.
Datatel is the most experienced provider of technology products, services, and insight to higher education. Colleges, universities, and technical schools across North America partner with Datatel to build Strategic Academic Enterprises dedicated to achieving student success. The company has focused exclusively on higher education since 1979, and its technology is used by nearly 800 institutions serving more than five million students. For more information, visit www.datatel.com.
About Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman is a leading private equity investment firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and London. Since its founding in 1984, Hellman & Friedman has raised over $25 billion of committed capital. The Firm focuses on investing in superior business franchises and serving as a value-added partner to management in select industries including business services, software and information services, internet/digital media, asset management, insurance, other specialty financial services, media, healthcare, energy and industrials. Representative investments in the software sector include Activant Solutions, Inc., Blackbaud, Inc., Intergraph Corporation, Iris Software Group Limited, Kronos Incorporated, SSP Holdings plc, and Vertafore Corporation. For more information on Hellman & Friedman, visit http:/www.hf.com/.
About Thoma Bravo, LLC
Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity investment firm that has been providing equity and strategic support to experienced management teams building growing companies for more than 28 years. The firm originated the concept of industry consolidation investing, which seeks to create value through the strategic use of acquisitions to accelerate business growth. Thoma Bravo applies its investment strategy across multiple industries with a particular focus on the software and services sectors. In the software industry, Thoma Bravo has completed 40 acquisitions across 13 platform companies with total annual earnings in excess of $600 million. For more information on Thoma Bravo, visit http://www.thomabravo.com/.
About Trident Capital
Trident Capital is a leading venture capital and private equity firm with more than $1.5 billion of capital under management across six funds, including over $400 million raised in its most recent fund, Trident Capital Fund VI. The firm focuses on investments in the Enterprise Services and Software, Internet and CleanTech sectors. Within its sector focus, Trident invests across multiple stages, including venture capital, growth equity and leveraged buyouts. Current and past software investments include Xata, Inc., a provider of on-demand mobile information solutions to the commercial trucking industry; Qualys, Inc., a provider of on-demand security solutions for computer network vulnerability assessment; PivotLink Software, a provider of on-demand business intelligence solutions for small and medium business; Host Analytics, a provider of on-demand corporate performance management solutions; Invention Machine Corporation, a provider of innovation management software and content; Epicor Software, a provider of ERP software and services; and numerous other software companies including IT security software companies such as Voltage Security, Thor Technologies (acquired by Oracle) and Sygate Technologies (acquired by Symantec). Trident Capital has made over 150 investments since its inception in 1993. The firm has investment offices in Palo Alto, CA and Westport, CT. For more information please visit http://www.tridentcap.com.
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Dec
Contact: Sandra Abrevaya
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov
Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the final requirements for $3.5 billion in Title I School Improvement grants to turn around the nation’s lowest performing schools. The applications are now available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/sif/applicant.html and are due into the Department of Education by Feb. 8, 2010.
“As a country, we all need to get into the turnaround business,” said Duncan. “Today we are providing $3.5 billion and four models that have proven results so that school districts, unions, charter operators, universities and the business community can come together to turn around our nation’s lowest performing schools. Adults need to have the courage to make these tough decisions and do right by our kids.”
These funds are made available to states by formula and competed for by school districts. As they compete for the funds, school districts (LEAs) must identify the schools they want to transform, and then determine which of the four following models is most appropriate. If a school has begun implementation of one of these four models or components of one of these models within the last two years, it may apply to use SIG funds to continue to implement the full model.
- Turnaround model: Replace the principal and rehire no more than 50 percent of the staff and grant the principal sufficient operational flexibility (including in staffing, calendars/time, and budgeting) to implement fully a comprehensive approach to substantially improve student outcomes.
- Restart model: Convert a school or close and reopen it under a charter school operator, a charter management organization, or an education management organization that has been selected through a rigorous review process.
- School closure: Close a school and enroll the students who attended that school in other schools in the LEA that are higher achieving.
- Transformation model: Implement each of the following strategies: (1) replace the principal and take steps to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness; (2) institute comprehensive instructional reforms; (3) increase learning time and create community-oriented schools; and (4) provide operational flexibility and sustained support.
In selecting the districts to which funds will be awarded the state must use specific criteria outlined by the Department. In their applications, states must identify and prioritize these funds to its persistently lowest-achieving schools. These schools are defined as:
- Tier I: Any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that-
- Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring in the state;
- Is a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of years;
- Tier II: Any secondary school that is eligible for, but does not receive, Title I funds that-
- Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of secondary schools in the State that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds; or
- Is a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of years.
- Tier III: Any state Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring; SEAs will set exact criteria, which could include schools with low absolute performance but high growth rates over a number years, or the bottom 6–10 percent of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring.
Title I School Improvement Grants are funded by $546.6 million in the fiscal year 2009 appropriation and an additional $3 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support the transformational changes that are needed to turn around the nation’s lowest-achieving schools. The Department is also making available the 5 percent administrative funds to SEAs to assist with planning and program activities related to SIG implementation.
The full list of requirements and final application can be found at http://www.ed.gov/programs/sif/applicant.html
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Dec
Educate to Innovate
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President Obama has launched an “Educate to Innovate” campaign to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This campaign will include efforts not only from the Federal Government but also from leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies to work with young people across America to excel in science and math.
As part of the campaign, this Administration hopes to do a series of events, announcements and other activities that build upon the President’s “call to action” and address the key components of national priority.
Why This is Important
We have many great schools, excellent teachers, and successful students in America. But there are also troubling signs that, overall, our students should be doing better in math and science.
- In the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) comparison, American students ranked 21st out of 30 in science literacy among students from developed countries, and 25th out of 30 in math literacy.
- On the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math tests, 4th graders showed no signs of progress for the first time in many years, and 8th graders tallied only modest evidence of progress. We are not advancing as we must.
What We Must Do
Through “Educate to Innovate” and other efforts, we must:
- Increase STEM literacy so that all students can learn deeply and think critically in science, math, engineering, and technology.
- Move American students from the middle of the pack to top in the next decade.
- Expand STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women and girls.
The First Steps
America is already stepping forward to meet these challenges. As part of the “Educate to Innovate” effort, five major public-private partnerships are harnessing the power of media, interactive games, hands-on learning, and community volunteers to reach millions of students over the next four years, inspiring them to be the next generation of inventors and innovators.
- Time-Warner Cable, Discovery Communications, Sesame Street, and other partners will get the message to kids and students about the wonder of invention and discovery.
- National Lab Day will help build communities of support around teachers across the country, culminating in a day of civic participation.
- National STEM design competitions will develop game options to engage kids in scientific inquiry and challenging designs.
- Five leading business and thought leaders (Sally Ride, Craig Barrett, Ursula Burns, Glen Britt, and Antonio Perez) will head an effort to increase private and philanthropic involvement in support of STEM teaching and learning.
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