Weld North Education Acquires Social Emotional Learning Startup Purpose Prep

Weld North Education has continued to amass digital curriculum capacity through acquisition. On July 27, the company announced it had acquired Purpose Prep. The startup made a name for itself developing a social emotional learning (SEL) focused online curriculum. Details of the deal were not disclosed.

The Clawson, Michigan-based Purpose Prep has developed an extensive library of over 1,000 hours of digital content that includes more than 600 videos and 60 ‘topical intervention modules.’

After Years of Partnership, Weld North Education Acquires Purpose Prep

The company also has longstanding ties with Weld North Education assets. In 2018, Purpose Prep partnered with Edgenuity, WNE’s signature digital curriculum provider, to include their SEL content. On July 21, Edgenuity brokered a deal with the state of Louisiana to offer Purpose Prep courses to every student in grades six through twelve.

“We are delighted to welcome Purpose Prep as part of the Edgenuity family,” said Edgenuity CEO Sari Factor, in a statement. “Studies have shown how vital social and emotional learning is to the development of children and young adults and is essential to academic achievement and future career success. With the added stressors and interrupted routines across many aspects of student life today, enhancing Edgenuity’s solutions with SEL curriculum is especially important as we strive to educate the whole learner and create well-rounded, citizens in the classroom and in the world.”

The Third Acquisition in 12 Months … Again

Weld North Education describes itself as the “largest pure-play digital education company.” The statement isn’t only talk. The company has made four significant acquisitions of digital curriculum providers since February 2019. At that time, they purchased Glynlyon. Later in December, they acquired LearnZillion, another wide-ranging digital curriculum provider. They also picked up ATI, which develops testing and assessment software, in March of 2019.

These holdings are consolidated and offered via Edgenuity, Weld North Education’s primary curriculum platform.

In addition, the company also maintains Imagine Learning, which also provides core online curriculum solutions for grades Pre-K-8. The solution supports English language learners with capacity for 15 different first-languages.

“In today’s environment, where students have been dislocated from their schools and teachers in the midst of a global pandemic and urgent societal questions of diversity and inclusion, social and emotional learning has never been more essential,” said Jonathan Grayer, Chairman of Weld North Education, in a statement. “Over the past few months, our unwavering focus has been to work hand-in-hand with thousands of school districts to put students first, ensuring a smooth transition to online and digital learning, supporting teachers with necessary training, and seamlessly delivering the highest standards in learning across the K-12 landscape. Building on the strength of Purpose Prep’s curriculum and dedication to improve teaching practices, school culture and climate, and to reduce feelings of stress among students and teachers, SEL will become an important part of the core offerings for all WNE brands.”

Featured Image: Evie S., Unsplash.