Navigate US EdTech Webinar Recap
Top Motivations and Buyer Personas of US K-12 School Administrators
“We are a diverse nation with diverse needs. Diversity in our student needs means we need diverse solutions.”
What factors influence a superintendent’s decision to buy for an entire school or school district? On March 15, 2023, First Step Advisors hosted its second inaugural webinar: How To Navigate The Structure And Decision-Making Processes of Pre-K-12 Schools. Jim McVety, Managing Partner of First Step Advisors, hosted this informative webinar alongside three superintendents:
Dr. Barbara Mullen, newly appointed superintendent Rush Henrietta in upstate NY near Rochester, and former Assistant Superintendent of Student Services in Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Dewayne Wilkins, current Superintendent of small, rural district: Early Independent School District, in Early, Texas; and
Matt Cole, former Superintendent of Livonia Central School District in upstate New York
The panel discussed how to navigate the US EdTech market, specifically:
Key entry points into US schools
Identifying essential decision makers with confidence
Best practices to engage with educational buyers
The US education market is massive, made up of nearly 55 million students across 16,800 school districts. The range of opportunities for global EdTech companies is equally tremendous. But the question remains:
How do international EdTech companies get started?
Entry Points
For many international EdTech companies, there’s a strong desire to expand into the US education market based on size alone. Landing a contract with a large school district isn’t the only way to enter and scale. Starting out with smaller to medium sized schools is an integral part of any EdTech companies’ overall strategy. In each state, the smaller-sized schools make up the majority of districts, and they’re more nimble and more likely to partner and embrace innovation over larger school districts.
Timeline
Apart from urban schools and large cities, most school districts vote on their budget every school year. That means it’s less about the time of year, but more the order of operations that create opportunities. Local taxpayers vote upon a proposed budget every spring, so consider your window of opportunity to happen about five to six months prior to budget vote. Every district has a different timeline and procurement process, so the best practice in understanding is to ask. Most district leaders welcome questions because it shows you’re being responsive to the system in which you want to work.
Decision-makers
Superintendents honor all roles within schools, but at the superintendent level, there are two groups they serve most directly: school board and administration team. The administrative team works alongside the superintendent as they identify problems, needs, and innovation together. However, there are educational influencers, like teachers and education service providers, who can persuade district leaders in the direction of an EdTech product or service. By the time a solution comes to a superintendent’s desk, there should be several entry points checked off, for example:
Community of practice
Impact data
Outcomes-focused
Research journal
Conversations
Breaking through
Superintendents receive hundreds of emails. So many are asking for something. If you’re attending a conference, send over some emails that are helpful and actionable but not asking for something. Develop a true partnership with school administrators. Continue to be of help to schools through adding value, this will ultimately build authentic relationships.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q: Through which channels (conferences, LinkedIn, email) should EdTech companies and partners try to connect with superintendents?
Barbara :: Conferences via small targeted engagements (not necessarily the exhibit hall first) . Consider attending sessions Supers are presenting at and following up to get more information about the work that’s happening in their districts or the work in education they are passionate about.
Dewayne :: Conferences and finding ways to connect with people through mutual connections. Relationships are key. Emails work if they actually have done their homework and know my district needs.
Q: In terms of a bottom-up approach, how effective is getting teacher buy-in first? At what scale might there need to be teacher buy-in for districts to consider buying a product?
Barbara :: Teacher buy will always be important but Supers have a perspective at a certain altitude that teachers don’t have in terms of scale and sustainability. I would say it’s two trains moving at the same time. Work to get teachers to buy in and the perspective of folks leading the work at the district level.
Dewayne :: I like presenting to my teachers. I want to vet the program and once I think it is something that aligns with my direction then I present it to my teachers. Teacher buy-in is important but the supt has the final say and knows the budget.
Q: What social media platforms do you follow for professional information?
Barbara :: LinkedIn and Twitter
Dewayne :: LinkedIn
Q: In the curriculum space, it seems like really big providers continue to dominate. How do you see small companies breaking through?
Barbara :: Small pilots, partnering with research institutions and showing their impact.
Dewayne :: Pilots, research that shows it meets the needs the state or feds are pushing out.
Q: For international EdTech companies, it’s challenging to attend in-person events. Do you attend webinars from providers? Does your team?
Barbara :: Yes, and we would. Especially if we are primed beforehand.
Dewayne :: Yes!
Q: How do needs come to your desk? And how do they get through to a decision?
Barbara :: Student data first, and then we follow the thread of what has the greatest impact on student learning, wellness and development AND is the most feasible to implement and sustain.
Dewayne :: Data first, then we use the data as a group to identify the needs. Needs are then paired with possible solutions. Then we search for items that can offer the solution to our needs.
Conclusion
With so much to consider in the US EdTech space, let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with First Step Advisors on LinkedIn. Ready to gain a foothold and elevate your EdTech company in the US education market? Book a meeting now.
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