Acquisition strengthens SchoolMint’s capabilities to help schools and districts attract-enroll-retain students, families, and teachers. Download
January 07, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
LAFAYETTE, La.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--SchoolMint®, the leading provider of Strategic Enrollment Management and Hero® positive behavior products for K-12 education, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Whetstone Education and will now be supporting 11 million students and over 18,000 schools. Whetstone provides the leading teacher observation and instructional coaching platform that uniquely systematizes teacher feedback via the coaching process and provides the support framework to empower teachers to hone their skill sets. Effective teachers translate into improved instructional outcomes, more engaged classroom management, teacher job satisfaction, and improved student relationships; all of which result in positive school climates and higher teacher and student retention. SchoolMint CEO, Bryan MacDonald said, “Today’s teachers are being asked to do more than ever and do it in ways they never imagined, often without the support, training, and coaching they need to be successful. Teacher burnout is at an all-time high and many teachers are leaving the profession entirely. Whetstone helps address this challenge with 21st-century tools to support teachers with a coaching-centric positive classroom approach and equips them to transform teaching in a changing climate, including online and hybrid models.”
The combination of Whetstone and SchoolMint positions the combined companies to further innovate and expand the impact of Strategic Enrollment Management in K-12. Strategic Enrollment Management helps schools and districts strengthen and stabilize their year-over-year enrollment health by eliminating barriers to find best-fit schools and helping to create positive classroom environments. “We are beyond excited to join the SchoolMint team. Whetstone and SchoolMint are aligned in the mission to ensure teachers are getting the support and tools they need to be successful,” said Whetstone CEO Libby Fischer. “It’s exciting to join a team driven by innovating and transforming traditional K-12 administrative processes that impact the sustainability of schools and districts, while also enriching the classroom experience for students and teachers alike.”
“The Whetstone toolset is especially effective in today’s classroom environments where online and hybrid learning are necessary. Our virtual coaching tools enable schools to effectively support their teachers in whatever classroom configuration is needed, even when that ‘classroom’ is fully online,” Fischer added. “We are confident that a combination with SchoolMint’s Hero line of solutions offers teachers the support and coaching they need to grow professionally, along with the proven Hero tools that enable simple and powerful solutions to positively transform a classroom environment.”
MacDonald added, “SchoolMint’s strategic enrollment platform has proven to be successful helping schools and districts attract, enroll and retain students. Our customers tell us that sustaining and growing student enrollment is more important now than ever. Schools have long invested in streamlining the enrollment process for parents and school administrators. We think there is more to the story. With the addition of Whetstone to the SchoolMint family, we can now help districts retain their students and teachers, adding significant value to their investment in enrollment.”
According to SchoolMint’s Chief Academic Officer Dr. Christopher Balow, “Families are attracted to and remain in districts and schools that are innovative, have great teachers, and produce outstanding student performance. The combination of SchoolMint and Whetstone software platforms will help districts and schools achieve these outcomes.”
“Simply put, together, the SchoolMint family of software solutions will help districts and schools attract, enroll and retain students and their amazing teachers,” MacDonald added. About SchoolMint
SchoolMint Inc. is dedicated to helping educators create bright, sustainable futures. Serving over 10 million students and families with more than 16,000 schools across the country, SchoolMint is the leading K-12 provider of solutions for Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM). SEM is a strategic approach that brings together solutions that help students get to and through school successfully. SchoolMint’s holistic enrollment platform enables administrators to centralize activities such as the school choice application & lottery, registration/re-enrollment, tardy tracking, and positive behavior reinforcement to make school operations more efficient and fiscally sound. With products that put the family experience first, while generating powerful insights, the company is helping all schools across the K-12 landscape attract, enroll, and retain students. SchoolMint is backed by BV Investment Partners and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Learn more at SchoolMint.com . About Whetstone
Whetstone is a classroom observation and coaching platform that enables teachers, coaches, and leaders to work together to amplify instruction. Whetstone supports over 1 million students and over 2,000 schools. Designed by educators for educators, Whetstone streamlines the complex work of classroom observation, teacher feedback, instructional coaching, and lesson planning by organizing everything in one place so teachers can teach, coaches can observe and give feedback, leaders can see progress and analyze trends, and everyone can collaborate, plan, and grow together. Learn more at WhetstoneEducation.com . Contacts

SchoolMint Acquires Whetstone Education, Expanding Positive Classroom Capabilities

Acquisition strengthens SchoolMint’s capabilities to help schools and districts attract-enroll-retain students, families, and teachers. LAFAYETTE, La.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#edtech–SchoolMint®, the leading provider of Strategic Enrollment Management and Hero® positive behavior products for K-12 education, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Whetstone Education and will now be supporting 11 million students and over 18,000 schools. Whetstone provides the leading teacher observation and instructional coaching platform that uniquely systematizes teacher feedback via the coaching process and provides the support framework to empower teachers to hone their skill sets. Effective teachers translate into improved instructional outcomes, more engaged classroom management, teacher job satisfaction, and improved student relationships; all of which result in positive school climates and higher teacher and student retention. SchoolMint CEO, Bryan MacDonald said, “Today’s teachers are being asked to do more than ever and do it in ways they never imagined, often without the support, training, and coaching they need to be successful. Teacher burnout is at an all-time high and many teachers are leaving the profession entirely. Whetstone helps address this challenge with 21st-century tools to support teachers with a coaching-centric positive classroom approach and equips them to transform teaching in a changing climate, including online and hybrid models.”
The combination of Whetstone and SchoolMint positions the combined companies to further innovate and expand the impact of Strategic Enrollment Management in K-12. Strategic Enrollment Management helps schools and districts strengthen and stabilize their year-over-year enrollment health by eliminating barriers to find best-fit schools and helping to create positive classroom environments. “We are beyond excited to join the SchoolMint team. Whetstone and SchoolMint are aligned in the mission to ensure teachers are getting the support and tools they need to be successful,” said Whetstone CEO Libby Fischer. “It’s exciting to join a team driven by innovating and transforming traditional K-12 administrative processes that impact the sustainability of schools and districts, while also enriching the classroom experience for students and teachers alike.”
“The Whetstone toolset is especially effective in today’s classroom environments where online and hybrid learning are necessary. Our virtual coaching tools enable schools to effectively support their teachers in whatever classroom configuration is needed, even when that ‘classroom’ is fully online,” Fischer added. “We are confident that a combination with SchoolMint’s Hero line of solutions offers teachers the support and coaching they need to grow professionally, along with the proven Hero tools that enable simple and powerful solutions to positively transform a classroom environment.”
MacDonald added, “SchoolMint’s strategic enrollment platform has proven to be successful helping schools and districts attract, enroll and retain students. Our customers tell us that sustaining and growing student enrollment is more important now than ever. Schools have long invested in streamlining the enrollment process for parents and school administrators. We think there is more to the story. With the addition of Whetstone to the SchoolMint family, we can now help districts retain their students and teachers, adding significant value to their investment in enrollment.”
According to SchoolMint’s Chief Academic Officer Dr. Christopher Balow, “Families are attracted to and remain in districts and schools that are innovative, have great teachers, and produce outstanding student performance. The combination of SchoolMint and Whetstone software platforms will help districts and schools achieve these outcomes.”
“Simply put, together, the SchoolMint family of software solutions will help districts and schools attract, enroll and retain students and their amazing teachers,” MacDonald added. About SchoolMint
SchoolMint Inc. is dedicated to helping educators create bright, sustainable futures. Serving over 10 million students and families with more than 16,000 schools across the country, SchoolMint is the leading K-12 provider of solutions for Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM). SEM is a strategic approach that brings together solutions that help students get to and through school successfully. SchoolMint’s holistic enrollment platform enables administrators to centralize activities such as the school choice application & lottery, registration/re-enrollment, tardy tracking, and positive behavior reinforcement to make school operations more efficient and fiscally sound. With products that put the family experience first, while generating powerful insights, the company is helping all schools across the K-12 landscape attract, enroll, and retain students. SchoolMint is backed by BV Investment Partners and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Learn more at SchoolMint.com. About Whetstone
Whetstone is a classroom observation and coaching platform that enables teachers, coaches, and leaders to work together to amplify instruction. Whetstone supports over 1 million students and over 2,000 schools. Designed by educators for educators, Whetstone streamlines the complex work of classroom observation, teacher feedback, instructional coaching, and lesson planning by organizing everything in one place so teachers can teach, coaches can observe and give feedback, leaders can see progress and analyze trends, and everyone can collaborate, plan, and grow together. Learn more at WhetstoneEducation.com.

LAFAYETTE, La.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SchoolMint®, the leading provider of Strategic Enrollment Management and Hero® positive behavior products for K-12 education, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Whetstone Education and will now be supporting 11 million students and over 18,000 schools. Whetstone provides the leading teacher observation and instructional coaching platform that uniquely systematizes teacher feedback via the coaching process and provides the support framework to empower teachers to hone their skill sets. Effective teachers translate into improved instructional outcomes, more engaged classroom management, teacher job satisfaction, and improved student relationships; all of which result in positive school climates and higher teacher and student retention. SchoolMint CEO, Bryan MacDonald said, “Today’s teachers are being asked to do more than ever and do it in ways they never imagined, often without the support, training, and coaching they need to be successful. Teacher burnout is at an all-time high and many teachers are leaving the profession entirely. Whetstone helps address this challenge with 21st-century tools to support teachers with a coaching-centric positive classroom approach and equips them to transform teaching in a changing climate, including online and hybrid models.”
The combination of Whetstone and SchoolMint positions the combined companies to further innovate and expand the impact of Strategic Enrollment Management in K-12. Strategic Enrollment Management helps schools and districts strengthen and stabilize their year-over-year enrollment health by eliminating barriers to find best-fit schools and helping to create positive classroom environments. “We are beyond excited to join the SchoolMint team. Whetstone and SchoolMint are aligned in the mission to ensure teachers are getting the support and tools they need to be successful,” said Whetstone CEO Libby Fischer. “It’s exciting to join a team driven by innovating and transforming traditional K-12 administrative processes that impact the sustainability of schools and districts, while also enriching the classroom experience for students and teachers alike.”
“The Whetstone toolset is especially effective in today’s classroom environments where online and hybrid learning are necessary. Our virtual coaching tools enable schools to effectively support their teachers in whatever classroom configuration is needed, even when that ‘classroom’ is fully online,” Fischer added. “We are confident that a combination with SchoolMint’s Hero line of solutions offers teachers the support and coaching they need to grow professionally, along with the proven Hero tools that enable simple and powerful solutions to positively transform a classroom environment.”
MacDonald added, “SchoolMint’s strategic enrollment platform has proven to be successful helping schools and districts attract, enroll and retain students. Our customers tell us that sustaining and growing student enrollment is more important now than ever. Schools have long invested in streamlining the enrollment process for parents and school administrators. We think there is more to the story. With the addition of Whetstone to the SchoolMint family, we can now help districts retain their students and teachers, adding significant value to their investment in enrollment.”
According to SchoolMint’s Chief Academic Officer Dr. Christopher Balow, “Families are attracted to and remain in districts and schools that are innovative, have great teachers, and produce outstanding student performance. The combination of SchoolMint and Whetstone software platforms will help districts and schools achieve these outcomes.”
“Simply put, together, the SchoolMint family of software solutions will help districts and schools attract, enroll and retain students and their amazing teachers,” MacDonald added. About SchoolMint
SchoolMint Inc. is dedicated to helping educators create bright, sustainable futures. Serving over 10 million students and families with more than 16,000 schools across the country, SchoolMint is the leading K-12 provider of solutions for Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM). SEM is a strategic approach that brings together solutions that help students get to and through school successfully. SchoolMint’s holistic enrollment platform enables administrators to centralize activities such as the school choice application & lottery, registration/re-enrollment, tardy tracking, and positive behavior reinforcement to make school operations more efficient and fiscally sound. With products that put the family experience first, while generating powerful insights, the company is helping all schools across the K-12 landscape attract, enroll, and retain students. SchoolMint is backed by BV Investment Partners and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Learn more at SchoolMint.com . About Whetstone
Whetstone is a classroom observation and coaching platform that enables teachers, coaches, and leaders to work together to amplify instruction. Whetstone supports over 1 million students and over 2,000 schools. Designed by educators for educators, Whetstone streamlines the complex work of classroom observation, teacher feedback, instructional coaching, and lesson planning by organizing everything in one place so teachers can teach, coaches can observe and give feedback, leaders can see progress and analyze trends, and everyone can collaborate, plan, and grow together. Learn more at WhetstoneEducation.com . Contacts
Business Services
EdTech Holdings is a holding company comprised of growing educational technology companies dedicated to providing educators and school administrators with tools to create safer, more connected schools. Its current investments include SchoolMint and Hero K12. SchoolMint is a leading provider of cloud-based student enrollment and school choice systems for PreK-12 district, charter, and independent schools. Hero K12 provides schools with a system to capture and collect data that allows them to replace traditional discipline policies with initiatives that emphasize and recognize positive behaviors. Through these companies, EdTech allows schools to better connect with families and students starting from the first possible interaction and continuing through the entire student journey. 125 High Street 17th Floor, Boston, MA 02110

Whetstone Education Announces Lesson Plan Feedback Capability
K-12's first online lesson planning collaboration capability
Author:
Oct 26, 2020 10:20 AM EDT
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 26, 2020 Whetstone Education, a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology company and creator of the Whetstone classroom observation and instructional coaching platform, today announced the release of the Lesson Plan Feedback feature, a first-to-market capability that enables lesson planning collaboration between teachers and coaches, turning a historically one-way, passive instructional planning activity into a collaborative, iterative partnership. Whetstone's newest, and first-of-its-kind feature, transforms the lesson planning and approval process. "COVID shifted everything, including classroom instruction. During asynchronous instruction in the spring, we noticed our school leaders shifting the way they gave feedback -- rather than giving feedback after a lesson, they started giving feedback before the lesson," says Libby Fischer, Whetstone CEO. "What all of us realized pretty quickly was that shifting feedback to lesson plans was not a limitation, but rather an advantage. It was a lightbulb moment: the better the content and planning before the lesson, the stronger the instructional delivery will be." Lesson planning is a crucial piece of instructional effectiveness and many K-12 school leaders require lesson plans be reviewed and approved before being delivered to students. Until now, there has been no way to easily manage and track this collaboration. Whetstone's newest, and first-of-its-kind feature, transforms the lesson plan approval process by expanding it from a compliance-based activity to a collaborative coaching one. Enabling this collaboration to happen asynchronously in the Whetstone platform gives school leaders a bird's eye view of the work going on in their school. Even pre-COVID, innovative instructional leaders were starting to include lesson plan feedback as a part of their instructional coaching arsenal. Seeing how our leaders adapted their use of Whetstone during COVID gave us the user insights we needed to build something that will really make life easier for our coaches. "At Whetstone, we are committed to innovation that supports improving teaching and learning," says Fischer. "Lesson Plan Feedback, fully integrated into Whetstone, provides one location where observation, feedback, coaching, and lesson planning can happen in one place, and that is a big win for K-12. " 
About WhetstoneWhetstone is a classroom observation and coaching platform that enables teachers, coaches, and leaders to work together to amplify instruction. Designed by educators for educators, Whetstone streamlines the complex work of classroom observation, teacher feedback, instructional coaching, and lesson planning by organizing everything in one place so teachers can teach, coaches can observe and give feedback, leaders can see progress and analyze trends, and everyone can collaborate, plan, and grow together. Learn more at www.whetstoneeducation.com . View original content: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whetstone-education-announces-lesson-plan-feedback-capability-301159624.html

Whetstone Education Announces Lesson Plan Feedback Capability

Fulcrum Education Solutions provides customized coaching across the entire school year. The company specializes in instructional development, strategic consulting, professional development, instructional leadership, and principal training. It is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Fulcrum Education Solutions

As we prepare for the 2019-2020 school year , Whetstone Education is proud to announce a partnership with Fulcrum Education Solutions !

Fulcrum Education Solutions Partners with Whetstone to Expand and Deepen our Collective Impact — Whetstone Education

The KIPP Foundation is a non-profit network of college-preparatory, public charter schools, dedicated to preparing students in educationally under-served communities for success in college and life.

KIPP

Acquired

Whetstone is a tool set to supercharge the relationship between K12 teachers and their coaches. The company helps schools manage both weekly teacher coaching and annual teacher evaluation.On January 7th, 2021, Whetstone Education was acquired by SchoolMint. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

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