Publishing for PreK-12 Market 2018-2019


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Publishing for the PreK-12 Market 2017-2018

Publishing for the PreK-12 Market 2018-2019 addresses the challenges and opportunities in the PreK-12 school market and examines the strategies publishers are putting into effect and the new products that are emerging to meet the changes in the school market landscape.

Simba Information defines the major segments of instructional materials industry—core basal curriculum, courseware, state-level tests, digital supplements, print supplements, manipulatives, trade books, video and classroom magazines—and sizes the individual segments and the overall instructional materials industry, which Simba projects will reach $8.62 billion in 2018.

Topics in Publishing for the PreK-12 Market 2018-2019 include:

  • Market size by media segment: basal core curriculum, courseware, digital supplements, print supplements, manipulatives, trade books, video, classroom magazines and state summative tests;
  • Drivers of and challenges to growth by segment—including cyclical nature of instructional materials adoption, incursions by OER, and where start-up ventures are focusing their energies;
  • Changing demographics of U.S. students;
  • Trends in state funding for education;
  • The cyclical nature of school purchasing by subjects;
  • The pace of the uptake of courseware and digital supplements in schools;
  • Detailed market data on schools—public, private, charter, home schools, and virtual schools;
  • Trends in mergers and acquisitions in the educational publishing/ed-tech industry;
  • Exclusive 20167 instructional materials adoption data;
  • Competitive analyses of 13 leading publishers—including two new publishers;
  • Market segment projections through 2021.


  • Methodology
  • Executive Summary
  • Industry Size and Structure
    • Introduction
      • Table Simba Information's Instructional Materials Segment Definitions
    • Instructional Materials Sales Positively Flat in 2017
      • Table Sales of Print and Digital Instructional Media to the U.S. PreK-12 School Market, 2016-2018P ($ in millions)
      • Basal Curriculum Slides 3.6%
      • Courseware Generates Growth of 3.8%
      • Growth in State Tests Slows
      • Stable Growth of Digital Supplements
      • Print Supplements Grow 3%
      • Manipulatives Grew Almost 9% in 2017
      • Books for Literacy
      • Video Use Increases
      • School Magazines Continue as Classroom Staple
    • Digital Media Captures 56.6% Share in 2017
      • Table Market Share of Print & Digital Instructional Media Sold into U.S. PreK-12 Schools, 2016-2018P ($ in millions)
    • Competitive Landscape
      • Behind the Shift
    • Private Equity, International Lead M&A Activity
      • Table Simba Information's PreK-12 Merger & Acquisition Index, 2017
      • What Didn't Happen
    • Startups Seek Competitive Advantage
      • LearnLaunch Prospects
      • Milken-Penn Competition Winners
      • Funding for Authess
      • Vote-getters at ETIN Business Forum
    • Work Remains to be Done on Operating Performance
      • Table Simba Information's PreK-12 Performance Index, 2017 vs. 2016 ($ in 000; ranked by Operating Margin)
  • Enrollment & Demographics
    • Introduction
    • Number of Schools and Districts
      • Table Profile of U.S. School Districts by Size, 2018
    • Public School Enrollment on the Rise
      • Table Trends in Public School Enrollment, 2000-2027P
    • Enrollment Patterns Vary Across the States
      • Table Projected Percentage Change in Public School Elementary and Secondary Enrollment Fall 2015 to Fall 2027
    • Private Enrollment About 10% of Total
      • Table Trends in Private School Enrollment, 1999 to 2015
    • More Charter Schools, More Charter Enrollment
      • Table Charter School Growth, 2005 to 2015
      • Table Percentage of Public School Students Enrolled in Charter Schools, Fall 2015
    • Homeschool Enrollment Trends
      • Table Sources of Homeschool Curriculum
      • Table Homeschooling, 2003-2016
    • More Virtual Schools, Some Blended Schools
      • Table Virtual Schools by Operator Status, 2016-2017
      • Blended Schools
        • Table Blended Schools by Operator Status, 2016-2017
    • Graduation Rates on the Rise
      • Table Percentage of First-Time Ninth-Grade Students in Public High Schools Who Graduate with a Regular Diploma within Four Years, 2013-2014
    • Students in Poverty are Target for Vendors
      • Table Percentage of Children under Age 18 in Families Living in Poverty, 2016
    • Serving English-Language Learners
      • Table Trends in English-Language Learner Enrollment, 2013-2014 to 2015-2016
      • Table Top Ten Languages of ELL Students, 2015-2016
      • Table Percentage of Public School Students who are ELL by Grade, 2015-2016
      • Table Percentage of Public School Students who are ELL by State, 2015-2016
    • Special Needs Students Get Services
      • Table Trends in Youth Receiving IDEA Services, 1990-1991 to 2014-2015
    • State-Funded PreK Enrollment Up
      • Table Enrollment Growth in State-Funded Preschool Programs, 2013-2014 to 2015-2016
      • Table Enrollment in State-Funded Preschool, 2016-2017
  • Budget & Policy
    • Introduction
      • Budget Considerations & Funding Priorities
    • Long National Debate on Education
    • ESSA Era Advances
      • Table ESSA Plans Show Interest in Personalized Learning
      • Table Key Goals in ESSA Plans Approved in 2017
      • Table Key Goals in ESSA Plans Approved in Q1 2018
      • Table Key Goals in ESSA Plans Approved in April-July 2018
      • Plans Approved, but Questions Persist
      • Trump Changes in Year One
    • Federal Funding on the Rise
      • Table Education Department Appropriations FY2017-FY2019 P (selected K-12 categories, $ in millions)
      • Funding for Fiscal 2019 TBD
    • Title I's 50 Largest Allocations
      • Table 50 Largest Title I Allocations to LEAs, FY 2017 ($ in thousands)
    • E-Rate Supports Classroom Connectivity
      • Table E-Rate At-A-Glance
    • State Education Policy Trends
      • Table 2017 Legislation Addresses Data and Privacy Issues
    • State Education Funding
      • Table Per Pupil Funding by State, 2015
      • Table Percent Change in Per-Pupil Spending, 2010-2015
    • Fiscal 2019 Budgets Support K-12
      • Table States with Fiscal 2019 K-12 Funding Increases
  • Core Basal Curriculum & Adoptions
    • Introduction
      • Table Core Basal Curriculum Segment Definition
    • Segment Size
      • Table Estimated and Projected Sales of Basal Curriculum ($ in millions)
      • Core Basal Preference
        • Table Use of a Core Program by Subject Area
      • Changing Structure of Core Basal
      • Landscape Challenges
    • Adoption States and Open Territories
      • Table U.S. PreK-12 Instructional Materials Adoption Net Sales, December, 2017 vs. 2016 ($ in 000,000)
      • Total Adoption Sales Flatten in 2017
      • Benchmark Education Tops 2017 Adoption Publisher Scorecard
        • Table Simba Information's Adoption Publisher Scorecard, 20171 ($ in 000 and rounded; ranked by total sales)
      • McGraw-Hill Holds No. 2 Position
    • Looking Ahead to 2018 and Beyond
      • Open Territory Purchasing Sample
  • Digital Instructional Materials: Courseware, Supplements, Video
    • Introduction
      • Table Digital Segment Definitions
      • Digital Learning Endorsed
      • Challenges Persist
      • Progress is Made
    • Courseware Use Grows
      • Table Estimated and Projected Sales of Courseware ($ in millions)
    • Established Vendors & New Providers Compete
      • CTE as a Driver
      • STEM as a Driver
      • Computer Science as a Driver
      • Partnerships as a Driver
      • New Entrants as a Driver
    • Digital Supplements Provide More Options
      • Table Estimated and Projected Sales of Digital Supplements ($ in millions)
      • Builders: Established and New
      • Buying and Enhancing
    • More Video Use
      • Table Estimated and Projected Sales of Educational Video ($ in millions)
      • Survey on Video Interest
      • Commercial Providers
    • Technology Giants in Classrooms
      • Learning Management Systems Evolve
  • Market Trends & Industry Outlook
    • Introduction
    • Integration Key to the Future of Digital Content
      • Have to Integrate with Google
      • Offering Content and Platform
    • Are AR & VR the Future of Video?
    • Demand in Subject Areas
    • Outlook
      • Table Sales of Print and Digital Instructional Media to the U.S. PreK-12 School Market, 2017-2021P ($ in millions)
  • Company Profiles
    • Cambium Learning Group
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Cengage (National Geographic Learning)
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Discovery Education
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Goodheart-Willcox
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • PreK-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • K12 Inc.
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • McGraw-Hill Education
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • PreK-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Pearson
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Renaissance
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
    • Rosetta Stone, Inc.
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Scholastic Corp.
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • PreK-12 Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • School Specialty
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • PreK-12 Instructional Materials Strategy
      • Financial Summary
    • Scientific Learning Corp.
      • Key Executives
      • Company Overview
      • K-12 Publishing Strategy
      • Financial Summary

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