A behind-the-scenes look at EdTech startups and curriculum companies (with Ross Romano)

Many of my colleagues working in the public sector are skeptical of companies selling products to school districts. 

I’ve felt some of this skepticism myself as I’ve seen certain approaches gain traction because they’re well-marketed (yet not evidence-based). 

So it’s understandable to me that people would question the motives of companies selling products; especially in the for-profit space.

The elephant in the room, of course, is that Dr. Karen, LLC is a for-profit EdTech company. 

I’ve also spent a fair amount of time interacting with people who either work for larger EdTech or curriculum companies, or who have started one themselves.

Most of them are therapists, administrators, or teachers who felt inspired to create something who are trying to make a living doing something that matters. 

This would describe many of the hosts on the Be Podcast Network, which is why I wanted to invite one of the network co-founders, Ross Romano, to De Facto Leaders to talk about his experiences coaching EdTech and education-related start-up founders. 

Ross Romano has worked with over 100 companies and nonprofit organizations in the education space and collaborated with countless schools, districts, and educators. Ross is founder and CEO of September Strategies, an award-winning consulting firm helping leaders and organizations connect vision to decision through coaching, strategic advisement, and marketing consulting. Ross is also co-founder of the BE Podcast Network, a media company producing 40+ series reaching more than 50,000 educators and parents every month. He is also Strategic Advisor for the American Consortium for Equity in Education and the Founding Program Chair of the Consortium’s Excellence in Equity Awards.

Prior to starting September Strategies, Ross was Managing Director of MindRocket Media Group, a K-12 marketing firm. Previously, he was head of communications for ASCD, working closely with the organization’s authors, product developers, administrator members, constituent leaders, and advocacy teams on a diverse array of initiatives. Ross has created and/or hosted dozens of podcast series, written a number of white papers and ebooks, is a contributing editor to Educate AI Magazine, and has been a contributor to Entrepreneur, The Learning Counsel, edCircuit, Access & Equity PreK-12, and more.

Ross serves on the advisory boards for Shenandoah University’s Transformative Leadership program and Morning Brew Learning. In 2023, he was listed as a Top 10 leadership coach of the year and was profiled by CIO Views as one of the visionary leaders transforming education.

In this conversation, we discuss:

✅Business advice that creates ethical dilemmas for companies selling products to school districts.

✅Can companies stand for equity without sacrificing product quality and customer service? 

✅Who is the true end-user when products are sold to schools?

✅When a product isn’t resulting in increased student outcomes, is it really just about the quality of the product? 

✅Who is making purchasing decisions for schools, and what matters to them? 

Learn more about the BE Podcast Network here: https://bepodcast.network/

Listen to Ross on The Sideline Sessions Podcast here: https://ss.bepodcast.network/people/ross-romano

Listen to Ross on The Authority Podcast here: https://authoritypodcast.net/

Learn more about Ross’s coaching and media services for education-related companies here: https://www.septemberstrat.com/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps related service providers develop a strategic plan for putting executive functioning support in place in collaboration with their school teams. You can learn more about that program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.