Dive Summary:

• Apple is furthering its education push with iOS 7 for the iPhone and iPad, adding several new features the company says “make it easier for institutions to put devices in the hands of students.”
• Through the new app store's Volume Purchase Program, institutions can buy app licenses and use mobile device management software to push those licenses through to students, faculty and staff, and Apple will also provide a way for schools to obtain verifiable parental consent for personal Apple IDs belonging to students under the age of 13.
• Also among key features, VPP will now support Mac apps and books, MDM protocol gives teachers control to lock iOS devices into a specific app and manage apps wirelessly, and Apple TV can be enrolled in MDM, allowing students and teachers to mirror a device's screen on a specific big screen with greater ease.

[Editor's note: Apple has set up an iOS 7 Education page detailing the OS upgrade's relevant features.]

From the article:

... Last year marked Apple’s big push into education, with Apple’s Phil Schiller saying: ”Education is deep in our DNA, and it has been from the very beginning.” In January, Apple launched a textbooks initiative in partnership with major publishers that would put digital versions of expensive textbooks in the store for around $15 or so, and in October iBooks 3 was released.

The iPad has also been widely adopted by educational institutions and students. According to Apple in January 2012, a whopping 1.5 million iPads were already in use in educational programs back then. ...