Dive Brief:

• Pearson is selling the print and digital K12 curriculum part of its company, which also includes professional development materials.
• The company has seen a decline in this area of its business, according to a story in Education Week, and has been involved in high-profile lawsuits with customers including the Los Angeles Unified School District around its curriculum materials.
• Pearson says it will now focus on its assessment business and also its virtual schools, both of which are growing.

Dive Insight:

While curriculum designers create lessons from a variety of sources, many rely on providers like Pearson to deliver material that can cover a wide number of subjects. These resources are crucial — they’re often digital and easy to share with schools, as well as educators and students.

Pearson hasn’t lined up a buyer as of yet. But it would be understandable for districts currently in contract with Pearson to have some concerns as to whether a new owner would continue to support and maintain the resources they’ve grown to expect. Some of this shouldn’t be a surprise, as Education Dive reported two years that the company was already looking to stop its Learning Management System side of the business.

Administrators, who don’t already do so, may want to start investing time in other online and open source curriculum options — many of which are available for free from reputable sources, from NASA to the Smithsonian. The National Education Association and the American Library Association also maintain online resources that support curriculum development and lesson plans for K-12 schools.