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A Focus on Impact

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Our portfolio companies spend every day removing obstacles and working to overcome challenges students and workers have to get a good education and a good job.

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Apr 25, 2025

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Acceleration Academies

Kelli Campbell Wins Silver Stevie Award for Woman of the Year in Business Services Industries

Acceleration Academies is proud to announce that Chief Executive Officer Kelli Campbell has been named a 2025 American Business Awards...

Apr 25, 2025

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News & Updates

Edtech and Workforce Tech News Roundup - 4/25

The recent wave of educational technology advancements highlights a transformative shift in how educators, institutions, and employers approach learning and workforce development. From vibrant online professional learning communities supporting teachers in integrating digital tools, to cutting-edge virtual reality applications that redefine experiential learning, the articles in this week's News Roundup reveal a shared focus on innovation, collaboration, and adaptability.

Apr 23, 2025

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K2 Integrity

K2 Integrity and Sonata One Partner to Accelerate Capital Raising, Reduce Risk, and Deliver Scalable Advisory Services for Private Fund Managers

NEW YORK/LONDON – April 23, 2025 – K2 Integrity , the leading global risk and financial crimes advisory firm and Sonata One , the...

Apr 18, 2025

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News & Updates

Edtech and Workforce Tech News Roundup - 4/18

Our latest News Roundup highlights key insights from industry reports, the opinions of industry leaders, and the perspectives of learners and employers alike.

Apr 18, 2025

1

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Acceleration Academies

Kelli Campbell Discusses Transforming Education for At-Risk Students on THRIVEinEDU Podcast

In a recent episode of the THRIVEinEDU podcast , hosted by Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth, Kelli Campbell, Acceleration Academies chief executive...

Apr 17, 2025

2

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Acceleration Academies

Priscilla Alonzo Named Winner of EdTech Chronicle’s Best in Education Awards

Las Vegas, NV — EdTech Chronicle has named Priscilla Alonzo, Director of Clark County Acceleration Academies East , as a 2024 Best in...

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Don’t Call Them Truant Officers Anymore

  • Writer: Cat Burchmore
    Cat Burchmore
  • Jan 14, 2024
  • 1 min read

Updated: Nov 20, 2024

Schools turn absenteeism problem over to private companies and ‘professional student advocates’

That school absenteeism remains sky-high after the pandemic has been well documented. But a story by ProPublica and the New Yorker adds a new wrinkle to the narrative: More schools across the US are turning to private companies to try to get kids back in the classroom. And their focus is not on punishment but on encouragement. One person profiled is Shepria Johnson, who works for a company called Concentric Educational Solutions and spends her day knocking on the doors of homes in the Detroit area where absentee students live. When a parent asks if she’s a truant officer, she replies, “No, I’m a professional student advocate,” using the company term. “If you’re a truant officer, they’re defensive,” she says. “They automatically assume you’re here to get them in trouble.”


The story digs into the dynamics at play: Generally speaking, municipalities across the US have shifted away from hard-ball tactics against parents of truant students. While some still enforce the matter as a criminal offense, most are now “largely abdicating any role” in absenteeism, per the story. The pandemic has intensified the problem—absenteeism has roughly doubled since then—but the issue has “attracted surprisingly little attention from leaders, elected or otherwise, and education coverage in the national media has focused heavily on culture-war fights,” writes Alec MacGillis. Companies like Concentric are attempting to fill the void.


Johnson, for example, sees her role as figuring out the challenges of individual families—often one-parent households with low incomes—and trying to find ways to help.

Read full story here.



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