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A Focus on Impact

Our Portfolio Companies Make a Difference

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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Mar 14, 2025

4

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News & Updates

News Roundup - 3/14

The latest edtech, workforce tech, and venture capital news. Our weekly roundup of education technology, workforce technology, and...

Mar 13, 2025

3

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K2 Integrity

How Consilient Is Innovating Financial Crime Prevention With AI featuring K2 Integrity's Juan Zarate

According to noted national security expert Juan Zarate , financial institutions have been in dire need of updated management...

Mar 13, 2025

3

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Mantra Health

Mantra Health and Single Stop Announce Partnership to Support Student Mental Health and Basic Needs

Mantra Health announces partnership with Single Stop, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting individuals and families...

Mar 11, 2025

2

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Censia

Censia’s Workday Integration is now live, offering a solution revolutionize Skills-Based Workforce Transformation

Censia, a Workday Ventures partner, today announced that it has achieved Workday Certified Integration status, and the Censia Employee...

Mar 8, 2025

3

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Climb Credit

Climb Credit: Fueling Career Training With Accessible Financing

Imagine you have a clear goal: to get a promotion at work, or to even get a whole new job you love. The only thing standing between you...

Mar 7, 2025

4

min read

News & Updates

News Roundup - 3/7

Our weekly roundup of education technology, workforce technology, and venture capital news. In 2025, more than ever, technology is...

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Venture-funded company makes it a mission to reduce skyrocketing student absenteeism

Concentric Educational Solutions collaborates with Detroit-area schools to address the rising issue of absenteeism.

In Ecorse, Michigan, Shepria Johnson, part of the “Student Wholeness Team,” is on a mission to combat truancy, starting with a visit to Kuanticka Prude’s home, reads a story published by ProPublica. Prude, a mother of eight working as a security guard, struggles with ensuring her children’s school attendance.

Prude’s two kids, Jisaiah and King, had been missing school, assuming their mother would be at work. Johnson’s role involves understanding why children are missing school and helping them get back on track. She is employed by Concentric Educational Solutions, which collaborates with several Detroit-area schools to address the rising issue of absenteeism, exacerbated by the pandemic.

Concentric received a grant from NewSchools Venture Fund in 2010. Employees including Johnson have made 400,000 home visits since then.

Detroit’s industrial suburbs feature a widespread problem of chronic absenteeism, particularly post-Covid. Johnson’s home visits are part of a broader, supportive strategy to engage families and understand the underlying reasons for absenteeism, ranging from mental health issues to practical challenges like transportation or clothing. The approach contrasts with traditional punitive measures and emphasizes collaboration and support.

Despite federal pandemic-recovery funds, little has been allocated to combat absenteeism, an issue linked to declining academic achievement and increased youth violence. Concentric’s founder, David Heiber, advocates for direct intervention, drawing from his personal experiences of overcoming adversity.


The historical evolution of mandatory schooling in the U.S. has shifted from legal enforcement to more empathetic, supportive methods. That’s as some families face unstable housing, health issues, and economic hardships, underscoring the need for a societal approach to reinforce the importance of education.

Read original story here.


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