Our Services
Whiteboard Advisors offers a number of research and consulting services. Please contact us for additional information or to discuss your organization’s specific needs.
Research and Due Diligence
Over the last decade, our team has advised both investors and management in conjunction with dozens of K12 and post-secondary education transactions. Unlike traditional management consulting firms, we are highly specialized in policy, political, and funding issues that impact education businesses at the state, local, and federal levels. Because our team brings deep industry and technology expertise, coupled with years of policy and political experience, we offer a truly unique perspective – informed, where appropriate, by thoughtful engagement with policymakers and officials in order to gain the latest intelligence. For private equity and venture capital investors, our team produces high quality work products including complex weighted probability scenarios, risk assessments, and market-sizing. Recent projects include an analysis of state and federal funding for buyers of a publicly traded K12 publisher, an assessment of state special education funding for a private equity investor, and an evaluation of the impact of sequestration on military tuition assistance programs.
Policy and Legislative Tracking
Through proprietary research tools, Whiteboard tracks and filters legislative and regulatory developments in education on a daily basis—at the federal level, and across all 50 states. We use this research to produce weekly reports for education entrepreneurs and organizations. We also produce analyses of state and federal funding programs and trends. Subscribers to Whiteboard’s legislative and regulatory tracking services receive both weekly reports, and access to a searchable online service that enables the creation of custom database, email alerts, and reports.
Examples of monitoring reports include:
- Charter School Monitor: Enables charter providers and supporters to track state legislation, policy, and regulations that affect the operations of charter schools. Issues include budgets, caps, and other charter-related legislation across the 50 states, along with summaries of local and national media coverage.
- Virtual School Monitor: Supports online education providers with real time insight into state and federal policy developments that impact their business. From charter school laws to open enrollment policies, teacher certification requirements and new funding opportunities, our weekly reports provide a succinct analysis of relevant issues in a format that is designed for easy review—and action—by busy executives.
- Assessment Monitor: Enables assessment companies, curriculum developers, and publishers to track, in real-time, legislative and funding changes that impact state assessment policy and procurement. As education budgets face increased scrutiny and states implement new policies based on federal funding and reforms, actively monitoring assessment policy is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage in key markets.
Learn more (PDF) | Download a sample report (pdf)
Public Sector Consulting
Whiteboard Advisors provides technical support and analysis of federal funding and policy issues for innovative education leaders. We also provide implementation support and can assist with the design of innovative educational programs. Our public sector team has unparalleled experience – having worked within the U.S. Department of Education on a wide-range of regulations and grant programs, state agencies, and leading districts. We enable busy education leaders to make the most of their resources by providing accurate, helpful answers to complex questions.
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High-Impact Philanthropy
Over the last decade, our team has helped leading foundations and corporations develop and implement high-impact philanthropy strategies. Working at the intersection of philanthropic best practices and in-depth content and policy knowledge, Whiteboard Advisors provides advisory services to foundations and corporations looking to make a meaningful impact through their education investments.
Often, well intentioned grant making initiatives fail to drive meaningful improvements in teaching and learning because they fail to take into account the political and regulatory barriers present in education. By utilizing our team’s deep subject matter expertise, we are able to design grant strategies, RFPs, and giving programs that reflect the realities of the state and local education systems. In addition, we engage key K12 and higher education stakeholders and thought leaders in order to develop comprehensive giving strategies. By leveraging our sector relationships and policy knowledge, we are able to position our philanthropic clients as leaders in the field.
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Public Relations and Thought Leadership
In Washington, D.C., and in capitals across the country, think tank scholars, researchers, and education writers are setting the tone for important conversations on rethinking K12 and higher education. Funded by influential philanthropists, think tanks and advocacy organizations are authoring influential policy recommendations and are gathering the field’s most promising entrepreneurs and leaders to discuss what can be done to push the sector forward. Additionally, national and trade press are highlighting key policy debates and innovative developments in the field.
Our team deep experience working with leading think tanks, advocacy organizations, and education publications—with some of our team having previously worked in these organizations. We work with our clients to position them as thought leaders in this field, to amplify their voice in the larger policy conversations, and to think strategically about how they share their work.
Learn more (PDF)