Data & Research
This year’s National Library Week theme was Libraries = Strong Communities. At MDR we are awed by the immense impact that libraries have in our communities and how their influence goes well beyond library doors. A Pew Research Center study from 2016 showed that more than 90% of Americans consider the library “very” or “somewhat” […]
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April is National Records and Information Management month! We sat down with one of our data experts, Anne Goto, to weigh in. Days are getting longer, the birds are singing, and there’s a hint of warmth in the air – it’s almost spring! It’s the time of year that we want to throw open the […]
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Ok, so we’ve all heard about SEL. But, do you know how it is “officially” defined? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, […]
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If you are talking or thinking about the topic of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and how it relates to students, read this preview of our latest educator research study. SEL is a growing movement in K-12 education, even though some organizations, like Committee for Children, have been thinking about it for 40 or more […]
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Thank you to Marketo for sharing our guest contributed article. The kids are growing up. Believe it or not, the oldest of Generation Z (those born between 1996 and 2010, according to MDR) are starting to graduate from college. They’re making many of their own decisions and influencing their parents and society as a whole. […]
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For an education marketer, is there anything better than having your product requested by name? For some brands, it’s already happening on school supply lists. We recently surveyed PreK-12 teachers and principals on how they compile their supply lists for the $83 billion back-to-school buying season. Our findings may confirm assumptions, or surprise you, but […]
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There’s a perception that nothing ever changes in education. After all, there’s a very good possibility that the schools in your town are more than 40 years old. However, even though the structures look the same, it’s a very different story when you look inside. If those old, familiar walls could talk, here are a […]
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Did you know? Education is big business! Surprise surprise. According to the National Council for Education Statistics (NCES), when all types of educational institutions are combined, total spending reaches $1.25 trillion dollars, or 7% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). That’s a lot of buying power. Ever imagine being a fly on the wall inside […]
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Why is MDR so interested in Gen Z, anyway? Schools are brimming with Gen Z students – those born between the years of 1996 to 2010. Many of our partners are interested in how to engage this new generation with purpose-driven initiatives to support their cause, brand, or workforce. So, MDR wanted to get smart […]
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If the kitchen is the heart of the home, schools can be the heart of a community. The age of the school building, the condition and currency of the materials used, the access to technology…parents and students draw conclusions about how society values them from their school environment, and lack of investment in public education […]
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GDPR…is that a four letter acronym that makes you cringe? The General Data Protection Regulation is in play in the EU as of May 2018, but I’m here to help you understand how it could possibly impact your marketing plans in the future if it’s mandated here in the U.S. California is already implementing their […]
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Are you in the final phases of your education app development and want to make sure you’ve got a robust product that’s ready for the market? Or, are you in the development period and want to ensure your idea has the best chances for success? Doing your homework is critical not only for student outcomes, […]
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If you are looking for market insights into the education sector, MDR is THE industry source. Through our ongoing surveys, research, and other resources we inform education marketers about current trends and strategies for working with educators. Our latest report in the State of the K-12 Market series, The Impact of Learning Spaces on Student […]
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In this article series, we look at businesses who are focused in the education industry and have a compelling story to share. These companies have established themselves by helping educators, and have wisdom to offer new and existing providers that will encourage innovation and effective problem solving for the education market. For this post, we’re […]
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MDR already has a robust database with lists of districts, schools, personnel, and educators across the US, but now, the data team is happy to announce the release of two new sets of data attributes: Classroom Technology Data Selects, and District Influencers. What our customers can look forward to with these new attributes is saving […]
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Real world of MDR – Facebook® Data Trying to locate future customers online can involve a lot of guess work if you are not starting with a rich data source. Recently, we wanted to see what one of our customers would have to do to be able to target one of our most used selects […]
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Whoever said, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you,” wasn’t in market research! In this post, we’ll recap a recent webinar we held on this topic, and cover the essentials on the best practices for conducting market research with educators and related audiences. Why do you want to conduct market research? You should establish why you […]
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Here is a preview of MDR’s latest research on technology’s use in the classroom, based on the feedback from nearly 4,400 educators. MDR’s Market Research and Marketing Teams have done it again, releasing the second report in the 2018 series, Teachers Talk Technology. Administering a nationwide survey, as well as an online bulletin board to K-12 […]
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The way personal data is handled in the European Union has changed, and therefore, the way Education Marketers do business in the EU must comply. We’d like to share with you exactly what General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is, and what it means for the education industry in terms of sharing personal information. What is […]
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When is the best time to send a free demo of your product to a school? When will schools be open to running a pilot program with your business? When are the final decisions made in the school budget? The beginning or the end of the school year aren’t the times that schools spend their […]
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Email really is the Swiss Army knife of education marketing. No other channel is as targetable, measurable, or testable. So, it’s really good news that our recent study commissioned from Simmons National Consumer Survey found that for teachers, emails were the most influential in prompting them to make a purchase. Here’s some more good news. Our Digital Trends […]
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Teachers are expert jugglers, of their work life, professional development, home life, and community involvement. Keeping in touch and on top of things is a priority and they have embraced technology as their must-have tool. We wanted to know more about how this country’s seven million teachers think about and use technology. We focused questions […]
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Ever imagine being a fly on the wall inside K-12 schools? To learn first-hand how they’re using tech to teach? How they’re spending budget dollars and who decides? What they think about open educational resources (OER) vs. commercial materials? It would take a lot of walls and too many flies to get the answers to […]
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If ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’…and students brings apples for the teacher, this should be pretty healthy group of people, right? Our study commissioned from Simmons Market Research: Teachers as Consumers: Background, Interests, Buying Patterns, and Media Uses proves that out. Actually, the entire study is a goldmine for marketers looking to get […]
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It’s that time of year…when everyone wants to know when public schools are closing and approximate opening for the coming school year. We’ve put together this informative public schools calendar by state for you to bookmark and save for future reference. Be sure you are timing your education marketing campaigns and promotions to arrive on […]
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Students are obviously digital natives, if not digital beings! And increasingly, so are their teachers. Teachers are younger than the total population by three and a half years, placing them firmly in the Millennial cohort that grew up with technology. So, what are teachers doing online? More than the general population, teachers use social media for both […]
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MDR Insights There are 87,198 public schools in America, serving almost 48 million public school students. In this article, I’ve broken down the different school district sizes to discuss what types of businesses match their needs. At MDR, we consider a district large if it enrolls over 10,000 students. A medium district enrolls 2,500 to […]
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MDR’s Buying Power Map Your State by State Guide to Instructional Spending Ever feel lost in your education marketing endeavors and in need of direction? We’ve made maps of every state, detailing their educational purchasing power to help guide your way. All Instructional Materials MDR has developed an exclusive measure, All Instructional Materials (AIM) Expenditure, […]
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Happy Financial Literacy Month! April is the time to honor this important topic, especially how it relates to families and school. Did you know that teachers as a group are known to be great at calculating the best financial strategy for their family? That’s one thing we learned from a study we commissioned from Simmons […]
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MDR’s Market Research and Marketing teams proudly present The K-12 Education Landscape – a comprehensive look at the education market. Written by Anne Wujcik, in her last few months at MDR, our report features a high-level overview of the K-12 education market. We’ve analyzed both Public schools and Charter Schools, which offer unique advantages and […]
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