Communicating

impact

In this part we give you tips on how to let others know about your impact and evidence

Best practices in communicating evidence

To make your EdTech product more visible and trusted in the educational landscape, it's crucial to communicate your evidence transparently and effectively.

A good way to start is to create an impact section on your product or company website that clearly takes people to the evidence.

Owl VC’s companies provide several examples on how to present your impact, check out for example the Research webpage of Accelerate Learning. 

Here are some more tips  key do’s and don’ts to follow when sharing your impact:

Be transparent about your team: Share photos and short bios of team members, highlighting their expertise and how it’s relevant to your product.

Showcase your research: Share any studies, tests, surveys, or other forms of proof you’ve conducted, demonstrating the impact and effectiveness of your product.

Be honest about what worked and what didn’t: While this is not always easy or feasible, it is important to clearly communicate challenges, what didn’t work, and how you addressed them. This builds credibility and shows commitment to improving.

Disclose study details: If you’ve conducted research, fully disclose who ran the study, the methodology used, and ALL the results, ensuring transparency and trustworthiness.

Translate impact into relatable language - i.e. don’t just stick to effect size, use language that end stakeholders will understand

Balance quantitative data with qualitative story-telling

Some examples of how companies communicate their evidence effectively. See ST Math  or Amira Learning or Newsela

Certify your evidence

Having evidence is important, but it is equally crucial to ensure that the evidence aligns with established standards. This is where officially recognized edtech evidence certifications come in — they provide a recognized framework to follow when gathering evidence and help signal the credibility of your findings to buyers and other interested parties effectively.

EdTech certifications are becoming essential rather than optional for companies looking to sell their products effectively. Providers must understand that obtaining these certifications demands significant effort and intentionality, as they reflect the rigorous commitment to ensuring product quality and real learner success. Numerous certifications exist, which can be categorized using the 5Es Framework. This framework organizes the key types of impact in education into five categories: efficacy, effectiveness, ethics, equity, and environment. Each category highlights a critical aspect of educational technology's influence, making these certifications vital for companies aiming to establish credibility and trust in the marketplace.

  • Efficacy certifications assess whether a solution demonstrates impact through quantitative, controlled studies, often adhering to standards like the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in the U.S. 

  • Effectiveness certifications emphasize practical aspects, including teacher perspectives, contextual applicability, and cost-effectiveness as products are implemented in various settings. 

  • Ethics certifications address critical issues related to data privacy and integrity, guiding companies in ethical data handling and AI governance. 

  • Equity certifications evaluate how well EdTech products support historically marginalized groups, and how they lead in promoting fairness and inclusivity. 

  • Environment certifications assess the sustainability of EdTech solutions, and their impact on immediate learning environment as well as planetary health. 

Certifications by reliable providers serve as a vital tool for ensuring products meet rigorous standards of impact and evidence. Reliable providers include but are not limited to:

  • LearnPlatform by Instructure, LXD Research and Digital Promise for Efficacy certifications

  • 1EdTech for Ethics certifications

  • ISTE, EdTech Impact and LeanLab for Effectiveness certifications

  • Digital Promise for Equity certifications

  • BCorp for Environment certifications

The International Certification of Evidence of Impact in Education (EduEvidence) provides globally recognized certifications in all categories. Companies already certified can be automatically re-certified and entered into an international catalogue of research-validated resources as well as the EdTech Index in USA.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

The Wild Word of Edtech Certifications by EdTech Insiders

Owl’s 2024 Education Outcomes Report

Investors in EdTech: Report