Rita Ferrandino, Managing Director, ARC Capital Development

NCLB is on the mind of Rita Ferrandino of ARC Capital Development as she discusses what she came to the forum to learn and what she eventually will take back to her company. She believes the industry will see an NCLB Reauthorization in 2010.

You can visit ARC Capital Development here.

Five Questions with Rita Ferrandino, MD, ARC Capital Development

Rita Ferrandino, Managing Director, ARC Capital Development, will be teaching a Master Class on March 9, 2009 at the 10th Annual Education Industry Investment Forum at the Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. She will be joined by her business partner Kevin Custer, currently the CEO of Kinderstreet Operation, LLC.

You can join Ferrandino and Custer by registering now: by clicking on the link to our registration page.

Rita Ferrandino and Kevin Custer Answer Questions about the Future of Education Investment

EIIF: What act of strategic investment in the education industry by any player in the past five years do you admire most, and what was its outcome?

Rita Ferrandino & Kevin CusterStudent Information Systems (SIS) - Pearson bought the two largest players in the student information system market which were PowerSchool and Chancery to add to the Pearson portfolio of SIS offerings.

Thus, Pearson bought their largest competitors and now owns the entire SIS marketplace.

EIIFWhat industry genre will have the most influence in the future of education over the next five years?


RF & KCPreK Education Market Segment

We believe the amount of investment into the PreK education segment will produce results quickly. The traditional school day is finite. The introduction or addition of PreK education is a unique opportunity for upside.

EIIF: If you could name any industry within education that requires the most change, what industry is it and what changes do you think it needs?

RF & KC
Teacher Education

Our future depends on our ability to develop of the next generation of teachers. We need to proactively recruit the best and brightest teachers.

As an industry, we need to improve teacher compensation, training, and keeping highly qualified teachers engaged.

EIIF: What inspirational idea outside of education has had a dominant effect on how you do business?

RF & KC

Web 2.0 technology
The barriers of entry to starting and launching a new business are dropping due to Web 2.0 technology

EIIF:
For an education company or for profit school that is looking to grow, what is the one thing they need to be prepared to do before meeting investors or before launching their product or service into the marketplace?

RF & KC:
Know your customer.
Understand intimately what that customer will pay for.

Details on the Ferrandino-Custer Master Class, 9.00AM March 2, 2009 at the Biltmore Resort & Spa

Maximize Distribution and Ensure Returns on Capital Investment by Utilizing Effective Political and Commercial Marketing Solutions

• Fine tune government interactions by learning political marketing strategies and incorporating their resources into a business plan to ensure rapid uptake of products and ideas in school districts
• Calibrate investment strategies for K12 by leveraging networks, employing best practice in marketing to decision-makers
• Familiarize yourself with technologies that deepen your level of investment and commercial involvement with end users and end practitioners in public schools
• Employ social media and web 2.0 to radically boost investment return and leverage soft-power relationships to further your company and investment house’s interests

Rita Ferrandino, Managing Director, ARC Capital Development
Kevin Custer, Partner, ARC Capital Development

Download the EIIF brochure and register early.

EIIF Announces New Speakers for 2009

The following speakers are coming to EIIF in Phoenix March 9-11, 2009:

Mark Kantrowitz, Founder, Finaid.org
George Bernstein, CEO, Nobel Learning Communities
Howard Block, Managing Director, Knowledge Investment Partners
Brooke B. Coburn, Managing Director and Co-head of Carlyle Venture Partners III
Mark DeFusco, Managing Director, Berkery Noyes
Peter Leyton, Partner, Ritzert & Leyton
Ted Mitchell, Managing Director, New Schools Venture Fund
Charles Thornburgh, President, Kaplan Virtual Education
Matt Leavy, CEO, eCollege
Daniel Pianko, Principal, Noah Fund
Rita Ferrandino, Managing Director, ARC Capital Development
John Katzman, CEO, 2Tor and Founder of Princeton Review
Jordan Goldman, Founder, Unigo.com

and there are over 45 other names.

Stay tuned to the blog for the agenda, and please consider your company for a presentation at the 2nd Annual FuturEd Symposium where you could be one of five innovative companies presenting to investors.

You can also visit our homepage for the latest in registration news, and administrative information.

A white papers site is coming soon. That will be a one-stop resource for all of the information you need to stay ahead in the education industry.

Rita Ferrandino at the Democratic Convention

Rita Ferrandino, a self-styled activist and an investor in education, is blogging live from the floor of the Democratic Convention.

So far her blog includes video reactions from delegates and interviews with attendees and speakers at the convention.

Main points so far:

Criticism of NCLB
The presence of New Leaders for New Schools at the opening night of the convention.

And a one on one with Senator John Kerry, from Massachusetts.