Edtech Advisor
Strategic frameworks for education-technology founders, operators, and product leaders.
Disclaimer: Frameworks and orientation only. Not legal advice. Edtech compliance (FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, state laws) requires specialist counsel. Use this skill to organize strategy.
Keywords
edtech, K-12, higher education, higher ed, university, college, FERPA, COPPA, GDPR-K, student data, LMS, SIS, learning management, school district, RFP, district sales, corporate learning, L&D, training, certification
Quick Start
- Run student-data compliance checker on a 1-paragraph product description
- Identify primary market (K-12 / Higher Ed / Corporate L&D / Direct-to-Learner)
- Read the corresponding section of
references/edtech_market_dynamics.md
Core Workflows
Workflow 1: Student Data Compliance Scoping
- Run:
python scripts/student_data_compliance_checker.py description.txt
- Cross-reference with
references/student_data_privacy.md
- Hand findings to counsel — FERPA / COPPA / GDPR-K + state laws
- Document scope and BAA / Student Data Privacy Agreement (SDPA) inventory
Time Estimate: 4-6 weeks for first scope.
Workflow 2: Market Selection (K-12 vs HiEd vs Corp)
- Read
references/edtech_market_dynamics.md
- Score product fit against each market: buyer, contract length, sales cycle, pricing benchmarks, churn dynamics
- Pick one primary market for first $1M-$5M ARR
- Build content, sales motion, and pricing aligned to that market
Time Estimate: 4-8 weeks.
Workflow 3: District Sales Strategy
- Map district decision-makers: superintendent, assistant superintendent, CTO, curriculum director, principal, teacher
- Plan procurement path: RFP, sole source, statewide cooperative
- Plan implementation: PD (professional development), rostering (Clever, ClassLink), SIS integration
- Validate with reference districts before broader investment
Time Estimate: 6-12 months for first major district win.
Tools
student_data_compliance_checker.py
Scans a product description for indicators of student-data handling and likely compliance regime exposure (FERPA, COPPA, GDPR-K, state laws).
python scripts/student_data_compliance_checker.py description.txt
python scripts/student_data_compliance_checker.py description.txt --json
Reference Guides
references/student_data_privacy.md — FERPA, COPPA, GDPR-K, state laws (SOPIPA, NY Ed Law 2-d, etc.)references/edtech_market_dynamics.md — K-12, Higher Ed, Corporate L&D, D2C — buyer, sales cycle, pricing
Templates
assets/sdpa_inventory_template.md — Student Data Privacy Agreement and compliance posture template
Integration Points
- Pairs with
legal/ for SDPA / DPA contract review
- Pairs with
marketing/launch-strategy for back-to-school launch timing
- Pairs with
c-level-advisor/cs-fundraising-advisor for edtech-specific fundraising
Best Practices
- Plan for the academic calendar. District purchase cycles peak in spring (for fall) and again at end-of-year. Selling in October to start in November is a non-starter.
- Sign SDPAs before piloting. Many states require districts to have a Student Data Privacy Agreement before a tool can touch student data — even a free pilot.
- Don't conflate K-12 and Higher Ed. Different buyers, different sales cycles, different compliance regimes (FERPA applies to both but how it's interpreted differs).
- Corporate L&D is not edtech. It's HR-tech with edtech roots. Different buyer (CHRO / L&D leader), different metrics (completion, retention), different sales motion.
1---
2name: edtech-advisor
3description: >
4 Strategic advisory for edtech founders on FERPA/COPPA compliance, K-12 vs higher-ed
5 vs L&D dynamics, district sales, and pricing. Use when scoping an edtech product or
6 navigating procurement, or mentioning edtech, K-12, FERPA, COPPA, or LMS.
7license: MIT + Commons Clause
8metadata:
9 version: 1.0.0
10 author: borghei
11 category: vertical-advisors
12 domain: edtech
13 updated: 2026-05-04
14 python-tools: student_data_compliance_checker.py
15 tech-stack: edtech, education
16---
17
18# Edtech Advisor
19
20Strategic frameworks for education-technology founders, operators, and product leaders.
21
22> **Disclaimer:** Frameworks and orientation only. Not legal advice. Edtech compliance (FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, state laws) requires specialist counsel. Use this skill to organize strategy.
23
24---
25
26## Keywords
27
28edtech, K-12, higher education, higher ed, university, college, FERPA, COPPA, GDPR-K, student data, LMS, SIS, learning management, school district, RFP, district sales, corporate learning, L&D, training, certification
29
30---
31
32## Quick Start
33
341. Run student-data compliance checker on a 1-paragraph product description
352. Identify primary market (K-12 / Higher Ed / Corporate L&D / Direct-to-Learner)
363. Read the corresponding section of `references/edtech_market_dynamics.md`
37
38---
39
40## Core Workflows
41
42### Workflow 1: Student Data Compliance Scoping
431. Run: `python scripts/student_data_compliance_checker.py description.txt`
442. Cross-reference with `references/student_data_privacy.md`
453. Hand findings to counsel — FERPA / COPPA / GDPR-K + state laws
464. Document scope and BAA / Student Data Privacy Agreement (SDPA) inventory
47
48**Time Estimate:** 4-6 weeks for first scope.
49
50### Workflow 2: Market Selection (K-12 vs HiEd vs Corp)
511. Read `references/edtech_market_dynamics.md`
522. Score product fit against each market: buyer, contract length, sales cycle, pricing benchmarks, churn dynamics
533. Pick one primary market for first $1M-$5M ARR
544. Build content, sales motion, and pricing aligned to that market
55
56**Time Estimate:** 4-8 weeks.
57
58### Workflow 3: District Sales Strategy
591. Map district decision-makers: superintendent, assistant superintendent, CTO, curriculum director, principal, teacher
602. Plan procurement path: RFP, sole source, statewide cooperative
613. Plan implementation: PD (professional development), rostering (Clever, ClassLink), SIS integration
624. Validate with reference districts before broader investment
63
64**Time Estimate:** 6-12 months for first major district win.
65
66---
67
68## Tools
69
70### student_data_compliance_checker.py
71
72Scans a product description for indicators of student-data handling and likely compliance regime exposure (FERPA, COPPA, GDPR-K, state laws).
73
74```bash
75python scripts/student_data_compliance_checker.py description.txt
76python scripts/student_data_compliance_checker.py description.txt --json
77```
78
79---
80
81## Reference Guides
82
83- **`references/student_data_privacy.md`** — FERPA, COPPA, GDPR-K, state laws (SOPIPA, NY Ed Law 2-d, etc.)
84- **`references/edtech_market_dynamics.md`** — K-12, Higher Ed, Corporate L&D, D2C — buyer, sales cycle, pricing
85
86---
87
88## Templates
89
90- **`assets/sdpa_inventory_template.md`** — Student Data Privacy Agreement and compliance posture template
91
92---
93
94## Integration Points
95
96- Pairs with `legal/` for SDPA / DPA contract review
97- Pairs with `marketing/launch-strategy` for back-to-school launch timing
98- Pairs with `c-level-advisor/cs-fundraising-advisor` for edtech-specific fundraising
99
100## Best Practices
101
102- **Plan for the academic calendar.** District purchase cycles peak in spring (for fall) and again at end-of-year. Selling in October to start in November is a non-starter.
103- **Sign SDPAs before piloting.** Many states require districts to have a Student Data Privacy Agreement before a tool can touch student data — even a free pilot.
104- **Don't conflate K-12 and Higher Ed.** Different buyers, different sales cycles, different compliance regimes (FERPA applies to both but how it's interpreted differs).
105- **Corporate L&D is not edtech.** It's HR-tech with edtech roots. Different buyer (CHRO / L&D leader), different metrics (completion, retention), different sales motion.
borghei