Educational publishing is no stranger to disruption, and this vast, shifting market is experiencing new waves of challenges and competitive forces.

From elementary and secondary schools to colleges and universities, the education industry encompasses a broad range of subsectors that are constantly evolving. 

Scientific, technical, and medical (STM) publishing exceeds $25 billion annually, and its leading competitors consistently post adjusted profit margins that exceed 30%, according to our research at Simba Information. 

However, these same STM publishers are facing disruption in the face of a movement to create open access to the scholarly research they publish. 

Although we still do not know the specific causes of autism, we do know one thing. The rate is increasing, and the market for treatment is growing.

Based on new government data, 1 in 45 children in the United States, aged 3-17, have autism. This is up from only 1 in 150 children back in 2000.

There is a powerful force at work in our schools and communities. A force with the reach, authority, and trust to engage youth, change behavior, champion a cause, build brand awareness, and evangelize for products. 

That force is teachers, and when it comes to introducing an offering or a message into a district, brands and nonprofits should understand that the teacher’s role is evolving and that evolution creates an opportunity for you.

It’s that time of the year when both kids as well as adult “career enhancers” are heading back to school, but fewer and fewer students are turning to degree-granting for-profit institutions (eg, DeVry University and University of Phoenix) for their post-secondary education needs.

While for-profit enrollment climbed 14% per year on average over the 1995-2010 period (topping out at 9.6% of total post-secondary enrollments in 2010), enrollment fell at an average annual rate of 7.0% over the 2010-2015 period. That performance compares to 1.9% average annual growth in nonprofit private post-secondary school enrollment over the 1995-2010 period, and <1.0% average annual growth over the 2010-2015 period.

Educational institutions face a unique set of security issues in order to ensure student safety. They must protect vulnerable student populations while balancing budget limitations, the desire to maintain inviting spaces for the students and community, and maintain government safety standards.

Media coverage of a number of school related tragedies has spurred upgrades to security equipment and procedures focused on student protection as public outcry boosted funds available for security spending. As a result, there has been a shift at a large share of schools — particularly primary and secondary — to devote a portion of their budget each year to evaluating and improving their existing security systems. 

Read more to see how security challenges vary by the type of education facility.

Social science and humanities (SSH) publishing encompasses a broad range of subject areas, from anthropology and religion to music and philosophy. Types of media include print and electronic books and journals, as well as online services and databases.

In the next four years, the global market for mobile education is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent, according to a report by TechNavio – Infiniti Research. With rising adoption of tablets and mobile devices, education tools are becoming increasingly digitized. A variety of new education apps have the potential to improve learning outcomes and help educators engage their classroom more effectively, but the market is already highly competitive. Large companies like Adobe and Blackboard dominate the industry, and high upfront costs often present a barrier to entry for new players.

Even so, a variety of new companies have appeared on the scene in the last several years — with a mission to revolutionize the way students learn, apply to college, and take classes. To find out about a range of new educational apps and online platforms, check out this post.

New education technology companies have entered the market and are attracting millions of dollars in funding from venture capitalists. In different ways, these companies are working to provide innovative solutions to on-going problems in education.

To learn more, check out the eight education tech companies listed below. The startups highlighted in this article are less than seven years old and have all been profiled in the Ed Tech Startup Dashboard Q3 2015 by Simba Information, a leading provider of market research and analysis.