Education, Research & Public Sector

Berlin – September 11, 2026 -- The OECD's PISA 2025 study released today shows Germany's reading and math scores continuing to decline, prompting the SPD parliamentary group to push for expanded funding of its Startchancen-Programm and a new early-childhood quality law.

PISA 2025 shows Germany's core competencies eroding further

Saskia Esken, the SPD's rapporteur for school education, said Germany's school system delivers only middling results in international comparison, with performance in reading and math continuing to drop. She noted that social background determines educational success in Germany more strongly than in almost any other industrialized country, and that disadvantaged children are the ones falling furthest behind.

Bloomington, Ind. – September 11, 2026 -- Marzano Resources has released The High Reliability Teacher, a new instructional resource built on a three-level framework designed to help K-12 educators systematize professional growth and classroom evidence-based practice.

Book introduces tiered model for teacher development

The High Reliability Teacher (HRT) model guides educators through three progressive levels of instructional development. The framework is structured to help teachers establish effective teaching practices, measure student learning with greater precision, and refine classroom instruction using evidence-based feedback loops.

Hong Kong – September 10, 2026 -- Domestic philanthropic giving across participating Asian jurisdictions reached US$109 billion in 2024 and could exceed US$1 trillion within the next decade, according to an Interim Report launched today at PBC 2026 in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District.

The report was produced by the Commission on Asian Philanthropy, co-convened by the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP) and the Asian Philanthropy Congress, marking the first comprehensive research on the scale of philanthropic ecosystems across the region. It identifies everyday giving, corporate contributions and public investment as the three pillars shaping Asia's philanthropic capital flows.

PONTREMOLI, Italy – September 09, 2026 -- vivo and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme concluded the 2026 Capture the Future: Global Youth Storytelling Initiative with a five-day Co-Creation Camp in the Appennino Tosco Emiliano Biosphere Reserve, running August 31 to September 5 and gathering 15 young creators from around the world.

Global open call drew 745 submissions from 98 countries

Launched by vivo and UNESCO MAB in March 2026, the initiative invited young people to document the relationship between people and nature within UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The call generated 745 submissions from participants in 98 countries, with stories linked to more than 120 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves across the World Network.

Penzberg – September 09, 2026 -- The digital vocational-training platform Ausbildungskompass received the "Excellent" rating in the special category "Digital Administration: Benefits for Citizens and Businesses" at the Best of Technology Award 2026, presented on September 3, 2026 in Düsseldorf.

The award, given annually by WirtschaftsWoche in cooperation with Handelsblatt Media Group, consulting firm Capgemini, scientific partner Fraunhofer ISI and knowledge partner Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), recognizes IT applications and future technologies that simplify processes and create measurable value for business, government and society.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 08, 2026 -- SimpliTrain has been recognized as a Pervasive Player in the Learning Management System (LMS) market by MarketsandMarkets' 360Quadrants platform, as the company expands its AI, multilingual, and content-automation capabilities.

SimpliTrain launches Arabic-language LMS for Middle East markets

The company is expanding its global footprint with a new Arabic-language LMS offering RTL compatibility and localized learner interfaces, targeting organizations across the Middle East and other Arabic-speaking regions. The move is aimed at helping distributed teams deliver consistent training experiences across geographies.

Portland – September 08, 2026 -- Lemnis, a public charity, has acquired Wayfinder, a Bend, Oregon-based PreK-12 curriculum provider reaching 1.5 million students across nearly 5,000 schools and districts, converting the for-profit company into a nonprofit division.

Lemnis completes third acquisition in eight months under nonprofit strategy

The Wayfinder deal follows Lemnis' February acquisition of InsideTrack, a nonprofit success-coaching provider with 3.6 million learners served over 25 years, and its March acquisition of Mainstay, an AI-enabled student support technology used by more than 200 colleges and universities. Nfluence Partners acted as exclusive investment banker to Wayfinder in the transaction.

Hong Kong – September 08, 2026 -- The Yidan Prize Foundation named its 2026 laureates on the tenth anniversary of the award, granting HK$30 million (approximately US$3.8 million) each to Professor Paul W. Glewwe and a three-member team behind the Reach Up early childhood program.

Independent jury awards two prizes worth HK$60 million combined

The judging panel, chaired by OECD education and skills director Andreas Schleicher, selected Paul W. Glewwe for the Yidan Prize for Education Research and Professor Susan P. Walker, Professor Sally Grantham-McGregor and Dr Susan M. Chang-Lopez jointly for the Yidan Prize for Education Development. Each award comprises a HK$15 million cash prize and a HK$15 million unrestricted project fund. Since 2017 the foundation has distributed HK$600 million (approximately US$77 million) to 25 laureates working across nearly 60 countries and regions.

San Antonio – September 08, 2026 -- Graduates of Catholic colleges and universities use artificial intelligence daily at a rate of 44%, eight percentage points higher than the 36% reported by graduates of secular institutions, according to the third Holistic Impact Report (HIR 3.0) commissioned by the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary's University in partnership with YouGov.

Beijing – September 07, 2026 -- Scienjoy Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SJ) has agreed to acquire a 29.9% stake in Hong Kong-listed Leader Education Limited (HKSE: 1449.HK) for HK$102.69 million, or approximately US$13.1 million, marking the live-streaming platform operator's entry into China's private higher education sector.

Scienjoy Innovation Labs to purchase 239.2 million Leader Education shares from controlling shareholder

Under the sale and purchase agreement, Scienjoy's wholly-owned subsidiary Scienjoy Innovation Labs Inc. will buy 239,234,000 ordinary shares from Shuren Education Limited, Leader Education's controlling shareholder. The shares represent 29.9% of Leader Education's issued and outstanding share capital.