OXFORD, Mass. & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Wilson Language Training (“Wilson”) today announced its partnership with Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a people-focused private equity firm committed to building and supporting sustainable businesses. Alpine’s partnership will help further accelerate Wilson’s vision of achieving “literacy for all” by expanding its reach to more students and educators. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Wilson co-founders Barbara and Edward Wilson will remain significant shareholders with continuing leadership roles in the company, as well as members of Wilson’s board of directors.
Founded in 1985 by Barbara and Edward Wilson with the goal of improving education for students with dyslexia, Wilson is a pioneer and leader in advocating for the science of reading and continues to empower administrators, teachers and students in the pursuit of its mission. Over more than three decades, Wilson has trained nearly 300,000 educators and certified more than 25,000 teachers nationwide in the Wilson Reading System® (WRS), the industry’s leading teacher certification program. the company that prepares teachers to implement the WRS with people with dyslexia who struggle to read. and spell.
Demand for Wilson’s programs is accelerating dramatically due to increased national recognition of programs grounded in the science of reading and the continued introduction of new state dyslexia laws across the country. Through this new partnership, Alpine will provide the support, expertise and resources needed to help Wilson scale its impact to meet the growing demand for its professional learning programs and services from educators and districts. Across the country.
“We are incredibly excited about the future of Wilson as we continue to expand our ability to reach more students, teachers, and administrators in pursuit of our vision of achieving “literacy for all,” said Barbara Wilson, co-founder of Wilson Language Training.
“With Alpine, we are delighted to have found a long-term partner who is not only completely aligned with our mission and belief in structured literacy and implementation science, but who also has extensive experience in partnership with education and founder-led companies like ours. . Going forward, Alpine will provide us with the additional resources, knowledge and expertise to continue to meet the changing needs of our customers as we expand the impact we can have on the education community,” continued Wilson.
“Barbara and Ed Wilson have built an exceptional company, and we look forward to helping them continue to advance their high-quality program pedagogy, professional learning, and commitment to implementation science that has helped countless students learning to read and write over the past three decades,” said Dan Sanner, founding partner at Alpine Investors. “We have a deep respect for Wilson’s mission, vision and culture and are excited to partner to invest more in their people, programming, professional learning, technology and the delivery of the COMPASS plan so they can continue to increase the impact of their mission for students and students. educators.
Wilson joins Alpine’s growing portfolio of educational businesses, which includes, but is not limited to, Riverside Insights, Perennial EdTech and McKissock Learning.
For Alpine, Morrison Foerster acted as legal counsel and debt advisor. For Wilson, Bigelow LLC served as financial advisor and Verrill acted as legal advisor.
About Wilson Language Training
Over the past three decades, Wilson has advanced his vision of “literacy for all” through multi-sensory structured literacy programs and professional learning supported by a commitment to the science of reading and implementation. work. Wilson is an expert in the field of dyslexia and a forerunner in providing life skills instruction to students in K-3 general education classrooms and those who struggle with reading and spelling. . The Wilson Reading System® (WRS), Foundations® and Just Words® programs provide a solid foundation for beginning readers and close the literacy gap for struggling students, including those with dyslexia. Wilson’s certifications translate to Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner and Therapist designations, which have been awarded Accreditation Plus by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). Nearly 300,000 educators have participated in Wilson courses and workshops, and 25,000 have earned WRS Level I certification. For more information, visit http://www.wilsonlanguage.com.
About Alpine Investors
Alpine Investors is a people-focused private equity firm committed to building sustainable businesses by working with, learning from and developing exceptional people. Alpine specializes in investing in companies in the software and services sector. Its PeopleFirst strategy includes a CEO program that enables Alpine to provide leadership in situations where additional or new management is needed after the transaction. Alpine is currently investing in its eighth fund of $2.25 billion. For more information, visit http://www.alpineinvestors.com.
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