Carnegie Learning acquired the assets of James Cameron-cofounded MUSE Virtual School

Downtown Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Learning has announced that it’s acquiring the MUSE Virtual School’s curriculum to support its AI-powered software.

The K-12 education technology provider offers courses in math, literacy and world languages. Adding the MUSE Virtual curriculum will enable it to offer more educational products to a world where learning is increasingly taking place in virtual spaces. Financial details were not disclosed.

According to Carnegie Learning CEO Barry Malkin, the acquisition supports Carnegie Learning’s belief that in today’s global economy, students require easy access to the best educational products regardless of their geographic location. MUSE Virtual School, which was created in response to the pandemic, has a reputation for offering an individualized approach to education, which means there was no better org to reach out to for doubling down on nontraditional learning approaches, Malkin said.

“The MUSE Virtual curriculum offers an innovative approach to learning and will strengthen our ability to continually push the boundaries of education,” Malkin said in a statement. “With expertise in math, literacy, and world languages, the MUSE curriculum brings an added depth to our portfolio, which is unlike any other company in our industry.”

Although Carnegie Learning isn’t hiring specifically to support the acquisition, it is getting some new high-profile partners in the form of James Cameron, a world-renowned director of films such as “Avatar” and “Titanic,” and his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron. James Cameron is working with the company to develop edtech products, while Suzy Amis Cameron is joining its board of directors.

Carnegie Learning CEO Barry Malkin. (Courtesy photo)

The Camerons’ expertise comes from cofounding the California-based MUSE Global School with Suzy Amis Cameron’s sister, Rebecca Amis. With this acquisition, James Cameron looks forward to supporting the org in using technology to make learning accessible and fun, according to a public statement.

“Technology isn’t just about augmenting education,” he said. “It’s about reinventing it, creating new opportunities for real-time assessment and intervention, hyper-personalized courseware, creative collaboration and much else. I’m anxious to support Carnegie Learning in harnessing the power of technology to create unique, fun, and immersive experiences that engage kids and accelerate learning.”

Suzy Amis Cameron said she respects Carnegie Learning’s desire to take a holistic approach to educating children, and looks forward to bringing her background of environmentalism and education into the development of new curriculums for students.

“Carnegie Learning shares my sense of urgency and responsibility to improve the world for our children,” she said. “The company’s programs, practices and principles guide learning in ways that address the whole child. Carnegie Learning is also committed to educating children to solve our planet’s most pressing challenges. Together, I’m confident we can transform K-12 education.”

Carnegie Learning is hiring “aggressively” to accommodate the growth it’s seen in the past year, as told to Technical.ly via spokesperson Eden Bloss. It’s already brought on 165 new full-time positions in 2022 with a total of 700 employees in the US and Canada.