RolloutPlan

OER in K-12 Education in the U.S.: A Plan for Sales, Marketing, and Deployment Support
[DRAFT]

As OER becomes more available and supported by policymakers in K-12, it is essential to make sure that schools know about it and receive the support they need in using it.

As states roll out adoptions of OER, districts and schools must be made aware of their availability. In many ways, OER must be marketed and "sold" just as commercial textbooks are. If this doesn't happen, the potential impact of OER will not materialize, and states will not be likely to maintain momentum in recommending them.

While each OER provider or publisher could (and some already do) undertake this individually for their own content, it is an area of common interest that could be served by a common effort, in a way similar to what is currently being done at the policy advocacy level. A coordinated approach could better leverage all OER stakeholders' expenditures of both time and money.

In order to do this, support is needed in various areas as described below.

Awareness-building and marketing
 * PR
 * Curriculum conferences
 * Representation at intermediate units (county offices, service centers, etc.) and other curriculum libraries
 * Targeted direct mail

"Sales"
 * Inbound telemarketing
 * District and school level visits in selected areas

Deployment support
 * Professional development
 * Customization services
 * Technical support