What is GG4L?

by Jordan Clark

Global Grid for Learning (GG4L) is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) that aims to build partnerships between schools and vendors in order to better address a wide range of issues in the EdTech space. GG4L facilitates affordable and secure data exchanges between its members. In order to achieve its goals, GG4L offers four solutions: GG4L Connect, GG4L Compass, School Passport, and the GG4L Catalyst Catalog. The organization also provides sponsored grants to support initiatives based around Safer Schools and Future-Proof Skills.

Solutions

GG4L Connect

GG4L Connect is a data integration platform that provides secure exchanges between different information services. The GG4L Connect Platform offers pre-built, standards-based integrations to many of the student information systems (SISs), data warehouses, and edtech applications. APIs and software developer kits support custom integrations. Workflow automation, governance, privacy and security are foundational to all GG4L Connect integration services.

School Passport

GG4L School Passport is a single sign-on (SSO) service that is an additional layer on top of GG4L Connect. School Passport helps school districts securely and cost-effectively distribute GG4L compliant applications and content to students and staff using standards-based SSO, identity management (IDM), and identity federation services. School Passport can work with any school’s or district’s LMS, SIS, third-party applications and devices.

GG4L Compass

GG4L Compass provides analytics to help schools measure the usage, effectiveness, and overall impact of solutions and programs. The solution tracks the use of digital content and resources through the Passport Managed Access service. It then reports on student outcomes and the use of digital resources by correlating content to usage.

GG4L Catalyst

GG4L Catalyst matches funding available from GG4L Sponsors with GG4L Member Schools who wish to deploy EdTech solutions as part of a sponsored GG4L Impact Initiative. Using Catalyst, the GG4L team provides end-to-end program management starting with initial funding and continuing throughout the program life cycle until it is completed and validated.

Initiatives

GG4L initiatives are sponsor-funded programs that allows us to deploy education technology that addresses specific problems and measures the effectiveness of technology in schools. The GG4L Impact Team creates initiatives in close consultation with sponsors and schools, which help schools implement and manage 1 and 3-year impact initiatives.

Safer Schools

The Safer Schools Initiative, led by, GG4L and McREL, is a grant available worldwide that is focused on EdTech applications that support a safer school environment in order to enable teaching and learning. Solutions range across seven research-based domains: campus security, physical health and wellness, emotional and behavioral health, emergency preparedness and management, digital safety, community engagement, and healthy school and district culture.

Future-Proof Skills

“Future-Proof Skills” is a new strategic impact initiative centered around STEAM and business education along with career readiness, validation and inventory for schools worldwide. The initiative aims to attract EdTech vendors, content publishers, corporate sponsors, education foundations, and research organizations which focus on STEAM and Business Skills, pathways to higher education and specialized careers, and solving the anticipated future shortage in various skill sets. Similar to the Safer Schools Impact initiative, Future Proof Skills aims to create a validated framework for a continuous improvement process that needs to be adopted by schools worldwide. Future-Proof Skills will insure that schools are preparing a future workforce that is ready to tackle new and emerging opportunities in various new fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Robotics, and Cyber-security.

Read More on Data Standards

Here are other articles we’ve written on Data Standards to help you on your integration journey:

If you're looking for a partner who can help guide you through developing LMS integrations (like these), then let’s introduce ourselves. We’re Edlink!