Public Consulting Group (PCG) today announced that it has acquired the BLEgroup, a provider of consulting services based in Washington, D.C. The BLEgroup will join PCG's Education practice area.

"Districts today, especially small to medium districts, are challenged with properly integrating technology in education," said Grant Blair, Director, PCG Education. "By acquiring the BLEgroup, we have a great opportunity to meld their proven best practices to our larger education consulting capabilities."

Founded in 1994, the BLEgroup is based on the premise that effective education depends on the quality of digital products and the management capacity of schools. The BLEgroup has cultivated a unique position within the education consulting space, working with education technology providers (e.g. software, services, and digital content companies) to provide market research and insights on effective products for K12. The BLEgroup also has realized success for school system clients in advising and guiding their procurements, implementations, and integration of technology to meet strategic and academic needs.

"Becoming part of PCG allows the BLEgroup to expand our services to both the industry and schools with a firm that has national reach," said Eliot Levinson, founder of the BLEgroup. This is especially important at a time when schools grapple with crossing the digital divide, and educators and administrators search for more effective ways to support student success. We are excited to join a team dedicated to education technology integration."

About Public Consulting Group

Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) is a leading public sector consulting firm that partners with health, education, and human services agencies to improve lives. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PCG has nearly 2,000 professionals in more than 60 offices around the U.S., in Canada, and inEurope. The firm has extensive experience in all 50 states, clients in six Canadian provinces, and a growing practice in Europe. To learn more, visit www.publicconsultinggroup.com.

A division of PCG, PCG Education offers consulting and technology solutions that help schools, school districts, and state departments of education across the U.S. and internationally to promote student success, improve programs and processes, and optimize financial resources. PCG Education has recovered more than $3.9 billion federal Medicaid funds for school district clients and its special education management systems, EasyIEP™, GoalView™, and IEP online™, serve more than 1.7 million special education students across the U.S. More information is available at www.publicconsultinggroup.com/education

About the BLEgroup

The BLEgroup is a network of 200 leading edge education decision makers, including, superintendents, CIOs and heads of instruction from all types of K12 education organizations. The BLEgroup is well respected for the three types of services it has developed:

• A cost-effective, strategic assessment and integration planning service for districts of all sizes
• Market research and panel work with publishers and education technology firms
• Thought leadership to both the industry and schools