British publisher Pearson (PSON.L) is to pay $230 million for U.S. digital learning firm Schoolnet, the latest in a string of acquisitions to cement its leading position in education technology. Schoolnet's data tools allow teachers to personalise learning, and currently serve more than 5 million U.S. students from pre-kindergarten through to secondary education in about a third of America's largest cities, Pearson said on Tuesday. "Being able to offer a connective digital spine for learning has been Pearson's goal for years," chief executive Marjorie Scardino said. Pearson, which also owns the Financial Times and Penguin Books, has spent more than $1.4 billion on education companies since disposing of a majority stake in Interactive Data Corporation for $2 billion a year ago.
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