Tampa Companies Unite to Modernize Special Education

Scholar Education and PAR partner to help bring faster, higher-quality evaluations to families nationwide.

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Two Tampa-based innovators are joining forces again, but this time to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing families navigating special education.

Scholar Education announced a strategic partnership with PAR, a national leader in psychological assessments and educational evaluations, to help modernize how students are identified, evaluated, and connected to support services.

For Scholar Education founder and CEO Ed Buckley, the partnership is also something of a homecoming. PAR was one of the largest investors in Peerfit, the Tampa health technology company Buckley founded, built into one of the region’s most successful startup stories, and later sold. Now, years later, the two are teaming up again, this time to take on growing challenges in special education.

“Having known Ed Buckley for many years, it’s incredibly rewarding to have the opportunity to work together again. I have always admired his commitment to finding innovative ways to solve meaningful challenges,” said Kristin Greco, CEO of PAR.

The partnership comes as demand for special education services continues to rise nationwide. Families often wait 12-18 months for evaluations, while schools face growing backlogs and staffing shortages. Scholar Education believes the answer is not simply faster evaluations, but better evaluations delivered more efficiently.

“It’s exciting to work with PAR again,” said Ed Buckley, CEO of Scholar Education. “They’ve spent decades building some of the most trusted assessment tools in education. By combining that expertise with Scholar’s technology, we can make high-quality evaluations more accessible and give parents confidence they’re getting the most complete picture of their child’s needs.”

Founded in Tampa, Scholar Education currently serves more than 20,000 students and educators across multiple states through its special education technology platform. Through its newest initiative, Scholar Health, the company is expanding beyond classroom support and into evaluations, family navigation, and special education services.

The partnership with PAR represents a major step toward that vision.

“We’re building infrastructure that helps move children from evaluation to support faster,” said Marlee Strawn, president and co-founder of Scholar Education. “When families get answers sooner and educators have better information, students benefit.”

“Together, we’re making it easier for more children and families to access the evaluations, insights, and educational resources they need to thrive. We are proud to be Scholar’s trusted assessment partner and excited about the impact we can create together,” Greco added.

About Scholar Education
Scholar Education, based in Tampa, is building the AI infrastructure for special education: the system that moves children from diagnosis to classroom support faster than the current process allows. Through BaxterBot (student-facing) and PAWfessor Bruce (teacher-facing), Scholar’s platform delivers accommodations-based student support, accommodation delivery, and real-time instructional insights directly in the classroom.

Karen Pinkston
Catalyst Communications Group
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