Who were the top ed tech acquirers in 2012?

According to a new CB Insights on mergers and acquisitions in 2012, education technology was by no means the top industry by deal volume — that honor goes to web and mobile commerce — but given all the investor money entering the sector, we thought it might be interesting to take a look at the top companies responsible for exits.

According to the research firm, there were 48 ed tech deals in 2012, down slightly from 51 in 2011. John Wiley & Sons, the 200-year-old publisher, was the most active buyer, acquiring three companies. Publishing giant Pearson, learning management system Blackboard and private equity firm Vista Equity Partners each bought up two companies. The biggest ed tech deals of the year were Pearson’s $650 million purchase of Embanet Compass, which provides online learning services to colleges and universities.