Animated Curriculum · Grades K–8

BrainPOP

Animated educational videos and quizzes covering core subjects and current events

Owned by: BrainPOP / Holtzbrinck Publishing Group

2,000+
Animated lessons
K–8
Grade range at LMSD
since 1999
Operating history
Holtzbrinck
German media conglomerate owner

BrainPOP is a curriculum-supplement platform owned by Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a German media conglomerate. Used across K–8 at LMSD, it delivers short animated videos with Tim and Moby on science, social studies, math, English, health, and more, paired with quizzes and creative assignments. While the content is engaging and teacher-friendly, BrainPOP collects detailed engagement data on children — every video watched, quiz answered, and assignment submitted — and its parent company has a history of mergers and data policy changes.

The Full Picture

The Good

  • Engaging, curriculum-aligned animated videos that hold attention far better than a textbook page
  • Broad subject coverage — science, social studies, ELA, health, SEL, current events — reduces the need for multiple platforms
  • BrainPOP Jr. (K–3) and BrainPOP (4–8) tiers mean age-appropriate vocabulary and concepts
  • Teacher tools are genuinely useful: built-in quiz builder, assignment tracking, standards alignment
  • iKeepSafe COPPA-certified; school accounts prevent children from creating personal profiles

The Bad

  • Passive video consumption is the default mode — a 3-minute animation followed by a multiple-choice quiz is not deep learning
  • Detailed behavioral data (video completion, quiz attempts, dwell time) is collected on children as young as 5
  • Holtzbrinck is an international media company — data governance is subject to German and EU policies that may diverge from U.S. FERPA expectations
  • Animated format optimized for entertainment can train students to expect bite-sized, low-effort content
  • Subscription cost diverts budget that could fund classroom libraries or arts programs

The Worse

  • No parent-facing dashboard — parents cannot see what their child watched, how often, or what quiz data is stored
  • BrainPOP's acquisition history (it was previously sold to and repurchased from Holtzbrinck) creates uncertainty about future data handling if ownership changes again
  • Students who struggle with reading still must read quiz questions, creating an accessibility gap the platform hasn't fully solved
  • Over-reliance at district scale means if BrainPOP is discontinued or paywalled, teachers lose a core instructional tool with no immediate replacement

Privacy Deep-Dive

Data Collected

Video views, quiz scores, assignment completions, login timestamps, and device/browser metadata for every child in the district

COPPA Compliance

iKeepSafe certified; school acts as the COPPA operator — parents consent via school enrollment, not individually

Data Sharing

Data shared with service providers under contractual limits; Holtzbrinck corporate affiliates governed by German privacy law

Retention Policy

Data retained for the life of the school account plus a grace period; district must request deletion upon contract end

Parent Rights

Parents may request data access or deletion through the district — no direct parent portal provided by BrainPOP

International Transfer

Holtzbrinck is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany; data may be processed in Germany under GDPR-adjacent policies

Note: BrainPOP's corporate ownership is a German media group. If your child's data is ever transferred or stored internationally, the legal framework governing it may differ from U.S. FERPA protections. Ask the district for the current DPA with BrainPOP.

What It Replaces in the Classroom

Animated video on a Chromebook
↓ on a screen
A classroom demonstration with hands-on materials, followed by student-drawn diagrams
Digital quiz after a video
↓ on a screen
Oral discussion, exit tickets on paper, or peer teach-back
BrainPOP assignment tracker
↓ on a screen
Teacher observation and portfolio notebooks
BrainPOP current events
↓ on a screen
Printed Scholastic News or class discussion of age-appropriate news

Questions for the District

What specific data fields does BrainPOP collect on each child, and where is that data stored?
Does LMSD have a current Data Privacy Agreement with BrainPOP that limits secondary use of student data?
How many minutes per week does the average LMSD student spend on BrainPOP, and how does the district measure its academic impact?
What happens to student data if LMSD does not renew the BrainPOP contract?
Has the district audited whether BrainPOP usage correlates with improved state assessment scores?

Sources

  • BrainPOP Privacy Policy — brainpop.com/privacy-policy
  • iKeepSafe COPPA Safe Harbor certification — ikeepsafe.org
  • Holtzbrinck corporate structure — holtzbrinck.com
  • Singer, L.M. & Alexander, P.A. (2017). Reading on paper and digitally: What the past decades of empirical research reveal. Review of Educational Research.
  • LMSD COPPA Vendor List — lmsd.org

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