Why we exist

Is it possible to make the U.S. education system work for each and every student?

We believe it is.

It starts with the recognition that learning is personal. Each student is different. And when schools can truly meet a student’s unique strengths and needs, the benefits of a great education open up to them.

Turning this possibility into reality — at scale — is the reason we exist.

Beyond the factory model classroom

Our work is grounded in the belief that the traditional school model makes it nearly impossible for teachers to meet each student’s unique needs.

This model — with one teacher, a set of textbooks, and 28 or so same-aged students all learning the same material at the same time — is a reflection of industrial era thinking, where factories provided the template for mass production.

Too often, this traditional model fails those who enter behind grade level and hinders those who enter near the top. Students deserve better.

Addressing the math challenge

The negative effects of the factory-model classroom are especially acute in mathematics. Math is cumulative — the skills a student masters in one year are foundational for mastering more advanced topics later. But in the factory-model classroom, the skills taught are often based on the student’s age, not what they already know or have yet to master. For students who fall behind, this approach can cause learning gaps to accumulate, making it harder for them to catch back up.

To address this, we develop digital products and innovative learning models that meet students where they are and connect them to where they need to be. We also advocate for policies that allow for student-centered approaches to teaching and learning so far more students can succeed.

Redefining possible

With so much at stake, we must think beyond the factory-model paradigm. Balancing vision with pragmatism, we must push against fixed notions about the limits of what’s possible. It’s time to leverage the research, experience, and technology that exists today and deploy them in new ways that enable educators to better support each and every student.

While our current work is focused on middle and high school math, our broader aim is to collaborate with a new coalition of communities, educators, innovators, and policymakers who are committed to realizing a new, student-centered educational paradigm — one designed to systemically enable each and every student to thrive.

Our mission

To create and inspire better ways to give every student an educational foundation for lifelong success.

Our vision

We imagine a world where every student attends a school that meets them where they are, adapts to the unique ways they learn, and develops habits for lifelong success.

We’re changing the century-old paradigm of schooling — where all same-aged students learn the same thing at the same time — to one that provides each and every student with an educational program more attuned to their unique strengths and needs. And it all starts with a shift to tailored acceleration.

what we do