Azadi Partners

Welcome to the second edition of the EdTech Effect, where I'll be sharing some of the most promising and transformative edtech tools and resources for schools and school districts. Thanks for checking out this edition, highlighting OKO Labs! Every teacher knows small group learning is a proven method for differentiating instruction and boosting student engagement, but how do you manage several groups simultaneously without an extra set of hands in the classroom? Enter OKO Labs! OKO Labs provides teachers and classrooms with an intelligent small group assistant that makes learning math collaborative and motivating for elementary and middle school students. It reacts to student answers and gestures as they learn math concepts from Illustrative Mathematics and Eureka, boosting engagement and participation.  OKO small groups: 🌟 Involve Every Student: OKO promotes participation of all kinds, recognizing hand-raises, and facilitating equitable turn-taking to give every learner a voice. 🌟 Promote Mathematical Discourse: OKO sparks conversation and debate, encouraging students to explain their thinking and justify their reasoning. 🌟 Foster Teamwork: OKO guides students through collaborative problem-solving, helping them build a shared understanding of math concepts. In a spring 2024 pilot, using OKO 2 times per week, students demonstrated an impressive 7% increase in math scores 🎇, significant improvements in attitudes towards math 😁, and heightened engagement and motivation during math activities 🙋♀️. OKO Labs  Azadi Partners #InnovativeLearning #CollaborativeLearning #MathEducation #AIinEducation #StudentEngagement

As a teacher, school leader, and system-level leader in NYC Department of Education, I've seen the potential and the impact of educational technology firsthand. My experience in the edtech sector has fueled my excitement for human-centered tech that can personalize learning, extend educational experiences beyond the classroom, and make teaching a more efficient and sustainable profession. I am now working to bridge the divide between the edtech startups developing innovative tools and the schools that can benefit most from them. In my new newsletter, the EdTech Effect, I'll be sharing some of the most promising tools and resources that I believe can be transformative for schools and school districts. Thanks for checking out our very first edition, highlighting Willow Education, PBC! Willow Education was founded by James Cryan, former Founder and CEO of Rocky Mountain Prep, in response to the shockingly low graduation rates of Denver students who were the first in their families to attend college. Willow exists to provide all students - especially those uncertain about college or considering non-traditional paths - with concrete, high-quality next steps toward a fulfilling and prosperous career. The platform’s efficient 15-minute career quiz, engaging career exploration tools (including TikTok-style videos sharing authentic career-specific perspectives), and AI coach provide unmatched personalization for students as they explore their next step. In a recent Denver pilot, Willow students were 50% more likely to choose postsecondary programs that provided a high return on investment of their time and tuition. Read more in The EdTech Effect! Willow Education, PBC Azadi Partners #PostsecondarySuccess #PostsecondaryPathways #StudentSuccess

The right questions to ask about college ROI, according to Preston Cooper: ✅ When is a college program worth it? ✅ How is a degree program worth it? ❌ Is college worth it? “College” is not a single pathway: many different options are available for types of schools, quality of instruction, different degrees offered, and other factors. While 69% of programs in recent data from The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity have a positive ROI, that still leaves 31% of programs that leave students worse off and contribute to mounting student debt. Determining a program fit means diving deeper into the specifics. https://lnkd.in/emxTCPWd

It's been a year since Anusheh Hashim Byrne and I launched Azadi Partners. It's something that we had considered for quite a while, but I struggled with worries of financial insecurity and how to define my niche. It took the necessity of leaving my job to force us to take the plunge. The past year has been an incredibly rewarding experience as we have built this business together and partnered with such incredible educators and entrepreneurs who are doing exciting and invaluable work. Deep gratitude to our early partners: TNTP, Magpie Literacy, Springpoint, Willow Education, PBC, Kyron Learning, Riveting Results, Outlier.org, Cambiar Education, Leap Educational Consulting, School Empowerment Network As we look to the future, we are excited to continue building together with our current and future partners. If you are an edtech startup looking for support with partnership or GTM strategy, or an educational nonprofit in need of support with strategic initiatives, let's talk! We are eager to leverage our experience in classrooms, schools, and school systems to support your goals and priorities. #EducationalConsulting #StrategicPartnerships #EducationalEquity #GTMStrategy #MWBE

💻 We’re thrilled to announce that Outlier by Savvas, our new online dual-enrollment course offerings, has been named to TIME World's Top EdTech Companies 2024 list! Learn more: https://ow.ly/JG7L50RUk9B #edtech #edleaders #dualenrollment

We are excited to share a blog co-authored by our CEO Rebecca Kockler released this week by The Education Trust featuring research at our sister organization Reading Reimagined (a program of Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF) which is shedding light on why many k-8 students struggle with reading comprehension - it's not just about understanding the concepts, but being able to decode the complex, multisyllabic words in grade-level texts. As the blog explains, there is a "decoding threshold" where students with strong foundational literacy skills can comprehend much better than those who haven't mastered decoding longer, morphologically complex words. At Magpie, we are building a solution based on this research to support foundational literacy for k-8 students. By identifying decoding needs and building those skills, we can help more students cross that threshold and focus on true comprehension. I hope you will read the full article to learn more about this issue and our work to reimagine reading instruction. We're excited to share solutions that can move the needle for struggling readers. Although many organizations speak up for the adults employed by schools and colleges, we speak up for students, especially those whose needs and potential are often overlooked.

📣 Exciting Update! 📣 Today, we're launching the Kyron Visionaries -- our community of forward-thinking creators and educators building on Kyron. If you're looking for a network of passionate, creative educators who want to learn about AI in education and how to provide the best experience for their learners, sign up now! You can join here: https://lnkd.in/e5Cgi7f2 See you there!

We're excited to share with you the beta release of Kyron Studio, our new AI-powered lesson creator tool! Read all about it: https://lnkd.in/e2R6H9cq And create your own lesson at https://lnkd.in/ezz_uf7V

"Traditional research and development has too long omitted our students. Our approach to Inclusive R&D includes them as critical partners. As we build tech-enabled literacy tools for students of all ages, we aim to include kids in every step of the journey." Rebecca Kockler So how might students design reading tools? We worked alongside Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop to find out. https://lnkd.in/gJajR_pt #codesign, #edtech, #literacy, #participatorydesign, #inclusivelearning