Building Symbiotic Relationships
Guest author Claire Talley from RLC writes about how companies can authentically engage educators
We’re excited to have another guest post this week, this time by Claire Talley, Associate Director of Admissions at Polygence, and author of her own amazing newsletter, Reimagining Learning Communities (RLC).
We’re particularly excited for this post, given the topic of our last newsletter, Looking for a Hero, where we expressed skepticism over handing the keys to the education kingdom to PE and VC. An educator and learning optimist with several years of classroom teaching under her belt, Claire posits a genuine way forward for companies to collaborate with and include educators and the rationale behind it.
Guest Post: Symbiosis
A Well-Told Story
While I was in the classroom, I used a patchwork of tools for specific solutions. It got me thinking - all these EdTech solutions are so interesting, but I wished to give some feedback on how it could work better for me in my class.
It’s no secret that there is a disconnect between EdTech & educators. It was frustrating in the classroom, to not have a voice in the process of building solutions I was using. It continued to be frustrating as I transitioned out. I witnessed the companies that valued my teaching experiences and understood what it’s like inside a school.
Part of this disconnect is that education career prospects often go one way; teachers leave the classroom to go to EdTech, while EdTech employees do not leave companies to go into schools.
The bigger part of this disconnect is an issue of representation, starting from the classroom.
In 2017, over half of the U.S. K-12 student population were students of color.
About 80% of teachers are white and 75% are female in 2020.
On average, 37% of school funding comes from local property tax revenue. 37% of Black and Brown students attended high-poverty schools in 2019-2020.
The question becomes, who is building EdTech tools? Who is leading the companies? Do they understand the community challenges (such as lack of reliable internet access, lack of reliable tech devices)? Have they been in the classroom? Does the company value equitable educational access?
Even when schools can afford high-cost tools, a gap in student outcomes can still exist. The tool might sound great in theory, but in practice might not have a proven ROI, have ineffective professional development available, not be user-friendly, address an already saturated market…
For EdTech as an industry to scale and make a real impact on our students, we need to build bridges between companies and those doing the work.
Ideal State: Symbiosis
It’s my general belief that the education & EdTech industry is full of purpose-driven people looking to impact the next generation. Let’s assume that both parties (EdTech and educators) are trying to do the right thing by their users within the system where they function.
System of Education:
Revenue comes from student enrollment & local, state, and federal funding.
The Bottom Line includes data points like attendance rates, graduation rates, low SpEd differentials, standardized test scores, and learning rigor (extracurricular opportunities, curriculum offered, college acceptances, etc).
System of EdTech:
Revenue comes from investors, customer acquisition, customer retention, and the lifetime value of customers.
The Bottom Line includes revenue, company valuation, fundraising opportunities & requirements, maximizing value & growth.
Can you spot the symbiosis yet?
Building good tools for users = building with user feedback = better outcomes for students & schools = growing bottom line for everyone
So What Does Success Look Like?
Building a bridge. A community for teachers and EdTech companies to come together and build solutions together! This would allow…
Teacher voice in product development,
Cultivate power users for companies to receive consistent feedback, community building, and implementation support,
Ability to target specific niches that might otherwise be overlooked, such as teachers in Title I elementary schools, 8th-grade science teachers, high school teachers in rural areas, etc.
Democratized access. Open educational resources are necessary so all teachers, schools, families, and students have what they need to thrive. This would allow…
Collaboration in implementing products & features,
Problem-solving within a community to ensure continued use and creative planning,
Reduced individual responsibility on users to successful implementation.
Who Is Doing These Things Well?
Established a Women in AI slack community.
Free resources for teachers, families, and districts towards the ethical and responsible use of AI in schools. Also, provides adult learning & PD sessions.
Free digital classroom activities, designed by teachers, for teachers
Desmos Fellows are cohorts of super teachers who gain in-person professional development, product feedback, and conference opportunities.
Who else is building a bridge between the classroom & EdTech? Let me know!
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