Jessie Woolley-Wilson

Kudos to TechFlash and Frank Catalano for shining a spotlight on local education-technology companies trying to make a mark in the advancement of innovation in the classroom. ["Seattle's invisible tech industry," Feb. 15.] I agree that the education-technology sector, both regionally and nationally, needs to garner more visibility, and articles like Mr. Catalano’s are certainly a step in the right direction.

My name is Jessie Woolley-Wilson and I’m the CEO of DreamBox Learning, a start-up in Bellevue that was highlighted in Mr. Catalano’s piece. He asked why more attention isn’t paid to this sector, citing reasons such as market complexity, tough business models and lack of local industry support structure. These are all very valid but I feel strongly that results will become the jet fuel of the education-technology segment – showing school administrators, teachers and parents how these new classroom-based tools are making a significant difference in how our kids learn, excel and advance.

At DreamBox Learning, we’ve developed an adaptive learning platform that builds conceptual understanding in math for K-3 students and we’re currently working on a complete K-5 math solution. Our vision is to provide an engaging (dare I say fun), personalized and effective learning experience that is dynamic and leverages common gaming protocols to continually monitor progress and keep students motivated. Our tools place students in their optimal learning zone while also building confidence and competence in math foundations. One effectiveness study found that after two weeks of using DreamBox Learning, students’ math achievement scores increased 19 percent. As you might imagine, that is a stat that immediately grabs the attention of educators.

In addition to DreamBox Learning, there are other programs tackling core subjects such as early reading that are making impressive in-roads in the area of student achievement as well. Collectively, adaptive learning technology companies have an important role to play in helping education leaders better understand the power and promise of these nimble learning technologies and sharing student success stories more broadly. They need to know that together, as partners in education, we can shape the future of learning.

At DreamBox Learning, we are fortunate to receive a daily stream of feedback from educators at every level sharing their student successes using our adaptive learning tools. While this recognition validates that we’re having a positive impact on student outcomes and such individual success stories inspire us to continue to deliver a delightful learning experience, we know more needs to be done. We know that far too few students have the opportunity to experience adaptive learning. Our kids deserve the best and adaptive learning experiences represent the most promising learning technology available. We all need to be education-technology evangelists. We need to tout our success stories, especially among the least well served groups in this country. We need to keep pushing the needle. Our collective future depends on it.