EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
PRnewswire | May 08, 2023
Relativity, a global legal technology company, today announced it is working with Microsoft Corp. to expand the impact of its programs, Justice for Change and Relativity Academic Partners. Relativity and Microsoft will work together to accomplish Relativity's mission of empowering communities through providing access to the education, technology, and resources necessary for a more equitable society.
"We are deeply committed to driving better outcomes through our social impact programs and are honored and excited that Microsoft has taken notice of our work as well as felt inspired to get involved," said Phil Saunders, CEO of Relativity. "Microsoft's generous investment will directly support our ongoing efforts to power the pursuit of justice and expand legal technology education."
Microsoft will support Relativity's social impact programs, Justice for Change and Relativity Academic Partners and further advance Relativity's existing work with nonprofits and academic institutions and strategically expand access to better achieve program goals. They will establish volunteer opportunities and community engagement projects for employees to nurture the communities in which they live and work.
"Supporting social programs for justice and expanded legal technology education is important to Microsoft and we are proud to work with Relativity on these issues," says Justin Spelhaug, Vice President of Tech for Social Impact, part of Microsoft Philanthropies. "Modern cloud technology is a key component to ensuring students and policy makers have the tools they need to advance racial and social justice."
Relativity's Justice for Change program provides the company's SaaS product, RelativityOne, free of charge to organizations tackling legal cases and academic and policy research related to racial and social justice. The Relativity Academic Partner program offers professors access to practice-ready curricula and Relativity software, enabling students to gain early exposure to the knowledge and skills needed to be indispensable to their future employers.
"It's amazing to see what's possible when we align our resources with other companies like Relativity who are looking to make an impact in the community that's both palpable and enduring," said Nisaini Rexach, Manager, Community Engagement, Microsoft Philanthropies. "Thrilled to support Relativity in this capacity."
"Relativity's commitment to making a difference not only positively impacts the communities we serve, it also creates opportunities for fellow organizations to join forces and amplify their work," said Colleen Costello, Head of Social Impact at Relativity. "We appreciate Microsoft's incredible generosity and look forward to collaborating to make an even greater impact."
Today's news builds on Relativity and Microsoft's existing work to bridge technology with social impact initiatives.
About Relativity
Relativity makes software to help users organize data, discover the truth and act on it. Its SaaS product, RelativityOne, manages large volumes of data and quickly identifies key issues during litigation and internal investigations. Relativity has more than 300,000 users in approximately 40 countries serving thousands of organizations globally primarily in legal, financial services and government sectors, including the U.S. Department of Justice and 198 of the Am Law 200.
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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
PRnewswire | April 05, 2023
Teaching Strategies, the country's leading developer of early childhood curriculum, assessment, professional learning, and family engagement solutions, has won EdTech Digest's "EdTech Cool Tool Award" for The Creative Curriculum®, its research-based, whole-child curriculum that serves children from infancy through kindergarten.
The Creative Curriculum®, which earned the top honor in the "curriculum and instruction solution" award category, is designed to give early childhood educators, no matter their level of experience, the resources and support they need to implement a developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse backgrounds and skill levels. The curriculum's digital platform includes, for example, planning tools to guide individualized instruction; a mobile app to engage families with learning in the classroom and at home; and on-demand professional development and community-building opportunities.
Teaching Strategies was also named a finalist in seven award categories, spanning company leadership to assessment to credentialing.
"Our youngest learners—and those closest to them— deserve comprehensive supports that meet their evolving needs. This is especially true as we continue to navigate the long-term effects of the pandemic on learning in the classroom and at home," said Teaching Strategies CEO John Olsen. "We're thrilled to be recognized by EdTech Digest for our leadership in the sector and for our ongoing commitment to offer children, educators, and families the most innovative, timely solutions."
Established in 2010, The EdTech Awards recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate the most exceptional innovators, leaders, and trendsetters in education technology with three main honors: the EdTech Cool Tool Awards, the EdTech Leadership Awards, and the EdTech Trendsetter Awards.
Teaching Strategies was named a finalist in various categories under all three main honors. The products recognized as finalists for "Cool Tool Awards" include the new Professional Development Teacher Membership; the widely-used and trusted GOLD® assessment; the trauma-informed coaching app Noni™; and Tadpoles®, a communication solution for child care programs.
In addition, Olsen was named a finalist for a "Leadership Award" and the company's entire ecosystem of solutions was a finalist for a "Trendsetter Award."
Access a full list of winners and finalists for the awards.
This year's finalists and winners were narrowed from the larger field and judged based on various criteria, including: pedagogical workability, efficacy and results, support, clarity, value and potential.
"A very big congratulations to all The EdTech Awards 2023 finalists and winners—and congratulations to all who endured the upheavals of the last few years only to come through stronger, more experienced, resilient, and resolute in laying out the future of learning," said Victor Rivero, who as Editor-in-Chief of EdTech Digest oversees the program.
Rivero continued: "It's far from perfect but across K-12, higher education, and workforce learning sectors, an accelerated digital transformation has left in its wake hybrid schools, rapidly changing postsecondary models, and an increasingly remote-based workforce. The world has truly changed—and we will never be the same again."
About Teaching Strategies
Driven by research that shows a child's first eight years form a critical foundation for success in school and in life, Teaching Strategies has been an advocate for the early education community for over 40 years. Today, Teaching Strategies connects teachers, children and families to inspired teaching and learning experiences, informative data, stronger family partnerships, and professional learning through the leading early learning platform and resources. Its products, including the most widely-used curriculum and assessment solutions The Creative Curriculum® and GOLD®, are found in over 250,000 classrooms and reach over 4 million children each year. To learn why thousands of early childhood programs and many states choose to partner with Teaching Strategies to help ensure children's success in school and in life.
About EdTech Digest and EdTech Awards
EdTech Digest, a leading source of cool tools, interviews, and trends showcasing the future of learning, annually honors the best and brightest people, products and groups working in edtech with The EdTech Awards. Cool Tool, Leadership, and Trendsetter honorees span the K-12, Higher Ed, and Skills & Workforce sectors.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Newswire | March 30, 2023
Since 2011, Best Brains has provided tens of thousands of students instruction in Math and English concepts by employing real teachers in their over 140 locations. This year, this award-winning company has expanded their platform to provide any child aged 3-14 the opportunity to learn online. Via the app "BBConnect," students connect to the same teachers employed in Best Brains' brick-and-mortar locations. This program, which started development in 2020, is designed to make the Best Brains experience more mobile and flexible to students who may not have a location nearby.
"Even though we have locations in just over 20 states and counting, as well as in Ontario, Canada, we've seen how expansive our reach has become," says Franchise Development Specialist Elanor Smith. "We get inquiries from parents in every state and province who have heard of Best Brains and how effective our learning model is. With BBConnect, we can begin to reach these students for the first time."
By signing up for BBConnect, parents connect with a center administrator - usually an owner of a currently existing franchise location in places like California, Texas, or Ontario. Students are assessed online before being matched with real teachers and provided with a personalized lesson plan. Students log into the BBConnect app each week via their Android or iPad tablet and receive instruction in virtual classrooms. Between classes, new homework pages are unlocked each day so that students can perfect concepts taught in class.
To use BBConnect, students only need a tablet and a stylus. "Handwriting and drawing have always been an essential part of our curriculum," Curriculum Lead Rachel Evans explains. "We work hard to create a curriculum that is engaging and non-repetitive, and the physical aspect of our curriculum is part of that." When describing how Best Brains students feel about completing daily homework, Evans says, "Students love our daily packets and are actually motivated to finish them. I know they'll be excited to log into the app every day and find new assignments waiting for them."
Vice President of Best Brains Hana Adas is very invested in the potential of BBConnect. "Education is for everyone," she says. "There should be no barriers between students and quality education. We designed BBConnect so that we can connect real teachers to students through our program. We use the same curriculum and the same standards for our in-person students on the BBConnect app. We provide individualized feedback each week, something parents are constantly seeking from their education partners. We created Best Brains to be the best learning center there is, and BBConnect gives every student, no matter where they live, the opportunity to Be Their Best.
About Best Brains Learning Centers
Best Brains is an enrichment program for children ages 3 -14. Best Brains is head quartered in Arlington Heights, IL and has over 100 locations across the USA and Canada. The subjects offered at Best Brains are Math, English, Abacus, General Knowledge and SAT / ACT.
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