Learning Ovations has secured a Sbir grant of $1.05m.
Learning Ovations, an edtech spin-out of Arizona State University (ASU), has secured a $1.05m grant from the US Department of Education. The investment is made through the department’s small business innovation research (Sbir) programme.
The spin-out is one of only two companies so far this year which have secured funding through the programme via the department’s Institute of Education Sciences, which focuses investments solely on companies solving problems in education. The Sbir programme includes all eleven federal agencies and is run by the Small Business Administration.
Learning Ovations’ product, A2i, lets teachers create a personalised reading curriculum for students, from kindergarten through third grade (age 8 to 9). It is based on research by Carol Connor, professor at ASU’s Department of Psychology and senior learning scientists at the university’s Learning Sciences Institute. A2i was developed with the help of researchers at Florida State University and Michigan University.
The Sbir grant gives the spin-out the financial means to expand its offering and implement it on a large scale. The terms of the funding will give the company two and a half years to reach this goal.
Jay Connor, founder and chief executive at Learning Ovations, said: “Our research has shown that if we take into account children’s individual differences in their language and reading skills, we can develop more effective individualized instruction for them. This award is very significant. These resources will allow us to have meaningful social impact. The single best inoculation against poverty is grade-level reading by the end of third grade, which Learning Ovations can now deliver in school districts across the country.”
