Apangea Learning Students love their pets DOGgone-it

Students within Western Pennsylvania and across the country love their pets DOGgone-it and are putting their money where their heart is. Today, the Western PA Humane Society will be awarded a check for almost $800 dollars from donations given by middle and high school students across the country, including those in the Pittsburgh region.

 

 

These students are part of a unique economic rewards-based incentive program designed by Pittsburgh-based Apangea Learning to motivate students to want to learn math. As students learn math through Apangea Learning’s supplemental math program, they accrue points for their efforts. Many students redeem these points for gift cards to their favorite retailer, BUT these students chose an altruistic option: donate the dollar value of their points towards a cause they believe in: The Humane Society.

   

“We are thrilled to accept this generous donation from these caring students,” says Lee Nesler, Executive Director of the WPA Humane Society.  “The money will be used to care for the thousands of animals that come to the shelter each month.”

Texas PTA Combats Summer Learning Loss While Raising Funds

According to John Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning, students lose (on average) approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Making matters worse, teachers spend four to six weeks reviewing what was learned in previous years once students return. To combat this summer learning loss, the Texas Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) has joined forces with Apangea Learning to provide students unlimited math tutoring over the summer months.

 

Apangea Learning provides students personalized, one-on-one math tutoring through its unique combination of Web-based instruction and live, online teachers. Students tutored by Apangea Learning are automatically enrolled in the company’s motivation program, which includes a rewards system for work completed, contests and random opportunities to win meaningful prizes (iPods, Nintendo DL Lites, gift cards, etc.).

 

Utilized by school districts throughout Texas (and the United States), Apangea Learning’s proven approach to math tutoring has helped thousands of Texan students achieve significant academic success within the classroom. 

 

According to Mayen Nelson of the Houston Independent School District, 21 of her 26 eighth graders passed the TAKS exam because of the Apangea Learning program.

 

“I passed my TAKS exam. I’m going to high school!” Powerful words that Frida, a student at Grand Prairie Independent School District, thought she would never be able to say.

 

Through this partnership with the Texas PTA, parents can now purchase a full summer of individualized math tutoring for $100, of which $20 will be donated back to the parents’ local PTA. Parents can enroll their children at www.apangealearning.com/TexasPTA.

 

“The Texas PTA is very excited about our partnership with Apangea Learning. Not only are we helping to overcome summer learning loss, but also providing our members a great and easy way to raise funds this summer,” stated Isaac Simon, Texas PTA’s Director of Marketing and Fund Development.

Altruism: a true motivator

al·tru·ism   [al-troo-iz-uh m] –noun

 

1. The principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others

 

It is relatively easy to motivate someone with a dangling carrot if that carrot directly benefits them. However, would that same person be as motivated if that carrot only benefited another? In the end, the answer comes down to the individual. But, we were happy to discover that as a whole, today’s students (tomorrow’s leaders) truly have an altruistic spirit about them.

 

During the winter holiday, Apangea Learning held a national contest to encourage students to use SmartHelp over the winter break. Unlike previous contests, this contest did not have students competing one-on-one for prizes such as iPods and Nintendo DS Lite. Instead, it had a new twist: altruism.

 

During this season of traditional goodwill and giving, students would now work together as a class to compete against other classes not for gadgets or pizza parties, but for the opportunity to help complete strangers. Apangea Learning would donate $1,000 to the charity of the winning class’ choice.

 

The participation in this contest was phenomenal.

 

Since that contest, Apangea Learning has held additional altruism contests that yielded equally impressive student participation.  Winners of these contests (and the charities they chose) include:

 

• Bill Arnold Middle School (TX): Leukemia and Lymphoma Society North Dallas Chapter
• North Kenwood/Oakland Middle Campus of the University of Chicago Charter School (IL): Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
• Southeast Local Middle School (OH): Akron Children’s Hospital 

The students altruistic spirit did not go unnoticed. Click the following links to view a few of the stories that ran as a result of the students’ efforts: 

• Hyde Park Citizen: North Kenwood-Oakland Charter School Donates Contest Proceeds to Homeless Group
• KDAF Dallas/Fort Worth –CW 33 News at Nine: Arnold Middle School Donates to Charity
• Record-Courier: Celebrating math achievements; Program raising test scores; $1,000 donated to hospital

Apangea Learning and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel

To compete in the 21st century global economy, knowledge of and proficiency in mathematics is critical. Today’s high school graduates need to have solid mathematics skills—whether they are headed for college or directly into the workforce. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel (National Math Panel) was created in April 2006 to help ensure our nation’s future competitiveness and economic viability.

Recently, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel released its final report on best practices for the teaching and learning of mathematics (please see the above article: Focus on algebra, U.S. panel tells schools). The final report contains 45 findings and recommendations on numerous topics including instructional practices, materials, professional development and assessments.

Apangea Learning is well-positioned vis-à-vis the recommendations of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.  SmartHelp is an excellent fit with the panel’s key recommendations. Additionally, it fully covers each of the benchmarks for the Critical Foundations of Algebra. Please click below for a detailed report on how Apangea Learning SmartHelp aligns with the National Mathematics Advisory Panel’s final report.

Click to learn more

Let the Teachers Teach

Lately, we have been considering the following question:  what does Apangea Learning SmartHelp really do in the classroom?  And, I don’t mean this in a tactical sense, but in more of a philosophical sense.  As is so often the case, the answer came from one of our customers, Barbara Shoap, a teacher at George Washington High School in Philadelphia. 

“Some of us remain committed to give disadvantaged students some much-needed skills and some direction. It’s an uphill battle and it’s burn-out. There are always some kids who resist change or refuse help. But Apangea Learning PLUS my support kept them attending, engaged, and progressing, commensurate with the effort that they made to apply themselves within the program. I think that is a realistic definition of success. I was able to be more available to their individual needs, and my relationship to them was both teacher and facilitator.  Apangea Learning made my day better every day.” 

That simple, yet powerful paragraph provided us with the answer we were looking for:  Apangea Learning lets the teachers teach.  And, the more we thought about it, the more we realized that the reasons that people become teachers is for those special moments when they are able to interact with a student and help that child learn.  But, in these days of crowded classrooms, diverse student populations, and high stakes exams, we ask our teachers to do more and more with less and less.  Our job as businesspeople, as parents, as citizens of society as a whole is to help the teachers do what we want them to do and what they want to do:  teach.  And, that’s why we say: LET THE TEACHERS TEACH!

Raise Your Hand Texas

I recently had the opportunity to exhibit at the TASB/TASA Convention in Dallas.  As is usual at trade shows, I made my “new best friends in the world”… the people in the booths that were located close to my booth.  I had the pleasure of being next to a booth for Raise Your Hand Texas (www.raiseyourhandtexas.org).  This organization really captured my attention:  it is a not-for-profit, bipartisan advocacy group dedicated to supporting public schools in Texas. The people that I met from the organization truly have the best interest of kids and communities at heart. 

It is unfortunate that across the United States budget battles are being waged over how much money schools should receive and where it should come from (e.g., property taxes.). It is my hope that all people involved in these battles can gain insight from Raise Your Hand Texas and not lose sight of one very important goal:  providing kids with an excellent education that will allow them to achieve their life goals.  In doing so, I firmly believe that we are making not only for better communities, but for a better country as a whole. 

~ Matthew Hausmann, Vice President ~

Apangea Learning SmartHelp Receives Technology & Learning’s 2007 Award of Excellence

Apangea Learning is pleased to announce that SmartHelp has been honored with the prestigious 2007 Award of Excellence from Technology & Learning magazine, a leading education technology publication. Apangea Learning SmartHelp has been selected as one of the best education offerings of the past year and will be showcased in Technology & Learning’s December Awards Issue and featured online at http://www.techlearning.com.

All entries are given a rigorous test-driving by qualified educators in several rounds of judging. The products are then carefully screened by the Technology & Learning editorial team. Evaluation criteria for all entries include: quality and effectiveness, ease of use, creative use of technology, and suitability for use in an educational environment.

Technology & Learning‘s Awards of Excellence program has been recognizing outstanding education technology products for the last quarter century. With a solid reputation in the industry as a longstanding, high quality program, the Awards of Excellence recognize the “best of the best” that help educators in the business of teaching, training and managing with technology.

 “Technology & Learning is constantly recognized for its commitment to excellence, receiving several of the industry’s top media accolades. It is a true honor to be recognized by Technology & Learning and be the recipient of its 2007 Award of Excellence,” expressed Apangea Learning CEO Louis Piconi. “I am very proud of the work and dedication of my entire team and all of our customers who have contributed great ideas to the development of SmartHelp.”  

SmartHelp provides one-on-one differentiated math instruction via Web-based technology that integrates its innovative intelligent tutoring system with live one-on-one human tutors. Based on one of the world’s largest bodies of cognitive research, it utilizes a skills-based problem solving process that teaches students how to break down problems into manageable steps. Its content can be tailored to meet the learning needs of fifth grade to college students, and is ideal for supplemental instruction, remediation, intervention, advanced study or after class programs. In accordance with best practices in serving English Language Learners (ELL), SmartHelp supports eight languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Korean.

 The latest version of SmartHelp has a number of new features including: 

·        Multi-tiered instructional escalation model for moving students from automated feedback to multiple levels of certified teacher intervention.

·        Built-in motivation program that rewards student progress with points that are redeemable for age-appropriate gift cards.

·        Advanced real-time reports that isolate specific district, class and student data – even identifying the specific skill challenging a single student.

·        Expanded and restructured algebra content to facilitate scaffolding into Algebra 2 and beyond.

·        Correlated learning pathways that integrate individual student needs, while automatically correlating content to any state’s standards.

·        Our unique “Solve it Now” feature which allows students to bypass content they know, enabling them to focus on the content they truly need.

APANGEA LEARNING ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL INTERN AWARD

Shane Sewall is the first recipient to win the First Annual Apangea Learning Intern Award. He was an intern for Apangea Learning during his senior year at Northside Urban Pathways Charter School (NUP) for the 2006-2007 school year. Today, he is a freshman at Kent State University and is the first and only of his family or friends to attend college.

 “Being the CEO of a high growth company, I am very aware of how important each employee, including our interns, is to the over all success of Apangea Learning,” explained Apangea Learning CEO Louis Piconi.  “Shane is a very hardworking and extremely dedicated young man. There was no doubt that he should be the recipient for our First Annual Apangea Learning Intern Award.” 

Headquartered in downtown Pittsburgh, Apangea Learning’s internship program exclusively recruits from inner-city high schools. This program is designed to expose urban youths to a business environment in hopes that this experience creates a bridge that leads them from high school to college and beyond.  

“Many students growing up in an urban environment face numerous challenges on a daily basis that most of us in the business world can’t begin to comprehend,” expressed Piconi. “Our internship program helps these kids understand why it so important to continue their education and how it will vastly expand the opportunities they have in life.” 

~ Matthew Hausmann, Vice President ~

Raise those expectations!

According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, the new Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, David Brewer, told principals and managers that they must change a pervasive culture of “low expectations for brown and black children.”  And in a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, a similar alarm was sounded for Special Education students.

I believe the expectations we set for our own children is critical.  Far too often, adults don’t give kids credit for being able to rise to a challenge.  In an effort to promote self esteem, we fail to remember that personal growth comes from facing challenges head on and successfully overcoming them. You will see this first hand watching any child play a video game:  the initial frustration; the digging in and working hard; and the utter joy when they successfully accomplish the task.  Yes, there is failure involved, but ultimately it is this failure that drives kids to succeed. 

Our job as adults is to show them the path and teach them how to turn their failure into success.  Simply creating a lower expectation will not help the child grow and may actually teach them that they don’t need to work hard.

I think kids will pleasantly surprise you, so raise those expectations!

 ~ Matthew Hausmann, Vice President ~

Teaching? You’ve got to be kidding!

Every week, I visit classrooms across the U.S. and see the same problems again and again.  It frustrates me to no end when I see a teacher who cannot teach; however, in the vast majority of cases, the teacher is not the problem. The problem is that we have placed teachers in a no-win situation and forced them to become babysitters, social workers and police officers.  Consider this, nearly every teacher in an urban school district is expected to do the following activities simultaneously:

• Answer the questions of approximately 30 students, many of whom are functioning at significantly different levels of academic performance.
• Get EVERY student to a level where they can pass a standardized exam.
• Keep everyone interested in learning!!

Some people will say that this type of challenge is exactly the reason why teachers become teachers – and that may be true – until you begin to consider that these same teachers also need to deal with:

• Family and social issues of students who lack a strong support network.
• The never ending encroachment of electronic games, cell phones, pagers and more into a busy classroom.
• The mainstreaming of students with special needs (note: this is not a criticism, just another challenge for many teachers to face).

Put it all together and what do we get in the typical U.S. classroom: frustrated teachers, students, administrators and parents.  The model for education in the U.S. has not adapted to the new challenges presented in today’s classroom.  We MUST start supporting our teachers and students in new and innovative ways.  The answer is not more training, better text books or even fancier software. The answer: we must devise ways to enhance the ability of teachers to do their job effectively – and this means reconsidering what a classroom in the U.S. should look like.

Next installment – your ideas on how to fix this problem… (e-mail lpiconi@apangealearning.com).

~ Louis Piconi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer ~