Why We Invested
Education around the globe is inequitable; characterized by gaps in opportunities and achievement along socioeconomic and racial lines. In the US, Title I schools have a 32% dropout rate. In Latin America, 40% of indigenous and Afro-Latino students don't attend school, while 50% of those who do drop out by 8th grade. Inequities start early with more than 50% of children from low-income backgrounds not fully ready for kindergarten when they enter school. Textbooks and other educational materials typically reflect the norms, traditions, and faces of mainstream (white) society. Genius Plaza provides personalized learning software for students with a focus on culturally relevant, multi-lingual content starting in the early years, while engaging parents in their native language.
We know that genius lives in every zip code with access the only barrier, which is why we want students from all backgrounds to relate to the content, including the stories, the characters, and their experiences.