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DU’s Morgridge College of Education to help K-12 private and charter schools better manage and integrate student information

New Partnership with the Morgridge Family Foundation and SynapticMash to help improve learning outcomes

DENVER— The University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education will implement a new data management tool to help private and charter K-12 schools and school districts better manage, store and retrieve student data to improve the learning process from teacher to the learner.

Through a $96,000 gift from the Morgridge Family Foundation’s 21st Century Classroom Collaboration Grant Program, the Morgridge College of Education will create a data warehouse with the learning management tool LearningQube, developed by SynapticMash, LLC. Not only will Morgridge students learn how to use it, but the College will be able to offer the technology to smaller districts and schools which financially could not afford their own system.

According to Gregory Anderson, dean of the Morgridge College of Education, this tool is changing how teachers and schools manage the information so critical to effectively tracking student progress.

“Teachers have a lot on their plates and DU is committed to transforming how teachers are being educated for long-term improvements in learners,” he says. “The goal of training our students in this state-of-the-art data management system is to better prepare them for using these systems as they become teachers and administrators. The end result will be better student learning outcomes because teachers are receiving better information.”

“For so many teachers, data is the missing link to providing students with the best education possible in a 21st Century Classroom,” says Carrie Morgridge, venture philanthropist and vice president of the Morgridge Family Foundation. “We want to provide educators with technology that is user friendly, universal in its application and that gives them a leg up on helping each student reach their potential in the classroom.” 

Ramona Pierson, SynapticMash founder and chief science officer, says schools are traditionally good at collecting data, but not as good at sharing and analyzing the data.  “The LearningQube learning space manages the information that is so critical to effectively tracking student progress,” she says.

Pierson notes that the data management system allows different data systems to communicate; making data-based decision making possible. She said the system congregates information normally kept in separate systems such as classroom assignments, grades and attendance.

“Even as students move from school to school or event district to district, the information travels with them building a comprehensive portfolio spanning their learning career and helping teachers meet individual student needs because they are aware of them,” Pierson explains. “Teachers and administrators have easy access to real-time data that informs teaching and improves learning.”

The system will launch in early fall 2010.

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The University of Denver is committed to improving the human condition and engaging students and faculty in tackling the major issues of our day. DU ranks among the top 100 national universities in the U.S. For additional information, go to www.du.edu/newsroom.

Contact:  Kim DeVigil
Phone: (303) 871-2775
E-mail: Kim.Devigil@du.edu

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