Transformational Education
LEANLAB Education is a nonprofit organization devoted to innovation in K12 public schools, so that all students have equal access to a quality education. We help education entrepreneurs and schools pilot cutting edge technologies in Kansas City classrooms. They immerse innovators into the communities they serve, surrounding them with the tools they need to create effective solutions to endemic problems in education. LEANLAB believes the most transformational education innovations are born when they are developed in true partnership with those most impacted by education—parents, students, administrators, and teachers.
LEANLAB believes all students deserve equal access to a quality education. That’s why when the Coronavirus began to impact and shut down local school buildings, they set their typical research agenda aside to organize schools so the most vulnerable students weren’t further left behind. LEANLAB learned that before school leaders could prioritize remote instruction, they needed to meet their students most basic needs for food, social-emotional support, and internet connectivity. True to their core value of human-centered design, LEANLAB Education began by surveying 23 districts and charters across Kansas City to determine the extent of the educational digital divide--the divide between public school students with access to devices and connectivity and those without. They found that a disturbing, but not completely surprising, number of students and families didn’t have access to the internet required to continue learning from home and navigating community support resources. Right now one in five students in the Kansas City metro area doesn’t have access to the internet. Today, they’re partnering with school communities, funders, nonprofits and innovators to provide all students and their families with the access they deserve. This is an ongoing journey that won’t be truly complete until all students are provided with the basic resources they deserve to help them navigate this new normal.
Support from the Missouri Technology Corporation
LEANLAB first received funding from the Missouri Technology Corporation in 2018. This grant allowed them to serve even more education entrepreneurs. Typically, six entrepreneurs go through their entrepreneur training program (K12 Fellowship) every year, but with the support of MTC, they were able to expand that number to 10 companies. LEANLAB fellows have gone on to raise $3,206,105 in capital and they’ve created 42 full-time jobs (23 in 2018) and 24 part time jobs (19 in 2018). MTC’s support has also allowed the organization to grow. In 2018, when they received the grant, they had three full-time employees. LEANLAB Education is now supporting seven full-time employees and is continuing to hire!
LEANLAB is mission driven and completely dedicated to supporting schools and entrepreneurs as they navigate this new idiom. The support from MTC has been crucial for the startup to grow, impact more students, support more entrepreneurs and create more jobs in Kansas City. LEANLAB Education is here for entrepreneurs and local schools no matter what, but the funding from MTC allows them to do that work on a higher level.