New LiftEd App Puts Special Education Data to Work for Teachers, Specialists, Therapists, Parents and Students
Special education teachers and specialists spend a significant amount of time gathering data on student performance and activities. However, Andrew Hill and Joanne Powell, siblings and co-founders of the LiftEd app, believe that this data collection process is often inefficient and does not provide valuable insights to improve education outcomes.
LiftEd, which was established in 2016 with the aim of empowering special educators to enhance learning outcomes for students with disabilities, seeks to address this issue by streamlining the data collection process and utilizing the data to improve instruction.
The app serves as a centralized platform for data collection, allowing teachers, assistants, and specialists to work together within the same system. This not only saves time, but also enables staff to see which instructional methods have been effective, identify areas for improvement, and determine strategies that benefit the students.
By using the LiftEd app, teachers can take their work home and make informed decisions about student needs while still enjoying their personal time. This focus on prioritizing student outcomes while saving time has resulted in significant time savings of up to 10 hours per week for educators.
All data are stored in one place and updated in real-time, making it easier for teachers to differentiate instruction. The app also allows teachers to quickly track student progress in specific classes, counselors to monitor social skills, and parents to view their child’s progress.
Laura Lyons, a lead behavior analyst at the East Windsor Regional School District in New Jersey, attests to the time-saving benefits and the ability to easily communicate student progress with colleagues and families that LiftEd provides. The app helps teachers maintain effective teaching practices and provides visually appealing representations of student performance.
Special education students often have Individualized Education Programs that involve various education professionals, each of whom is required to collect data. However, this data collection often occurs in isolation. LiftEd aims to address this challenge by encouraging the use of a standardized digital system among all professionals involved in a student’s education.
With over 2,000 users serving students from kindergarten to twelfth grade, LiftEd has gained popularity in New Jersey due to the state’s commitment to supporting students with special needs. The app has also made significant strides in California and New York, and has recently expanded into Europe.
Andrew Hill attributes LiftEd’s success to partnerships with investment funds that focus on special education, as well as collaborations with universities that contribute to the app’s educational component. Joanne Powell, who holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University’s Teachers College, brings valuable expertise and connections with universities such as Columbia and Rutgers.
Looking ahead, LiftEd will continue to prioritize product development. The company believes that the goal should not only be transitioning from paper to a digital system, but also utilizing the data in a meaningful way to identify effective instructional methods, suitable staff, and appropriate settings.
Overall, LiftEd is revolutionizing the way special education professionals collect and utilize data, ultimately enhancing education outcomes for students with disabilities.
