Leanlab launches edtech certification with focus on accountability to classrooms

A new product certification from Leanlab Education means increased transparency for edtech companies — as well as added credibility for their work within schools. 

“We want to give teachers and school administrators a quick way to understand if an edtech product reflects the insights of educators, students, and parents — the true end users in education — and was built for the realities of classroom environments,” said Katie Boody Adorno, founder and CEO. 

Leanlab launched Thursday its Codesign Product Certification — a recognition that verifies qualifying edtech companies iterate their products based on authentic, school-community recommendations and feedback from Leanlab’s collaborative research process, Codesign. 

A company is eligible for certification six-months after its research study and must demonstrate product modifications based on research recommendations and school-community insight, Leanlab explained. 

Clarence Tan and Edna Martinson, Boddle Learning

Initial certifications are expected to be awarded to Boddle Learning, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Classcraft, Montreal, Quebec; Levered Learning, Santa Cruz, California; and Sown to Grow, Oakland, California. 

“The opportunity to partner with Leanlab on this research study was a no-brainer for our team,” said Edna Martinson, co-founder and CEO of Boddle Learning, which launched in Kansas City before relocating to Tulsa in 2020. 

“Leanlab’s commitment to improving student outcomes and helping educators be successful is something that has been evident throughout the years and their great approach to research that prioritizes the feedback of end users — students and teachers — is something that our team finds a lot of value in,” Martinson continued. 

“Through this research we will not only be able to measure our impact but also receive valuable feedback on how we can improve and better serve educators and students,” she added.

Studies currently offered by Leanlab include: 

• Sandbox studies that aim to understand if a product is needed
• Usability studies to improve ease of use and functionality 
• Feasibility studies to improve a products use in a daily classroom environment
• Implementation studies to help companies understand where a product is used best 
• Correlational studies to identify any relationship between product use and intended incomes 

A second cohort of companies in the running for the certification include Kansas City-based CodeAlgo Academy and Crib Coaching, as well as a collection of such out-of-state ventures as BeeReaders, Career Village, Pango, and Schoolytics. 

“Gaining feedback from teachers and students has been crucial in mapping the trajectory of our product,” said Jill Bertelson, CEO of Crib Coaching, which recently earned a $10,000 prize in the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. 

Crib Coaching has gamified the experience of parenthood, offering new parents an educational outlet to level up their parenting skills, according to the edtech startup.

“With the information that we have gained through our research study with Leanlab, we will be able to narrow our target market and focus on what matters most to Crib Coaching, our social mission of helping families develop positive habits as they transition to parenthood.”

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn