We want students to love reading.

Getting kids engaged in reading has always been hard, even before the technology-induced ADHD of our current time set in. When you consider the fact that the majority of youngsters aren’t comprehending what they’re reading, it makes a lot of sense that they may not be so into sitting down and doing their homework.

Rather than throwing his hands up in despair, Jay Goyal decided to tackle the problem head on with his online e-reader, Actively Learn. Currently a part of the Pearson Education accelerator, Actively Learn aims to engage students through questions and media embedded directly into the text they’re reading. Students are able to interact with their teachers and other students, while teachers are able to directly track their student’s progress.

When I heard about Actively Learn, I was immediately interested in finding out more. I hit Jay with some questions that were definitely a bit harder than usual and he answered them with the grace and intelligence that I would expect from a man who’s passionate about education. Keep reading for an insightful look into the future face of education and technology.

Actively Learn is an online literacy platform that empowers educators to transform reading and writing so students understand more, retain knowledge, and build lasting skills. Educators can customize instruction, provide real-time feedback, and access analytics on student performance. Students interact with peers and receive information to fill gaps in background knowledge, making reading and writing active and collaborative.

Two-thirds of students in grades 4-12 struggle – they cannot comprehend the main idea when they read – and only 3% read critically for understanding. Studies show that if students are not proficient readers, their chance of success in math is 14% and in science is only 1%. Reading is the bedrock of education, but reading achievement in the U.S. has stayed stagnant for 40 years. In Higher Ed, professors lament that their students are not engaged while reading and often need more help than they can currently provide.

That is why Actively Learn is building the best digital reading platform for students. For too many, reading simply is not as educational and rewarding as it should be. Actively Learn is working to reinvent reading so that students understand and remember what they read, build connections between texts and build knowledge. Their software helps teachers use great texts to promote deep learning and helps students explore texts to actively construct knowledge.

As a company, Actively Learn wants to help students learn, think, and become people who do great things. They are optimistic about what thinking young people can accomplish and we look forward to the world they will build.

Resource: http://killerstartups.com/startup-spotlight/online-e-reader-actively-learn