ESCOLAR

Adopting Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has led to a major transformation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, necessitating educators to modify their teaching methodologies.

In response to this transition, ESCOLAR, an online platform, provides teachers with a comprehensive, standalone, and free science instructional program. It further offers a complete student curriculum for middle and upper elementary grades and teacher resources to enhance science learning within the classroom.

ESCOLAR eliminates the need for teachers to seek additional resources. The readily-available guides on the website provide educators with materials required to effectively teach the students. Teachers, especially at the primary level, require more knowledge, training and time to craft comprehensive STEM lessons according to each student's requirements. ESCOLAR’s full student curriculum along with its STEM aligned resources from third to eighth grade addresses this demand.

The platform also offers a training course to help teachers effectively incorporate ESCOLAR’s units in their classrooms, along with tools to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities.

Twelve years ago, ESCOLAR was launched with funding from the National Science Foundation. This initiative stemmed from Dr. Fatima Elvira Terrazas Arellanes, the director, who observed the challenges English language learners, particularly newcomers, have when grasping scientific concepts. The objective was to facilitate access to science texts in learners’ native languages, allowing newcomers to gradually transition into English. The platform ensures inclusivity, consistently offering programs both in English and Spanish.

Unlike many programs that digitize textbooks, ESCOLAR is designed as a digital platform that integrates various online resources, such as text-to-speech, virtual notes, voice notes, and vocabulary pop-ups. The program also uses videos, animations, high-quality graphics and virtual investigations to provide students with an immersive and interactive learning experience.

“ESCOLAR is more than a digital textbook. Pilot studies and randomized controlled trials have shown it to be effective in enhancing students’ comprehension of scientific concepts,” says Dr. Terrazas Arellanes.

A noteworthy feature of ESCOLAR is its utilization of online forums, allowing students to document their experiments, share photos, and exchange insights with peers. This fosters collaboration within classrooms and potentially with students in other regions or countries. Online forums are particularly popular among teachers because the feedback students receive from their peers is a strong motivational factor for the former.

ESCOLAR has further extended its services to several clients, including an alternative school district where teachers sought suitable curricula for online students. The program’s adaptability across classroom settings, coupled with being entirely cost-free, garnered interest among educators, resulting in positive learning outcomes for remote students and substantial growth in scientific knowledge across the entire student body.

ESCOLAR is more than a digital textbook. Pilot studies and randomized controlled trials have shown it to be effective in enhancing students’ comprehension of scientific concepts

The program's materials facilitated diverse engagement opportunities for students with course content and among their peers. Teachers seamlessly integrated the company’s program within the virtual learning academy, resulting in significant positive learning outcomes for remote students. This was accompanied by a substantial growth in scientific knowledge across the entire student body.

ESCOLAR also caters to homeschooling parents, offering resources designed for students with high-incidence disabilities. Parents have commended the functionality allowing students to record voice notes and utilize text-to-speech throughout the program. Likewise, the instructional guides within the program allow parents to enhance their ability to support their children better.

Currently seeking collaboration with a sizable school district in the United States, ESCOLAR aims to jointly pursue an Education and Innovation Research grant to secure over 8 million dollars in funding. This funding will help enhance the middle school curriculum by conducting an extensive efficacy trial.

ESCOLAR has established itself as a dependable online platform for science educators. Its success is attributed to its dedicated team committed to developing high-quality online science lessons and resources. The iterative, design-based research approach, involving a diverse group of researchers, science experts, curriculum developers, and classroom teachers, has played a crucial role in achieving its goal of making science education more accessible.