BELLEVUE, WA, June 29, 2009 – DreamBox Learning, an award-winning eLearning technology start-up, today announced the appointment to its advisory board of two nationally acclaimed mathematics education experts– Dr. Francis "Skip" Fennell and Dr. Catherine Fosnot. These experts bring a combined 60+ years of forward-thinking math education leadership to the company as it continues to leverage its patent-pending platform to grow and extend its highly adaptive and effective products to cover grades K-12. The company’s first product, called DreamBox Learning K-2 Math <http://www.dreambox.com/ [1]> , recently won the prestigious Golden Lamp Award for Technology Innovation as well as the Distinguished Achievement Award for Educational Toys and Games from the Association of Educational Publishers.
"It is an honor to have such standout luminaries as Skip and Cathy as part of the DreamBox Learning team," said Lou Gray, Co-Founder and CEO of DreamBox Learning. "They bring tremendous benefits to the company as we continue to build the DreamBox Learning brand and transform online education by delivering highly innovative and effective products to kids, parents and teachers throughout the world."
Dr. Fennell <http://ffennell.com [2]> is a Professor of Education at McDaniel College and recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, where he served as one of the writers of the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), and the Curriculum Focal Points for Pre-K through Grade Eight: A Quest for Coherence (NCTM, 2006). He was also a member of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) which provided policy recommendations on how to improve mathematics achievement for U.S. students. Dr. Fennell is widely published in professional journals and textbooks relating to elementary and middle-grade mathematics education and has received numerous research grants, honors, and awards.
"DreamBox Learning’s vision goes to the core of what I believe – that mathematics learning is critically important for all students," said Dr. Fennell. "I love the potential of what the company can do to get kids involved with mathematics in an effective and engaging manner, but also in a way that is so carefully grounded mathematically and pedagogically. DreamBox Learning is truly redefining the value and role of eLearning in our kids’ education."
Dr. Fosnot is a Professor of Elementary Education in the Department of Childhood Education at City University of New York. She is also the Founding Director of Mathematics in the City, a world-renown think tank and professional development center for K-8 mathematics education. As a nationally acclaimed scholar, teacher and speaker, Dr. Fosnot has authored and co-authored more than 20 books and articles on mathematics education.
"I’m very excited about what DreamBox Learning has accomplished in a very short amount of time and I am pleased that I can help shape the company’s path," said Dr. Fosnot. "They have already created an amazing adaptive learning experience steeped in a solid math foundation, one that reinforces both conceptual understanding and computational fluency."
Full bios of Dr. Fennell and Dr. Fosnot can be found at www.dreambox.com/team [3] along with other DreamBox Learning advisory members including: Dr. John Bransford, Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Washington; Trish Millines Dziko, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Technology Access Foundation; Dr. Margaret Jorgensen, former Senior Vice President for Product Research and Innovation at Harcourt Assessment; and Andrew Bein, CEO of Active Inquiry.
About DreamBox Learning
DreamBox Learning was founded in 2006 in Bellevue, Washington by world-class technologists, educators, interactive entertainment experts, and entrepreneurs who share a collective vision that every student should have access to an individually tailored, Web-based learning experience that is engaging, motivating, and effective. Backed by $7.1 million in angel funding, the company launched a Web-based platform and its first adventure-themed online learning product called DreamBox Learning K-2 Math <http://www.dreambox.com/ [1]> in early 2009. The home-based product targets young students in kindergarten through second grade and is designed to reinforce and teach real math through effective, individualized instruction in an engaging and fun manner. DreamBox Learning K-2 Math is based on NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) curriculum recommendations, reflecting lessons taught in the classroom. More information can be found atwww.dreambox.com