1) Tell us about Headsprout

Headsprout was founded in 1999. However, the genesis of Headsprout Early Reading actually occurred many years earlier. Dr. Joe Layng and Dr. Kent Johnson had been working for many years as both learning scientists and educators. Together they designed something called "Generative Instruction/Learning" that basically designed a methodology for teaching kids fundamental academic skills in an efficient, effective manner.

Their initial work was in early reading. Joe implemented the solution in Chicago Public Schools and Kent founded a school in Seattle , Morningside Academy , which further refined the practices developed in the "lab." The results were just short of miraculous . for 17,000 students, but there were nearly 500,000 students in the Chicago school system alone.

As you can probably guess, the issue that prevented wide-scale adoption was consistency of delivery. Morningside Academy was and is today able to consistently deliver two years growth for the skill of greatest deficit in a single academic year in the controlled environment of Morningside Academy . On the other hand, as Joe begin to scale this same solution in Chicago Public Schools the incredible results that were evident with the first 10,000 or so students were difficult to maintain as more and more teachers were trained and less and less oversight was available to ensure fidelity of implementation.

In 1999, Joe and Kent were sharing their collective experience with Greg Stikeleather who was a fellow learning scientist and a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Greg suggested that their might be a way to scale the "generative learning technology" through the Internet.

It was at that moment when Headsprout and the Headsprout Early Reading product were conceived.

The idea was to design through the same rigorous formative research model that designed the original solution a "next generation" deliverable that would produce the same learning gains consistently and with millions of kids simultaneously throughout the world.

Fast forward to today. Joe, Kent, and Greg's vision has become a reality. Headsprout ( www.headsprout.com ) is a publisher of technology-based instructional programs. Headsprout's flagship program, the award-winning Headsprout Early Reading, is a research-based beginning reading program that effectively and reliably teaches Kindergarten thru 2 nd Grade students how to read.  Headsprout Early Reading is designed for non-readers and struggling readers.

Headsprout Early Reading includes .

•  80 online interactive lessons

•  80 "ready-to-read" printable stories

•  Classroom materials designed to motivate and track student progress

•  Professional services designed to support teachers and administrators

•  Integrated reporting that includes progress monitoring and performance reports

Headsprout Early Reading is perfect for targeted programs as well as school-wide implementation.

No other program has Headsprout Early Reading's level of research-based formative development- what that means for teachers is the assurance of effective instructional activities that have been proven, in the lab and in the classroom, to get more kids reading.

The program simultaneously assesses and addresses each student's interaction, so the instruction is always individualized and at the right level, providing assistance where needed, and moving quickly through review and practice routines.

With Headsprout Early Reading students use a mouse, not a keyboard. Headsprout ensures that all students are prepared to succeed with the program with a "Getting Started" lesson for all students that teaches the language of instruction used in the program while providing practice in basic computer skills.

Within the first five lessons of Headsprout, students read a simple text. By the end of all 80 episodes, students will be reading 80 printed stories, including expository text and poetry, and sounding out new words and sentences with confidence and mastery.

2) Who developed it?

Headsprout was founded in 1999 by a team who has spent the last 20 years improving education for young children, both in the classroom and the laboratory. A talented team of educators, animators, designers and software engineers rendered the founders' vision into the award-winning Headsprout Early Reading program students are using today.

3) What exactly is the purpose behind it?

Headsprout Early Reading is designed to reliably teach a child to read. Students master the skills and strategies required and necessary to be successful and confident readers. The program is used with non-readers as well as struggling readers.

4) Is there some educational psychology the theory behind it?

The program's design draws upon both the scientific study of reading and the scientific study of learning. It relies heavily on work from generativity theory which suggests that new repertoires can emerge from the recurrence and reorganization of simpler component repertoires established earlier. The recombined repertoires can then be selected to form a new composite repertoire, which itself can become a component of yet other complex repertoires.

But beyond all that, it is based on the real world work done in real classrooms. A great deal of effort was put into providing teachers with a tool that helps them provide the individual learning environment each child often needs, but that teachers seldom have time to do to the degree they would like. Headsprout Early Reading was designed to provide teachers with some of the help they need, but with no increase in their workload. All while keeping the children engaged and ready to learn in whatever teaching environment a teacher chooses to use.

5) Where is it used?

Headsprout is used by tens of thousands of students in schools across the U.S, including students in four of the five largest school districts in the country.

6) What exactly is your mission?

Headsprout's mission is to be a major force in helping eliminate illiteracy in young children in this country in this decade.

7) Do you have educational software? Or on line support?

Headsprout Early Reading is delivered to student via a computer that is connected to the internet. Headsprout offers online, telephone and in-person support and training for our school customers

8) You have an on -line account.what can kids do on-line?

Students complete all 80 lessons or "episodes" of Headsprout Early Reading online. Students can complete their lessons on any internet-connected computer whether in the classroom, a computer lab, a community center, even at home. No matter where or when a student uses the program, the teacher is kept informed. Teachers receive automatic reports about student progress

9) Where are you located and do you have either a web site or a toll free number that I can call?

Headsprout's headquarters are in Seattle , Washington . You can learn more about Headsprout at our website, www.headsprout.com or by calling us toll free at 800-401-5062.

10) What question have I neglected to ask?

Your list of questions is good. It has been fun responding.

I will add, however, that all publishers should be asked the following: "Do you share accountability for student performance with your customers, i.e. the teachers who use your program?" Headsprout does. To the best of our knowledge, Headsprout is the only program that offers a student performance guarantee. If a student finishes Headsprout Early Reading, he/she will be reading at grade level or the school does not pay for that student. See the guarantee here.