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EdTech Startup inquirED Helps Schools Prepare for 21st Century

As Missouri schools strive to prepare students, a Midwestern-based EdTech startup has designed an innovative solution.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –– With Missouri schools opening their doors for a new year of instruction, a Midwestern-based startup is setting out to help them prepare for the 21st Century and engage their students. inquirED was founded by Iowa-native Shanti Elangovan to provide affordable curriculum and professional development to meet the demand for inquiry-based learning, a hands-on, experiential method of teaching and learning.

“Inquiry is about preparing students for the 21st century,” Elangovan says.  “And the Missouri Science and Social Studies standards call for inquiry-based learning. But many schools don’t have the tools and resources to implement inquiry. inquirED hopes to change that.”

Founded in 2017, inquirED has created an online platform providing curriculum, professional development, and assessment tools. “It provides exceptional value to school administrators,” says Dr. Brad Maclaughlin, former Superintendent, who worked with Elangovan at a startup accelerator in Kansas City. “Usually, schools pay one cost for curriculum and another for professional development, but inquirED integrates them, saving schools money without losing instructional time.”

inquirED is currently piloting their platform at Pitcher Elementary School in Kansas City, as part of LeanLab Education’s Fellowship program. The startup also has pilot sites in Iowa, Texas, California, Illinois, and Georgia with plans to expand to 50 schools next year. According to Dr. Karol Howard, Principal of Pitcher Elementary, inquirED is a perfect fit to help her school thrive. “Our staff is ready for more and our students need more,” says Howard, “this is going to take us there.”

inquirED is based in Davenport, Iowa and seeks to provide schools with the tools and resources they need to meet the demand for inquiry-based learning. To find out more visit www.inquired.org/missouri