XELLO AND INTELLISPARK
Xello, a Toronto company whose online program helps students plan for college, and Intellispark, a Virginia-based ed-tech company that connects students with counseling and support services, are integrating their two services. According to a news release this week, the partnership aims to incorporate information about a student's social-emotional health and well-being into their college preparation, potentially helping schools give students more personalized attention in their post-graduation plans.
For Xello co-founder and CEO Matt McQuillen, the partnership was a natural fit, given how the two companies approach preparing students for a better chance at success.
"There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to education, so there cannot be a singular approach to supporting students in their current struggles or future opportunities," McQuillen said in a public statement.
Highlighting the need for the partnership, Xello cited their own survey from last September, in which more than 500 educators and parents by and large cited social-emotional learning competencies as most aligned with college and career readiness. Intellispark’s involvement in the partnership, focused on supporting the mental health of the child, will help remedy those concerns, the release said.
"Kids inevitably encounter obstacles as they progress through school that put their future plans at risk,” Intellispark CEO Stephen M. Smith said in a public statement. "We help kids get the support they need to overcome those challenges so they can thrive."
SMART TECHNOLOGIES AND KOOTH
Last week, a pair of U.K.-based companies with service in North America — the ed-tech company SMART Technologies, and Kooth, digital mental health platform — partnered to set up educators with lessons on how to support both students and teachers in handling their mental health, a news release said.
The partnership will result in SMART's interactivity and engagement capabilities being integrated with Kooth's mental health content and activities, which will be added to SMART’s digital learning tool, Lumio. The news release said teachers using the tool will have access to Kooth’s resources and lessons revolving around well-being, which will now be available in North America.
“Kooth can further improve our offering with its clinical expertise that's underpinned by extensive research and experience in supporting hundreds of thousands of students every year,” said SMART Technologies CEO Nicholas Svensson in a public statement.
