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2025 Tools Competition

Accelerating K-12
Learning Track

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Are you Eligible?

Abstracts due October 25th. 

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2025 Tools Competition

Accelerating K-12
Learning Track

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Learn About the Track

Track Description

Tools that assess and accelerate K-12 learning outcomes and support K-12 teachers to enhance their instructional practice in order to prepare students for college and careers. This track addresses declines in academic progress that are perpetuating opportunity gaps in order to increase the relevance of instruction, improve the learning experience, and expand equity for diverse learner populations.
Competitors may propose solutions that, for example:
  • Boost rigorous instruction, student feedback, and assessment in all content areas
  • Provide scalable and timely student supports
  • Help students navigate career pathways
  • Expand opportunities for quality teacher professional development
  • Improve data-driven instructional and institutional decision-making to broaden access and boost student success
  • Support parents and families to engage more effectively in their child’s education

Competitive proposals will demonstrate a commitment to learning engineering. Tools should facilitate continuous data collection in order to drive timely and effective interventions, and support research insights on factors affecting outcomes for diverse student populations and learning conditions.

Target User/Audience

Tools should target K-12 learners, educators, or parents and families as the primary user group.

Who should submit?

Competitors worldwide are invited to submit (see the official rules for any restrictions). We welcome proposals from teams or individuals from all backgrounds, including edtech companies, researchers/universities, educators, or students (undergraduate or graduate).

Competitive Priorities

Based on the most pressing needs in learning and learning technologies, a subset of prizes will be reserved for for proposals that:

  • Generate public assets to accelerate the development of AI. Learn more here.
  • Target students with learning differences, including those with diagnosed or undiagnosed disabilities, who face challenges because the ways they learn best differ from traditional classroom instruction.

Examples

While the Tools Competition has different tracks and priorities from year to year, the past winning tools below are examples of what could be competitive.

KOBIGrowth Prize
KOBI

Growth Prize

ASL AspireCatalyst Prize
ASL Aspire

Catalyst Prize

On-Demand Math TutoringTransform Prize
On-Demand Math Tutoring

Transform Prize

The Portal by New VisionsTransform Prize
The Portal by New Visions

Transform Prize

Yiya AirScienceGrowth Prize
Yiya AirScience

Growth Prize

RightOn!Catalyst Prize
RightOn!

Catalyst Prize

REACH College and Career PathwaysGrowth Prize
REACH College and Career Pathways

Growth Prize

Judges

This entire section can be removed or hidden for now. We will not include this section until much later.

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Folarin Adesalu Jr

Senior Analyst
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
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Tracey Albert

Scholar, Columbia University
Education leader across India & West Africa
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Armando Ali

CEO
PAL Network
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Angela Bahng

Senior Program Officer
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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Francis Bizoza Bigirimana

Curriculum Designer
Learning Equality
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Dr. Joanna Cannon, PhD

Fellow
Walton Family Foundation
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Jennifer Darling-Aduana

Assistant Professor of Learning Technologies
Georgia State University
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Kumar Garg

President
Renaissance Philanthropy
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Heather Graham

Director, Learning Differences
Oak Foundation
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Gouri Gupta

Project Director, EdTech
Central Square Foundation
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Lindsey Henderson

Secondary Mathematics Specialist
Utah State Board of Education
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Natashia Hill

Academy Coach
Phoebus High School/Hampton City Schools
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Laurence Holt

Entrepreneur In Residence
XQ Institute
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Kate Howland

Professor of Interaction Design
University of Sussex
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Kysie Jensen

Senior Program Officer
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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Sarah Johnson

CEO
Teaching Lab
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Micah Joselow

Portfolio Manager, Education
One8 Foundation
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Natalia Ingebretsen Kucirkova

Professor and CEO
University of Stavanger and WiKIT
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Shashanka Lakshmipathy

Head of Program Design
Kizazi
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Liz McCreary

Impact Director
Digital Harbor Foundation
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Alfons Prince

Middle School Math Teacher
Center City PCS
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Lucas Rocha

Director, Education
Lemann Foundation
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Maria Mercedes Rodrigo

Professor
Ateneo de Manila University
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Josefa Rubilar

English Language Teacher
Enseña Chile
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Sameer Sampat

Executive Director
Pousaz Philanthropies
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Arielle Starkman

Inclusive Education Consultant
Founder, ACS Creative LLC
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Josh Taylor

President
Carina Initiatives
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Daniel Uribe Villa

Principal
VélezReyes+

Compete in this Track

Select your prize level

When submitting a proposal, competitors must select the relevant prize level based on the size and scale of their tool. Proposals at all prize levels should detail how the proposed tool will solve a defined problem, rather than focus on past achievements.

catalyst

Catalyst Level Prizes: $50,000

These prizes are designed for early-stage competitors.

  • Tool requirement: The proposal must detail how funding will be used to create or develop the tool.
  • User requirement: There is no minimum number of users required at this level. Competitors may submit with a great idea or early stage tool.
  • Learning Engineering requirement: Team must describe the tool's potential to contribute to learning science research and demonstrate an intention to support research at scale.
growth

Growth Level Prizes: $150,000

These prizes are designed for competitors with a tool with some users and scale.

  • Tool requirement : Proposals must detail how the funding will be used to add a new feature or element to the existing tool or to enhance and improve effectiveness.
  • User requirement : The tool should have active users at the time of submission. Most tools competitive for this phase have already gone to market.

  • Learning Engineering Requirement: Teams must include a plan to support learning science research in their Phase II proposal. Learn More.
transform

Transform Level Prizes : $300,000

These prizes are designed for advanced competitors with an established tool.

  • Tool requirement : Proposals must detail how the funding will be used to add a new feature or element to the existing tool or to enhance and improve effectiveness.
  • User requirement : The tool should have at least 10,000 users at the time of submission.

  • Learning Engineering Requirement: Teams must include a plan to support learning science research in their Phase II proposal. Learn More.
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Proposals will be evaluated for the following criteria

 

1

Novelty of the tool
and technology

 

2

Potential impact and likelihood to
improve learning

 

3

Attention to equity to support learning of historically marginalized populations

 

4

Demand from learners, families, and educators

 

5

Ability to support
learning engineering

 

6

Ability to scale to additional users and/or domains

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What is a Tool?

The Tools Competition funds edtech tools and technologies that support learning outcomes and can contribute to learning science research.

Eligible tools have the potential to generate novel learning data that researchers can study to better understand learning at scale. This may include an app, software, algorithm, dataset, or other digital technology that facilitates or supports continuous data collection and has the potential to scale at minimal cost.

Please note that this definition is not exhaustive. As technology continues to develop and innovations are created globally, other tool concepts may also be competitive.

Not sure your tool is eligible? Explore winning tools from previous years.

Timeline

  • November 10 2023

    Deadline for Phase I
    Abstracts
    Competitors submit a 750-word abstract describing the concept for their tool and responding to the evaluation criteria.
  • December 8 2023

    Select competitors invited
    to Phase II
  • February 2 2024

    Deadline for Phase II
    Proposals
    Competitors develop a 3,000-word proposal and budget detailing their tool and its technology and responding in detail to the evaluation criteria. Rubrics will be posted when Phase II opens.
  • April 2024

    Finalists invited to Phase III
    pitches
  • April-May 2024

    Phase III Pitches (virtual)
    Finalists pitch before a panel of expert judges and have the opportunity for support and feedback in crafting their pitch.
  • June 2024

    Winners Announced
    Winners are announced and receive the first installment of their award. Winners receive coaching, the opportunity to connect with leaders in the field, and the ability to present to researchers or to refine their tool.
  • Year Following the
    Competition

    Winner Impact Study
    All winners will work with Georgia State University during the year following the competition to define impact measures for their tool and set up processes for ongoing data collection and evaluation.
  • December 2024

    Product Review Day
    Winners present on their progress to date and receive feedback from other winners and leaders in the field. Progress is considered against winner’s proposal and receive the second installment of their award after Product Review Day.

Timeline

September 12, 2024
Competition Launch
October 25, 2024
Deadline for Phase I Abstracts

Competitors submit an abstract describing the concept for their tool and responding to the evaluation criteria.

November 22, 2024
Select competitors invited to Phase II
January 16, 2025
Deadline for Phase II Proposals

Competitors develop a proposal and budget detailing their tool and its technology and responding in detail to the evaluation criteria. Rubrics will be posted when Phase II opens.

March 2025
Finalists invited to Phase III pitches
March-April 2025
Phase III Pitches (virtual)

Finalists pitch before a panel of expert judges.

May 2025
Winners Notified
Early Summer 2025
Public Announcement

Winners are announced and receive the first installment of their prize. 

Year Following the Competition - Winner Impact Study

Winners track impact metrics in the year following their prize and receive guidance to set up internal evaluation processes.

Fall 2025
Product Review Day

Winners present on their progress to date and receive feedback from other winners and leaders in the field. 

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Explore a Different Opportunity

Enhancing Post-Secondary Learning Track

Tools that expand access to quality post-secondary learning and broaden connections to career success.

Learn More

Dataset Prize

For teams that will prepare and release datasets that can make innovation and research related to education less expensive and more inclusive.

Learn More
The 2025 Tools Competition is live! Register for an Info Session on Sept. 19.