Curriki

Curriki Welcomes New CEO Keith Kostrzewski

by

Keith has the deep industry experience, the passion for our education technology, and the leadership ability to get us there. – Kim Jones, Curriki Co-Founder and former Curriki CEO

Keith Kostrzewski,
CEO of Curriki

We are pleased to announce that Keith Kostrzewski has been named Curriki’s new CEO. Kostrzewski succeeds Kim Jones, Curriki Co-founder, who will retain her role as Chairman of the Board. Kostrzewski will assume day-to-day leadership of the company and will also join Curriki’s Board of Directors. Jones said, “After a thorough and thoughtful search, the Board of Directors unanimously agreed on Keith as the type of proven leader that can drive our continuous evolution as the trusted, innovative education organization that educators around the world rely on to deliver the critical content, tools and services that they need to meet their goals.”

A Proven Advocate for Education

Keith Kostrzewski has nearly 20 years’ experience in the Education Technology space, with a wide portfolio of some of the leading firms in the industry. Most recently, Keith was the Head of Sales for LEGO Education North America. Prior to LEGO, he spent time in leadership positions with Discovery Education, as well as consulting with several early-stage EdTech firms, focusing on business analysis, go-to-market and customer engagement, and revenue operations. Keith also spent three years with Pearson as Regional General Manager, and eight years with SchoolNet prior to its acquisition by Pearson in 2011.

Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystems co-founder and Curriki co-founder and board member shared, “Keith is an ideal fit as our CEO, as his career reflects a lifelong passion for and commitment to education technology. Keith’s business acumen is only part of the equation. He is driven, dynamic, and deeply committed to k-12. With Keith at the helm, we will build upon the past decade of success at Curriki and embrace the many opportunities in our future”

Looking Ahead at the Future of Curriki

“I firmly believe that the learning environments and content of the future will be much more student-oriented, with dynamic, flexible, and relevant experiences.” said Keith Kostrzewski. “The team has developed a vision and plan to develop solutions for both 21st century learners and industry stakeholders. I’m thrilled to build upon this work and bring collaborative solutions to the K-12 ecosystem of learners, teachers, funders, and partners.”

Curriki is excited about the road ahead with Kostrzewski at the helm. Together we are ready to transform global education through innovative ideas and solutions. Follow Keith Kostrzewski on Twitter at @KeithCurriki!

#BirdiesforEducation Brings In Nearly $400,000 for Open Education!

by

Earlier this year, professional golfer Maverick McNealy set out on his Birdies for Education campaign to raise funds for Curriki’s endeavors in open education. On this year’s Web.com/Korn Ferry Tour, he pledged to donate money for every birdie he made each tournament and invited the public to do the same. We are so excited to report these outstanding results for the tour!

His tour started in the Bahamas and led him to places such as Colombia, Panama and across the U.S. You can read his full blog recaps of the tour. Even more exciting, his performance on the Korn Ferry Tour secured him a spot in “The 25” to graduate to the PGA Tour this next season which started in September! His determination and endurance helped bring a successful season for him as a professional golfer and as a champion for education.  

“I started Birdies for Education this year because, in high school, I did my volunteer hours with Curriki. It’s a non-profit for K-12 educational materials, trying to lower the cost of education and make high-quality education available to everybody. We ended up raising $385,000 for Curriki this year.”-Maverick McNealy

In addition to the pledged amounts of $385,498, numerous one-time donations have been given for the cause, bringing the total closer to $400,000!  This is Maverick’s first season in the PGA and he has graciously decided to continue his support of equitable education across the globe and continue the Birdies for Education campaign! If you would like to join Maverick and help support his campaign during the PGA tour, visit Birdies for Education. You can pledge as low as $1, make a one-time donation, set up a monthly payment, or even shop from the Birdies for Education store. Your contributions will help Curriki expand its K-12 resource library and support new technology development for our global K-12 open education community.

Thank you Maverick and good luck this PGA season!

Curriki Awarded Grants from Four Technology Giants in 2019

by

We are excited to announce that Curriki has received three grants in support of our Community and Library of 264,000+ educator-vetted learning materials in all K-12 subject areas!  Generous grants from long-time supporters Chevron, Amgen Foundation, AT&T, and Oracle will support new technology development, content library expansion (from individual lesson plans, instructional videos, and units, to games and simulations), and growth of the global K-12 Open Education community.

“We are so grateful for the generous support of Chevron, Amgen Foundation, AT&T, andOracle,” said Kim Jones, CEO, and co-founder of Curriki. “These contributions will have a direct impact on students around the world through our work providing high-quality teaching and learning materials. It is our mission to make sure every student has access to the best curriculum no matter their location or socio-economic situation.” We envision a world where every young person has an opportunity to develop and apply their best talents for self-fulfillment and career success.

Too many students don’t have the same high-quality learning experiences as their peers do in the same class, school, district, across the country, or around the world. Curriki addresses one important factor of educational equity, which is the quality of the curricula and instructional materials. Over the last 12 years, Curriki has delivered materials to over 15 million educators, parents, and students from 194 countries. Another key factor of educational equity for all students is quality of teaching, so Curriki’s community tools enable educators to come together to collaborate on ideas, develop and share lesson plans and other types of resources.

We are so appreciative of our partners and excited for our new opportunities in supporting educators across the globe!

Update from Maverick McNealy: Over $201,000 Raised to Date for #BirdiesforEducation!

by

Hello everyone!

When I first started off on this journey five months ago to raise money for Curriki and the mission of equitable education for all, I could only dream that the campaign would be where it is today! Seeking pledges and donations for every birdie I make during the season is something I hope can support Curriki in delivering high-quality educational resources to parents, teachers, and students across the world. The overwhelming support I’ve received across the globe has been phenomenal. I cannot thank everyone enough for the pledges, efforts to spread awareness, kind words, and encouragement!

 

Season Recap

It has been a very eventful season so far! We started in the Bahamas where I finished in a tie for 15th (my 3rd best career finish) in some of the toughest conditions I have ever played in. We battled 30+mph winds all week, and I took advantage of the downwind holes to make a total of 18 birdies that week. I was humbled to find that just two weeks into the season I had made $41,552!

Our second stop was Bogota, Columbia. There  were a variety of factors that made this week interesting on the golf course. For starters, we were at over 8000 feet of elevation, so the ball flew forever. Fortunately, I finished in a tie for 34th with all four rounds of even par or better. I made 18 birdies during the week and added 19 new donors!

Next we went to Panama and I overcame a four-over-par first 9 holes to finish at one over par for the tournament in 19th place. I made 14 birdies this week, which ranked 8th among all players. This was one of the toughest golf courses we play all year, but also one of the toughest walks. My caddy Travis and I walked over 50 miles and 150 flights of stairs over these 7 days… The walk from the 4th to the 5th hole was fondly nicknamed the “Stairway of Death” by players and caddies alike…

The end of a 6-week leg brought me back to the States! I recorded my career best finish as a professional, finishing in solo second place at -24 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Even more exciting, I finished off with pledges reading $114,512! This golf course was a Birdies for Education dream, with five reachable par 5s and a driveable par 4, affording prime birdie opportunities every few holes.

A big highlight was Birdies for Education reaching Japan! Thank you to Mr. Mori Yutaka for bringing awareness of the campaign to the country! However, I encountered a slight bump in the road while in Louisiana and missed the cut this week with rounds of 65-77. The good news is, my game still felt awesome and I made 10 birdies in those two rounds for Curriki!

 

The Current Stats and GREAT News!

With all of this season’s action, I’m proud to report that I have made 167 birdies to date and have raised:

 $207,588.65!

I am 21% to my goal of raising $1,000,000 and so far 166 donors are supporting every birdie!

 

What’s Up Next?

I will be at the Evans Scholars Invitational in Chicago May 23-26. North Carolina, Illinois, and Kansas are up next. I would love to have you follow my journey!  You can keep up with my progress and make a pledge or donation through the Birdies for Education campaign site! Thank you to Curriki for all of the recent changes in helping make the site easy and streamlined for donors and visitors!

Thank you all again for your support- it means the world to me, and gets me more excited to get to the golf course every day.

Until next time!

Maverick

 

Math Humor on Pi Day (March 14)

by

 

By Janet Pinto, Chief Academic Officer, Curriki

Bring some fun into the classroom on Monday, March 14, in celebration of Pi Day! Here’s a joke for your elementary students: Did you know that 3.14% of Sailors are PI rates? (Ba-dam, Bing!).

Seriously, we’ve put together a short collection of Pi resources (grades K-12) for you to use, share, or modify to suit your needs. You can find the collection here, or begin by checking out a few highlighted resources below.

  • Track Races activity – (Grades 6-10) Use Properties of rational and irrational numbers to track races (graphic organizer/worksheet).
  • Circumference and Diameter (Grades 3-10, by MathMastery) – Understanding the equation for finding circumference helps you solve measurement problems in everyday life.
  • Intermediate Level Measurement Math Kit – (Grades 3-8) Gives students the opportunity to measure various objects and use their data to determine area, volume, radius, diameter, and density.

P.S. If you need more laughs, check out the Pi Day resources on Pinterest.

pi day pinterest

 

 

CODIE_2017_winner
Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!

Non-profit Tax ID # 203478467