Case Study: Monroe Elementary School

In 2008, School PLANit donated more than 250 prototype systems to Monroe Elementary, an urban school in a low-income area of Des Moines, Iowa. An additional 50 systems were donated to several suburban schools to see how the PLANit performed for children of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Student progress was tracked throughout the full school year and teacher feedback was gathered to gauge the effectiveness of the product.

The number of lost assignments decreased significantly and overall standardized test scores improved. Fourth grade reading comprehension scores went up 12 points while math went up 4.7 points. Fifth grade reading comprehension scores went up 7.5 points with math increasing 2.3 points.

Surveys also indicated an improvement in students’ attitude toward school and learning, increased parent engagement in their child’s education, and improved communication between teachers and students.

By the end of the study period, 100 percent of the teachers surveyed said they would recommend the PLANit system to other teachers and parents.  This was a wonderful thing to hear since several teachers began the study with less-than-optimistic attitudes.

Well, frankly several teachers said the system “didn’t look like much and was a waste of time.”  They couldn’t imagine how using this system would make a difference.  After two weeks of using the PLANit system all the teachers reported that students not only took pride in the system, it really helped organize the entire classroom, which made their days easier.

Here are a few of the positive comments we received from teacher surveys:

“It has been a lot easier getting homework back, with the pockets in the front and back. Things don’t get lost.” — 4th Grade Teacher

“Kids were more organized at home. They always had all their things with them. They wouldn’t say, ‘I couldn’t find paper or pencils at home to do my homework.’” — 5th Grade Teacher

“The kids always had their stuff with them, even kids who in years past NEVER had their papers. They work!” — Special Ed Teacher

“I had many comments from parents saying how much easier it was to have the same thing come home every night and know right where to go. … The parents really appreciated having one place to take care of everything for school.” — 3rd Grade Teacher

“I could say, ‘Get out your green reading folder,’ and it helped them pull out what they needed quickly. The color coding was very helpful.” — 3rd Grade Teacher

“Their ability to get out exactly what they need, without having to rummage through their desk, is a great timesaver for me.” — 4th Grade Teacher