Who & Why We Are
Releasing possibility, changing lives
In 1999, we set out to answer a call. It was a call voiced by a growing number of parents whose children's needs were not being met by traditional education models. Their children were bored by the pace of the traditional classroom, left behind by the pace of the classroom, or just getting lost in the shuffle. While traditional brick and mortar schools work for many children, they restrict many others for a variety of reasons.
At K¹², our mission has remained steadfast: To provide any child access to exceptional curriculum and tools that enable him or her to maximize his or her success in life, regardless of geographic, financial, or demographic circumstance.
We have become a leader in providing individualized, one-to-one learning solutions to students from kindergarten through high school across the country. These solutions have literally changed lives and opened up possibility for many children. Our biggest fans continue to be parents who are seeking to tap into their children's unique potential and who have seen what can happen when children can work at the right pace and with the tools, approaches, and content that make learning come alive.
How we do it
K¹² offers outstanding, highly effective curriculum that enables mastery of core concepts and skills for all kinds of minds. The minds that are superbly gifted--or that are gifted in some areas and struggling in others. The minds that need to use hands to learn on some days, and eyes or ears on others. The minds that move faster or slower than average. The minds that are connected to bodies that need to run off steam periodically, or that are medically unable to attend a physical school. All kinds of minds, not just the best and brightest—not just the ones that are easy to teach in a classroom.
We enable a diverse group of children to achieve mastery through a combination of individualized learning approaches, passionate teacher engagement, adherence to the best educational research that has been conducted over the past several decades about how young minds really work, and rich, engaging content.
It's all about removing the barriers that keep children from reaching their true, individual potential—it's what gets us jumping out of bed in the morning to come to work. Each year, we help tens of thousands of students reach out toward their true personal possibility. We reach these students through a number of channels including:
full-time online public schools in many states across the country
individual course and product sales directly to families
in a growing number of public schools across the country which are engaged in bringing individualized learning approaches into the traditional classroom.
We are focused on being available to any child, anywhere, who can benefit from an individualized approach, whether it's full-time schooling outside of the traditional brick-and-mortar school, or through part-time or supplemental options available both inside and outside of the traditional classroom.
Working with teachers
We are proud to work with amazing teachers in a variety of capacities. We have many on staff who work alongside our subject matter experts in developing our curriculum. We also work directly with those who teach our curriculum through a distance learning model. These teachers tell us about the freedom they feel from managing the dynamics of a classroom, and how much they enjoy being able to focus on teaching many children, one at a time. We also support teachers who use our curriculum in the traditional classroom setting. The structure of our curriculum and our professional support make them feel like subject matter heroes, even in the most difficult subjects. They love watching the light bulbs turn on as kids engage with the rich content and interactive tools.
Unleash the xPotential
Our logo and tagline say it all—we are focused on exponentially improving the educational prospects of children by helping them reach toward their true, innate and very individualized potential—their "xPotential." The "x" is both a symbol of variability (each child's potential is a unique variable) as well as a short-hand for "extreme." It means as much about the path we have chosen as it does about the determination of our families, teachers, and educational partners in removing barriers to learning and future accomplishment.
...in individualized learning through mass customization instead of mass production of education.
...in decades of scientific research regarding how brains really work and how learning happens.
...that Big Ideas + Consecutive Down Payments + Practice = Mastery.
...that mastery of concepts and skills should be for all kinds of children—not just the "best and brightest."
...in giving parents meaningful ways to be involved in their children's education if they choose.
...in being directly accountable and responsive to all of our customers.
...in outstanding teacher engagement.
...in rich, engaging content that gets kids into learning so learning gets into them.
...that profitability yields invention, responsiveness, and responsibility.
...in using 21st-century tools to prepare 21st-century students.
...in books, digital media, and dirt—because a mix of teaching tools maximizes learning.
...that children should be introduced to humankind's legacies which create our common culture as humans.
... that raw, unyielding passion is our most important quality.