Leanlab Education

08/10/2026

Leanlab is proud to have three sessions on the SXSW EDU PanelPicker!

We'll be sharing more about each topic throughout the week, and excited to include the findings from our research in sessions that bring diverse voices together to discuss AI and its impact in the classroom.

That's because at Leanlab, we know the greatest impact comes when educators, funders, EdTech developers, and researchers come together for codesign work.

Take a moment to vote before August 23rd so we can continue the conversation and share what's being discovered.

VOTE TODAY:
Blending Human Connection and AI to Maximize Math Engagement: https://bit.ly/4fYP6rL
Learners, Educators, and AI: Redrawing the Relationship: https://bit.ly/4q5qm4a
Beyond the AI Hype: What Actually Helps Students Learn? https://bit.ly/4wmXUN0

08/06/2026

The best AI tools for the classroom are built WITH educators, using real classroom data and not created in isolation. This is why it is critical to make sure that educators' voices are at the center of the conversation.

Leanlab Education is excited to be recruiting school systems to pilot a new round of AI-powered K12 math and literacy tools this fall and wants to make sure all voices are brought to the conversation.

Districts who join this work get:

- Early access to meet YOUR needs: Participating districts will have access to K12 math and literacy tools aligned to their specific needs.

- Research stipend and paid teacher time. Participating districts can receive School System grants ranging from $4,500 to $13,500, and teachers are paid for the time they put into the pilot —real compensation for real classroom-tested feedback.

- Edtech expertise you don't have to build yourself. Leanlab studies how well these AI tools actually help schools, so districts get a rigorous, honest evaluation rather than having to vet emerging AI edtech on their own.

This is an early expression of interest — no commitment today. We'll follow up with details, including specific tools, in August.

Join the study: https://bit.ly/4pXd1eg

Help spread the word and share this with district leaders who you think would be the right fit!

06/09/2026

If you're going to , come spend your Tuesday evening with us.

Leanlab Education and the AGILE Network are hosting a Poolside Co-Design Gathering during ISTE — a casual, energizing evening where educators, innovators, and school system leaders come together to do what we believe matters most: design with schools, not for them.
Real conversations and hands-on collaboration because we believe the best education tools are designed WITH schools.

📍 TownePlace Suites Orlando at SeaWorld
📅 June 30 · 5:30–8:30 PM

RSVP Today: https://bit.ly/4um9oiw

06/02/2026

AGILE Network brings together innovative schools, districts, and educators across the country to conduct real research and development alongside edtech companies working to solve real classroom challenges. Members aren't just sitting on the sidelines; they are in the arena of innovation, bringing their expertise and their community's context into the design process.

What does participation look like?
Members work directly with growing edtech companies on pilots and evaluations using structured, equity-centered research methods that Leanlab provides training in. The questions members investigate are real. The influence on what gets built is real. And the skills in participatory action research, innovation methodology, and equity-centered design are transferable.

Members also connect with a national community of forward-thinking education leaders at convenings built around sharing, not broadcasting.

DID YOU KNOW? Districts that sign up before June 30th have access to special stipends and additional partnership opportunities.

Click below to get started
https://www.leanlabeducation.org/schools

10/30/2025

Leanlab recently partnered with Preply, a human-led, AI-enabled language learning platform, to study how 1-on-1 tutoring accelerates English language learning and confidence for Spanish-speaking adult professionals. Over 12 weeks, learners progressed up to 3x faster than standard benchmarks, with 1 in 3 improving their CEFR scores by a full level and 96% crediting real human tutors as key to their success!

Check out our findings here:https://avatars.preply.com/inbound/media/20250902/preply-research-leanlab-education.pdf
Learn more about the study here: https://preply.com/en/blog/speak-like-you-mean-it-confidence-proven-to-accelerate-language-fluency/

Discover how confidence fuels faster language learning. Backed by new Preply research, this article explores how English learners dramatically improved their fluency and confidence in just 12 weeks, and why confidence is the secret ingredient to real, lasting progress.

08/25/2025

New AI tools are emerging faster than researchers can evaluate them. Educators and school leaders lack the time and data to distinguish between transformational tools and empty promises.

The solution isn't to slow down innovation—it's to accelerate it responsibly.

Our new white paper outlines how a national AI testbed infrastructure for education could support the responsible use of AI in education. This coordinated network would test tools across learning contexts, ensuring that access to effective AI is available to all students.

Produced by the Global Edtech Trialing Network - U.S., the report draws on expertise of educators, researchers, and policymakers to provide strategic recommendations for AI testbed infrastructure for education.

Read the report: https://www.leanlabeducation.org/building-a-responsible-ai-testbed-infrastructure-for-us-education-in-2025

08/12/2025

Community voting for SXSW EDU 2026 is now open, and Leanlab Education has the exciting opportunity to present alongside Innovateedu and AERDF's AugmentED! "Test Fast, Learn Fast: AI Trialing Networks and Edtech" explores how agile, AI-focused trialing networks allow education leaders and developers to quickly validate what works—and what doesn’t—before full-scale adoption.

Cast your vote now through Sunday, Aug. 24 to help shape the programming at SXSW EDU and ensure community-focused AI R&D infrastructure is part of the conversation.

🗳️

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

07/31/2025

Leanlab Education recently partnered with the Adobe for Education team and teachers across the country to explore how generative AI tools can foster creativity in K12 classrooms.

When teachers incorporated Adobe Express for Education's generative AI tools in creative, standards-aligned activities, they reported:
- Deeper learning
- Stronger creative thinking and more authentic self-expression
- Improved communication and collaboration skills
- Increased student engagement—even from those who usually disengage

These findings highlight the potential of generative AI for students and teachers: supporting teachers in designing creative learning experiences and giving students the structure, support, and spark they need to take their learning to the next level.

Take a closer look at the research here: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/07/29/new-research-adobe-express-for-education-sparks-student-engagement-creativity.

Independent study shows Adobe Express for Education boosts student creativity, communication, and learning with AI-powered tools designed for K-12 classrooms.

07/01/2025

What an incredible first few days at ! We've loved collaborating with and learning from the innovators who are reimagining the future of education in their own schools and districts, at the state or regional level, and from the product side.

There's still one more chance to connect and explore how we can codesign edtech with educators and learners. Join us today at 4 PM in HBGCC - room 303BC for the panel Designing for Impact: Human-Centered R&D in EdTech Innovation!

06/11/2025

What is codesign, really—and how can it transform education?

In a new blog, Leanlab CEO & Founder Katie Boody Adorno breaks down how true codesign starts with educators as co-creators of product, then transitions to co-creators of research design, and—crucially—as co-investigators of learning outcomes.

When Leanlab was founded in 2013, the term codesign wasn’t in our vocabulary. But the idea was already there.