Netflix's CEO backs a math education program that works like the streaming service

pulse

June 6, 2017 8:23 PM

In 2011, Reed Hastings poured millions into an education platform that tailors math lessons just like the service bringing people "Orange is the New Black."

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Reed Hastings is best known as the CEO of Netflix, the streaming service that personalizes recommendations for users.

But Hastings' interest in personalization also extends into a lesser-known realm: education.

In 2011, Hastings teamed up with venture capitalist John Doerr to invest $11 million in the growth of math education startup DreamBox Learning. Created in 2006, the program supplements kids' elementary and middle school education with lessons, games, and animations, all tailored to the student.

More than 2 million kids use the platform today, the New York Times reports.

DreamBox is part of a growing group of tech-forward education platforms. As Google and Facebook move into schools across the country, bringing software for collaboration and individualized learning, the notion of education is transforming.

In years past, teachers may have taught to a room of students from the head of the class, but today's students are increasingly learning amongst themselves on devices catered to their needs.

DreamBox collects data on students' performance, including accuracy rates and response times, and keeps track of how many hints kids needed to get the right answer to a given question. From there, the program either raises or lowers the difficulty level and amends the style of instruction.

The system collects more than 50,000 data points for each student per hour.

DreamBox has some research on its side. A 2016 report from Harvard found students used DreamBox to varying degrees when schools adopted the platform, and seldom to the recommended levels. But those who used it longer did find bigger gains in their math proficiency.

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