Transforming Education: AI in the Classroom with Dacia Toll

In this episode of The Education Equation, host Jeremy Singer talks with Dacia Toll, the co-founder and co-CEO of Coursemojo, an AI-powered teaching assistant platform. Dacia is also the co-founder of Achievement First, a prominent charter school network with around 40 schools across the Northeast. The discussion focuses on how Coursemojo addresses two critical challenges in education: reading achievement and teacher retention.

Toll explains that the reading data for eighth graders is at a 30-year low, which she describes as a "national emergency." She also emphasizes the urgent need to make teaching a profession that more people want to join and remain in. Coursemojo tackles these issues by making the core English Language Arts (ELA) instruction that teachers are already doing more effective, engaging, and easier. Unlike many other EdTech products, Coursemojo is not a supplemental tool; it integrates directly with schools' existing instructional materials.

Coursemojo’s research referenced in the conversation is available here: https://coursemojo.com/research/

Dacia’s favorite education book is Know Better, Do Better by Meredith and David Liben 

Key Takeaways:

> A New Approach to EdTech: Coursemojo is an AI-powered teaching assistant platform that integrates with a school's existing curriculum rather than being a supplemental product. This approach helps teachers do what they already do more efficiently.

> The Power of AI: The AI frees educators from the limitations of multiple-choice questions, allowing for open-ended questions and the instant analysis of vast amounts of unstructured data. The AI is used to categorize student responses and develop criteria for each question.

> Real-Time Data for Teachers: The platform provides a live dashboard that shows teachers a real-time view of student understanding for every question, enabling them to offer more strategic and effective support. It also identifies the two most common class misconceptions and suggests discussion questions.

> Evidence of Impact: Pilot programs in Texas and Tennessee show that Coursemojo contributes to substantial gains in middle school reading achievement. In Aldine ISD, schools using Coursemojo saw an additional six percentage points in reading gains, while in Sumner County, students using the product had an eight percentage point gain.

> Focus on Foundational Skills: Coursemojo helps students move beyond basic reading skills to think critically about texts and understand complex ideas. It encourages kids to do more thinking, reading, and writing.

> Balancing Pedagogy and Engagement: The product combines an intentional instructional approach with subtle gamification and social elements to keep students engaged and motivated.

Why You Should Listen:

This episode offers a fascinating look at how AI is being used to address some of education's most pressing challenges. It provides a hopeful and realistic perspective on the role of technology in the classroom, emphasizing the importance of a human-centered, values-driven approach. You will learn about a tool that is not just promising but is already showing significant, measurable impact on student outcomes and teacher experience.

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