Khan Academy

Helping students who need it most: how one teacher keeps kids learning over the summer

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 15:55:44 -0700

Kenya McGriff understands the importance of keeping students learning over the summer, this year especially. Every summer students show patterns of learning loss, but with school closures due to COVID-19, the NWEA estimates that students may return in fall 2020 with less than 50% of typical learning gains and—in some grades—nearly a full year behind.

McGriff is continuing to teach this summer through Upward Bound, a federal program to support high school students from low-income families and families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. She’s also encouraging students in her school to participate in Khan Academy’s free, virtual summer camp, Camp Khan.

McGriff is a Khan Academy Ambassador and teaches seventh-grade math and pre-algebra at Allapattah Flats K–8 school in Port St. Lucie, Florida. We asked McGriff to share her experiences helping students avoid learning loss over the summer.

Khan Academy: Can you tell us about your work with the Upward Bound program?

Kenya McGriff: The Upward Bound program provides support to students who may be financially challenged or are potential first-generation college students. Students are given the opportunity to participate in curricula and programs that will prepare them for college. This summer I am teaching Middle School ELA for the Upward Bound program at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. I am working in the Summer CROP (College Reach Out Program). This is my first year.

Khan Academy: Are your Upward Bound courses remote? And if so, are you experiencing any challenges with remote learning?

McGriff: The courses are virtual, and I have four classes that rotate between technology, math, English/language arts, and French/Creole. The challenges that I’ve faced with teaching remotely include monitoring small group activities. It’s not like in a classroom, where you can just look over and see the students who are not working. They are able to go into a separate virtual room with their group. Sometimes when I leave my small group to check on another, someone has disappeared. I’ve learned to reward the groups that are the most productive.

Khan Academy: How have you used Khan Academy in the Upward Bound program?

McGriff: I have kids in one group work on Khan Academy’s ELA Beta. I was not given a curriculum to work from, so I based my curriculum around the first skills listed in ELA Beta. The other group works with me for about 20 minutes reading and discussing a novel. Then, we switch. The group that is the most productive earns free time. They get to leave class three minutes early, or I give them an automatic 100 on the lesson.

Khan Academy: Why did you think Khan Academy would be a good fit for your Upward Bound courses?

McGriff: I thought Khan Academy would be a good fit because I use it during the regular school day in my math class. When I’m not able to explain to students how to do something because I’m with another group, the kids can “get a hint” on Khan Academy that walks them through how to solve the problem or just gives them enough information to start them off.

I love the fact that I can monitor progress so easily and the kids can’t cheat. The questions are different. So, kids sitting next to each other can help each other figure out how to solve the problem, but one kid can’t just copy another.

Khan Academy: How have you been using Camp Khan with your students over the summer?

McGriff: I created class codes for third through eight grade so that students can participate in Camp Khan over the summer. My principal sent out a schoolwide email to all of the families. So, the students are signing up on their own and using the class codes that I made.

Khan Academy: How long have you been using Khan Academy in your classroom, and what results have you seen?

McGriff: I have been using Khan Academy for about four years now. I am also the math department chair at my school. I taught professional development at the beginning of the year. I emphasized how Khan Academy eliminates work by giving teachers ready-made centers and doing progress monitoring for you. Later on in the year, someone from the district office in the curriculum department asked what we were using to improve our scores (because our scores have improved nicely). My principal told them about Khan Academy. Another school in our district that has had similar increases in scores also attributed the progress to Khan Academy. By spring break, the principal made Khan Academy a schoolwide requirement for the whole math department (elementary and middle). Unfortunately, it was short lived because of Covid-19.

I have always received compliments on my students’ scores. Khan Academy makes progress monitoring so easy now. One of the main reasons that I use Khan Academy is because I’ve noticed that the practice questions that we have on the state test almost mirror the same questions that kids have on Khan Academy.

Check out our new 2019 annual report

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 16:58:12 -0700

Millions of people spent 8.7 BILLION minutes learning on Khan Academy in 2019. Wow! That’s more minutes spent learning then there are humans on Earth. Together, in ways big and small, we are all demonstrating that #YouCanLearnAnything.

Our newly released 2019 annual report contains all sorts of amazing stats. Whether it’s how we’re bringing Khan Academy to public classrooms and school districts here in the United States and around the world, how scientific efficacy research informs improvements to Khan Academy, or how many minutes have been spent singing, dancing, and getting the wiggles out on Khan Academy Kids, our app for two to seven-year olds, we can almost guarantee you’ll learn something you didn’t know about the work we’re doing.

The recent events of 2020 show our mission is more important than ever. We are even more determined to do everything we can to keep everyone learning.

Honoring Juneteenth: A day to listen, learn and take action

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 16:40:23 -0700

One hundred fifty-five years ago today, enslaved Black Americans in Texas finally learned from a Union Army general that slavery had been abolished; it had taken over two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse for word to reach them. Juneteenth is traditionally a day to celebrate freedom and Black history and culture. But this year, we are in mourning for the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and many others.

We at Khan Academy stand firmly in solidarity with the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement in the fight against racism.

Our mission is to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy exists to help all learners, but most especially students without access to the educational resources they need to achieve their full potential. We have shared and will continue to share resources about the history and experiences of Black people so we can help educate ourselves and our community and drive real change.

We are committed to doing the work to learn and grow as an organization so we can better serve the students who need us most.

We see this Juneteenth as an opportunity to reflect both on where we’ve come from and how much further we as a society must go to end systemic racism. We have declared Juneteenth as a permanent Khan Academy company holiday to honor Black history. The fight against injustice, inequality, and police brutality faced by the Black community is far from over, and we must take action together. As a first step, today, we encourage you to learn more about Black history and culture, including why Juneteenth is such an important day in US history.

New math courses to help students get ready for fall - Nuevos cursos de matemáticas para que los estudiantes estén listos al volver a clases

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 21:57:07 -0700

As we slide into summer, we know many people have concerns about whether they’re ready for next school year. We’re determined to do everything we can to help students keep learning. With that goal in mind, we’ve launched new math courses to equip students with the critical skills they’ll need for the fall.

We designed the courses, called Get Ready for Grade Level, to help students master the most important skills they’ll need for the next grade. What’s more, students can use our new courses to figure out where they may have gaps before they enter that grade. Teachers can also use Get Ready for Grade Level at back-to-school time to complement grade-level instruction.

The courses are available in English on our website and mobile app today. Like all our courses, they are completely free.

Sal Khan, our founder, calls the gaps students sometimes develop “Swiss cheese gaps.” They can build up over time. If enough gaps build up, students can hit a wall. This year the gaps are particularly concerning because of school closures. Research from NWEA shows some students could be nearly a year behind in math come fall. While the learning loss from Covid-19 may be significant, our math experts have designed Get Ready for Grade Level to help.

Students start by taking a Course Challenge. The Course Challenge helps them understand what they need to review. If they have gaps for the grade they’re entering in the fall, students spend their time mastering the important skills they need to fill those gaps. If they don’t have gaps, students accelerate ahead and brush up on the skills they need for next school year.

All our lessons are Common Core aligned. Parents and teachers alike can track student progress through our parent and teacher dashboards.

Also, a fun note for middle and high school: We’re launching Camp Khan, a 10-week summer math challenge for ages 13 and up. Students can get weekly tips and advice as well as recognition of their accomplishments as they progress through Get Ready for Grade Level.

Happy learning this summer!

Nuevos cursos de matemáticas para que los estudiantes estén listos al volver a clases

Ahora que estamos iniciando el verano en Estados Unidos, sabemos que muchos están preocupados de qué tan preparados están para el próximo año escolar. Queremos ayudar a los estudiantes a que sigan aprendiendo y, con esa meta en mente, creamos cursos nuevos de matemáticas para que los estudiantes estén equipados con las habilidades más importantes que necesitarán al volver a clases.

Diseñamos los cursos, que se llaman Preparación para el nivel de grado, para ayudarle a los estudiantes a dominar las habilidades más importantes que necesitarán para el grado al que van a entrar. Es más, nuestros estudiantes pueden usar nuestros cursos nuevos para saber si tienen lagunas antes de entrar a ese grado. Los maestros también pueden usar los cursos de Preparación para el nivel de grado cuando empiecen las clases para complementar la instrucción de sus clases.

Los cursos están disponibles en inglés y español en nuestro sitio web y nuestra aplicación móvil. Como todos nuestros cursos, son completamente gratuitos.

Sal Khan, nuestro fundador, ha hablado de las lagunas que los estudiantes tienen a veces, y de cómo pueden crecer con el tiempo. Mientras más lagunas tengan, más dificultad para avanzar tendrán los estudiantes. Este año esas lagunas son más preocupantes por los cierres escolares. Una investigación de NWEA (enlace en inglés) muestra cómo, para el inicio de clases, algunos estudiantes podrían estar atrasados un año en sus habilidades de matemáticas. Dado a que la pérdida de aprendizaje por el COVID-19 puede ser significante, nuestros expertos de matemáticas diseñaron los cursos de Preparación de nivel de grado para ayudarles.

Los estudiantes empezarán con un Desafío de curso. El Desafío de curso les ayudará a saber lo que tienen que volver a ver. Si tienen lagunas para el año que van a empezar en el inicio de clases, los estudiantes pasarán su tiempo dominando habilidades importantes para acabar con esas lagunas. Si no tienen lagunas, los estudiantes pueden avanzar y repasar las habilidades que necesitarán en el próximo año escolar.

Todos nuestros cursos están alineados con los Estándares Académicos Fundamentales de Estados Unidos (Common Core). Tanto los padres como los maestros pueden seguir el avance de los estudiantes a través del panel de padres y de profesores.

Además, una nota para los estudiantes de secundaria: Lanzamos Camp Khan, un campamento virtual de 10 semanas con retos de matemáticas y diversión para los mayores de 13 años en los Estados Unidos. Los estudiantes recibirán consejos semanales y reconocimiento por sus logros mientras avanzan en su curso de Preparación para nivel de grado.

¡Vamos a divertirnos aprendiendo este verano!

Learn about Black history, politics, and culture with Khan Academy

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:26:56 -0700

We believe it is important to educate ourselves and our community about the Black experience in the United States and African history. Our content team helped pull together a list of Khan Academy’s resources on Black history, politics, and culture. Here are a few hand-picked videos and articles if you want to learn more about these important topics.

Black history in the United States

Before the Civil War: Watch a video about the role of slavery in early America and read about the lives of African Americans in the early republic. Read about what life was like for enslaved men and women, and hear the story of the Scott family in the heart-wrenching Supreme Court decision Dred Scott v. Sandford.

After the Civil War: Learn about the origins of Juneteenth, when the last enslaved people received news of the abolition of slavery. Read about how life did—and didn’t—change for African Americans after the abolition of slavery. Learn more about the failure of Reconstruction and the emergence of Jim Crow segregation. Hear two Constitutional scholars debate the lasting impact of the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision, which permitted “separate but equal” public accommodations.

The Civil Rights Movement: Read about how the post-World War II economic boom left out African Americans and how Black veterans were excluded from the benefits of military service. This lesson on the Civil Rights Movement covers the major events, ideas, and people from Emmett Till to Black Power. Dive into primary documents by reading Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and examining it closely with help from Sal. Hear from Constitutional scholars about the lasting impact of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

The history of Africa

Want to learn more about African peoples and empires? Go back in time to learn more about Nubia and Ancient Egypt, Aksum, and Nok. Read about the states and empires of West Africa and the Bantu Migration. Experience African history through a Ghanaian lens with three videos from the World History Project:

The Impact of the Slave Trade - Through a Ghanaian Lens

Experiencing Colonialism - Through a Ghanaian Lens

Resisting Colonialism - Through a Ghanaian Lens

African American art

The next best thing to visiting a museum in person, the Seeing America project puts art front and center in the history of the United States. Learn more about the work of Black artists in these videos and articles:

Nineteenth-century artists: Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Banjo Lesson; William Howard, Carved writing desk.

Early twentieth-century artists: Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series; Aaron Douglas, A beacon of hope; Romare Bearden, Factory workers; Horace Pippin, Mr. Prejudice.

Modern and contemporary artists: Benny Andrews, Flag Day; Thornton Dial, Blood and Meat; Alison Saar, Topsy and the Golden Fleece.

African American trailblazers

From Khan Academy’s middle-school English language arts curriculum, you or your child may be interested in learning about these Black trailblazers:

Marley Dias: An 11-year-old activist who brought attention to the importance of representation in what we read

Katherine Johnson: A pioneering mathematician who helped launch a man into space

Sojourner Truth: A formerly enslaved woman and abolitionist who speaks about the importance of equality for race and gender (includes a fictional play that is based on true events)

Mae Jemison: The first African American woman in space

Granville T Woods: An inventor who helped save lives

CJ Walker: The first self-made woman millionaire and social activist

Recommended books

Want to learn more about Black history in the United States? Check out these seven books and Khan Academy lessons recommended by our employees.

¡Sigamos aprendiendo! New resources now available in Spanish

Thu, 21 May 2020 10:14:46 -0700

We’re delighted to announce new resources for families in the United States who speak Spanish. Sigamos aprendiendo is a hub for parents and students to easily find free educational support to continue learning during school closures. Our free resources in Spanish include:

- weekly math learning plans for grade three through Algebra 2,
- daily schedules to provide structure and fun during distance learning,
- guided tutorials on how to use Khan Academy,
- information on Khan Academy Kids, our free app for learners ages two to seven, and
- tips for accessing affordable internet and devices.

And as always, all our free lessons and exercises in math, science, and other disciplines are available in Spanish too.

As a nonprofit educational organization, we’re determined to do everything we can to help parents and children during school closures. Together, we can keep everyone learning at khan.co/sigamosaprendiendo.

¡Tenemos recursos en español en nuestra página Sigamos aprendiendo!

Queremos anunciar que tenemos una página con recursos para familias hispanas en los Estados Unidos. En Sigamos aprendiendo*, tanto padres como estudiantes podrán encontrar fácilmente el apoyo educativo que necesitan durante los cierres escolares, de manera gratuita. Nuestros recursos en español incluyen:

- Planes semanales de matemáticas desde 3.er grado hasta Álgebra II
- Horarios diarios para darle una estructura al aprendizaje a distancia, dejando tiempo y sugerencias para la diversión
- Tutoriales de cómo usar Khan Academy
- Información sobre Khan Academy Kids, nuestra app gratuita en inglés para niños de 2 a 7 años
- Consejos para obtener acceso a internet y dispositivos a un bajo costo

Y como siempre, nuestras lecciones y ejercicios gratuitos de matemáticas, ciencias y otros temas, también disponibles en español.

Como una organización educativa sin fines de lucro, estamos decididos a hacer todo lo que podamos para ayudarles a los niños y a sus padres durante los cierres escolares. Juntos, en khan.co/sigamosaprendiendo, podemos colaborar para que todos sigamos aprendiendo.

*También tenemos una versión diferente de nuestro sitio web Sigamos aprendiendo, con recursos específicos para Perú y toda Latinoamérica.

Weekly math learning plans for grade three through Algebra 2 to keep children on track for the rest of the school year

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 06:58:09 -0700

With more school districts announcing closures through the end of the school year, the Khan Academy team developed a new resource to help keep your kids learning. Our Weekly Math Learning Plans for Grade 3 through Algebra 2 will keep children on track and motivated to finish the school year strong.

The week-by-week learning plans will help you and your children stay focused so they are ready to soar when school starts in the fall. We have a 12-week and a 20-week schedule. Choose your child’s grade, and start using the weekly plans so they can master key math concepts for their grade level.

•  Third-grade learning plan
•  Fourth-grade learning plan
•  Fifth-grade learning plan
•  Sixth-grade learning plan
•  Seventh-grade learning plan
•  Eighth-grade learning plan
•  Geometry learning plan
•  Algebra 1 learning plan
•  Algebra 2 learning plan
• High school biology learning plan

How do the plans work? Sal explains how to use the weekly plans.

Combine these weekly learning plans with our Daily Schedules, which help you structure your child’s day so they can continue learning during school closures. Our Daily Schedules include chunks of age-appropriate learning time, lots of breaks for movement, and time to work on hobbies and passions.

Ready to get started? Use our Parent Guide to get you and your child up and running with free Khan Academy accounts. Teachers can refer to our quick start guide for remote learning.

Learn more about how Khan Academy is helping to keep kids learning during school closures.

Remote learning with Khan Academy during school closures

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 09:32:59 -0800

Updated March 27, 2020

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Resources for schools, teachers, and parents

We know there’s a lot on your minds—from health and safety to child care and jobs. These are exceptionally challenging times as we close schools to stop the spread of COVID-19, and we want to do everything we can to support you.

Khan Academy is a free resource for students, teachers, and parents.

We offer free lessons in math, science, and humanities from kindergarten through the early years of college. Students can use our exercises, quizzes, and instructional videos to learn and master skills. They will get immediate feedback and encouragement.

Resources to support you during school closures

We are having daily live streams on Facebook and YouTube at 12:00 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday, for students, parents, and teachers navigating school closures.

We’ve also created some helpful guides for you:

Parents

• Daily schedules to keep students ages 4 to 18 learning during school closures
• Weekly math learning plans for grade three to Algebra 2
• Parent quick start guide
• FAQs for Supporting Learning During School Closures
• Getting started with Khan Academy and Khan Academy Kids for remote learning webinar
• SAT updates and Official SAT Practice how-to
• Khan Academy Kids YouTube channel and free printable activities for kids ages two to seven
• Webinars
• How to motivate and engage your kids in learning: Wednesday, April 29, at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT
• Finding your footing in uncertain times: Balancing multiple kids with multiple schedules: Monday, May 4 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT
• Setting a daily schedule for young kids ages two to seven
• Setting a daily schedule for elementary school students ages 8 to 10
• Setting a daily schedule for middle school students ages 11 to 13

Teachers

• Get a free teacher account.
• Set up your classroom for remote learning with our Quick start guide and video
• Ask your questions of expert Khan Academy teachers:
• Educator virtual happy hour: Friday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT
• Catch-up with recent professional learning sessions:
• How one teacher helped his students ace math … by taking them back to kindergarten!
• 7 tips for effective remote learning—from setting up a schedule to addressing the emotional impact
• How to engage and motivate your students … even when you’re remote!

Khan Academy is a free resource for students, teachers, and parents.

What is Khan Academy? We offer exercises, quizzes, and tests so students can practice and master skills, as well as instructional videos to help students learn or review material.

• Khan Academy has a library of standards-aligned lessons covering kindergarten through early college math, grammar, science, history, AP® courses, SAT® preparation, and more.
• Students can practice skills with exercises, quizzes, and mastery challenges and get immediate feedback and support.
• Khan Academy is available in 40 languages.
• Students without laptops can access the Khan Academy website or use the Khan Academy app on smart phones.

Teachers get tools and reports designed specifically for them.

• Teachers can easily assign students an entire course—Algebra 1 or AP Biology, for example—a specific unit, or a specific skill.
• Teachers can easily track student progress with our reports.

School and teacher resources: How can you use Khan Academy?

We have several resources including a step-by-step Welcome guide and a series of online videos featuring real teachers demonstrating how to use Khan Academy to assign instructional videos and practice skills and monitor student progress. All these resources are available at Teacher essentials. Teachers can also join our #TeachWithKhan Facebook group.

How to get started:

Create free accounts from our home page.
Take a tour of our free content.
Check out our teacher and parent resources, and learn how you can easily assign students a course to master.

Khan Academy Kids for early learners

If you have a child ages two to seven, we recommend our free app, Khan Academy Kids. In addition to building early literacy, reading, writing, language, and math skills, the app encourages creativity and builds social-emotional skills. It is 100% free, with no ads and no in-app purchases. Khan Academy Kids is available on iTunes, Google Play, and the Amazon App store.

Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization.

Our mission is to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. With more than one billion children world-wide being impacted by school closures, we are experiencing soaring demand for our free resources. Our ability to quickly increase our services is made possible by Bank of America, AT&T, Google.org and Novartis. If you are able, please consider making a donation. Together, we can keep everyone learning.

Sincerely,

The Khan Academy team

Khan Academy Kids adds new first-grade lessons

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 09:04:49 -0800

Khan Academy Kids, our award-winning educational app for children ages two to seven, now includes new first-grade lessons. We’ve added thousands of interactive activities, lessons, and books:

- More than 5,700 activities aligned with first-grade English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Common Core Standards
- More than 80 animated instructional videos featuring the animated characters of Khan Academy Kids
59 new books:
- Nonfiction science books from National Geographic and Bellwether Media
- Original fiction stories for early readers
- Books covering social-emotional topics and featuring compelling new characters like Caterpillar, who showcases patience and self-confidence, and Seahorse, who learns to be brave and face his fears to help his friend Jellyfish

The goal of Khan Academy Kids is to help young learners everywhere learn to read, thrive in a classroom, count, be creative, ask questions, and—above all—build a love of learning. When we launched Khan Academy Kids in 2018, we wanted to help kids from all backgrounds and all walks of life be kindergarten ready. This spring many of the children who are using our app will graduate from kindergarten and move on to first grade. We’re excited to be able to continue the learning journey with them by providing first-grade lessons.

Like the rest of the app, our new first-grade lessons are designed with a whole-child focus. Our program engages kids in core subjects like early literacy, reading, writing, language, and math, while encouraging creativity and building social-emotional skills. Khan Academy Kids is aligned with Common Core standards and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, and it was developed in collaboration with education experts at Stanford University.

The new first-grade lessons are available now on the Khan Academy Kids. The app is 100% free with no ads, in-app purchases, or subscriptions. Download the app today on iOS or Android.

Download for iOS

Download for Google Play

Download for Amazon

With the support of education leaders like Super Simple Songs®, Bellwether Media, and National Geographic Young Explorer magazine, we’re providing young learners with high-quality educational materials to spark a lifelong love of learning. Khan Academy Kids is made possible through generous support from Imaginable Futures and Windsong Trust.

Seven books we love about black history and how to learn more about it

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 10:17:29 -0800

At Khan Academy we love to learn. As a learning organization, we often share book recommendations with one another. In honor of Black History Month, we asked our coworkers to share their favorite books by black authors that focus on the history of African Americans. Read on for seven recommended books as well as links to Khan Academy videos and articles where you can learn more about the historical events covered in each book.

Middle-grade fiction

The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Kenny lives with his family in Michigan. His teenage brother Byron gets into too much trouble, so his family heads south to visit their grandmother in Alabama. Grandma is the one person who can get Byron into shape. It’s 1963, and they are in town when Grandma’s church is blown up.
Recommended by Leah (content team)
Learn more on Khan Academy about life in the South in the postwar era and how a resistance to desegregation resulted in anger and violence toward innocent people.

Middle-grade nonfiction

Child of the Dream by Sharon Robinson
The daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson shares her coming-of-age story of being a 13 year old in 1963 and becoming increasingly aware of political activism and the civil rights movement.
Recommended by Allison (content team)
Learn more on Khan Academy about the Civil Rights Movement.

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Pinkney
A celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent struggle for civil rights. Using metaphor, spirituality, and multilayers of meaning, the author and illustrator convey the final months of MLK’s life and his assasination. The School Library Journal says it is, “beautifully illustrated and begging to be read aloud.“
Recommended by Allison (content team)
Learn more on Khan Academy about Martin Luther King Jr. from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the March on Washington where he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Adult nonfiction

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
An epic telling of a story that often goes untold in American history—the decades-long migration of millions of black Americans fleeing the South searching for a better life in cities in the North and West.
Recommended by Caroline (content team)
Learn more on Khan Academy about life after slavery for African Americans and the urbanization of the 1920s.

Adult fiction

Kindred by Octavia Butler
What would happen if you woke up and suddenly were on a plantation in the 1800s? Butler’s science fiction novel tells the story of a modern day black woman who lives in California and finds herself time traveling back to the antebellum South.
Recommended by Caroline (content team)
Learn more on Khan Academy about life for enslaved men and women in the United States in the 1800s.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Based on the true story of a reform school for boys that operated for 111 years, The Nickel Boys dramatizes the story of two boys sentenced to the school during the Jim Crow era in Florida. At the school the students have to deal with physical and sexual abuse, corrupt officials, and the danger of resisting, which can lead to disappearing “out back”. The novel was named one of Time magazine’s best books of the decade.
Recommended by Rosie (content team).
Learn more on Khan Academy about the origins of Jim Crow and segregation.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
From Africa’s Gold Coast to modern day America, this book follows the parallel path of two sisters through eight generations. The publisher says that this “extraordinary novel illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed—and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.”
Recommended by Stephanie (marketing team)
Learn more on Khan Academy about all of U.S. History because Gyasi’s book really covers it all.

College Board & Khan Academy Mark 10 Million Milestone of Free Official SAT® Practice

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 11:42:49 -0800

More than 10 million students have signed up for free SAT practice on Khan Academy in 5 years

In 2015, College Board and Khan Academy partnered to make world-class SAT practice resources free for all students for the first time ever. Together, we created Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy – a personalized online program that helps students practice for the SAT with thousands of sample questions, instant feedback, video lessons, and full-length practice tests.

As word has spread about our free resource, Official SAT Practice sign-ups have grown each year and now total more than 10 million worldwide.

Thousands of students have shared their stories about Official SAT Practice and the ways the program helped them improve their SAT scores. Here are just a few of those stories:

“All I had before was a dictionary and books I could take from the library. When my teachers introduced me to Khan Academy, I was so happy that it was free.”
Matthew B., Class of 2017, Texas
200-point score increase

“I liked the personalized study plan. […] The work is not at all tedious or boring; it’s engaging. I would tell other students, who can’t seem to focus on studying, to try Khan Academy.”
Monica B., Class of 2018, Maryland
150-point score increase

“I liked how there was the ability to see if you got a question wrong instantly, as well as receive feedback on why you chose a wrong answer.”
Robert Z., Class of 2020, Ohio
80-point score increase

Overall, Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy is the top choice of students preparing for the SAT. In a 2019 survey of more than 65,000 SAT test takers, nearly four times as many students said they practiced with Official SAT Practice than paid for commercial test prep.

“Official SAT Practice has achieved remarkable reach since its launch five years ago,” said College Board CEO David Coleman. “The fact that 10 million students have accessed high quality SAT practice resources without paying a dollar is exactly why we partnered with Khan Academy. Every student deserves the opportunity to practice for and succeed on the SAT, no matter what their family’s income level.”

College Board and Khan Academy are committed to supporting teachers across the country to help their students make the most of Official SAT Practice free resources.

“What’s really exciting is the level of usage we’ve seen in classrooms,” said Khan Academy founder Sal Khan. “Official SAT Practice was designed to be powerful for individual students preparing on their own, but this can be supercharged when it’s leveraged in a classroom setting where students get support from peers and teachers.”

Khan noted teachers are the heart of the classroom and know what’s best for their students. “They know how to help students on the path to college,” he said. “We’re grateful for everything teachers do every day to help students achieve their dreams.”

The College Board is celebrating the 10 million sign-up milestone during SAT Practice Kickoff Week January 27-31, 2020 with a campaign to encourage high school students to join the movement and create their own Official SAT Practice accounts. Students can learn more and sign up at satpractice.org/10million.

20 educational gifts for all ages: Khan Academy team’s favorite toys, books, and games for learning

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 08:27:55 -0800

It’s the season of giving! We asked the Khan Academy content team to share the gifts they love to give the children in their lives. Find a special and educational book, game, subscription, or toy to add to your shopping list.

Subscriptions kids will love

What’s better than one great gift? A gift that you receive monthly! Our content team loves these subscription-based gifts for children.

Magazine subscriptions

“I highly recommend Ranger Rick (and Ranger Rick Jr) and National Geographic Kids magazine subscriptions.”
Anna Berns,
Program manager, international content / localization community liaison

Kiwi Crates

“I like giving Kiwi Crates, which are great for the five- to eight-year-olds in my life, but Kiwi Co. also has crates for different age groups. I like giving these crates because each one includes super fun, hands-on STEAM projects with associated science and math instruction. I like to give a monthly subscription so they are a gift that keeps on giving.”
Megan Cohn,
Biology content creator

Books

The Khan Academy content team loves to give books as gifts to encourage relationship building and independent learning.

A board book for babies

“I always give board books as part of my baby shower gifts because the first thing a child should learn about a book is that it helps to build relationships.”
Charlotte Auen,
Content creator, math

Pre-K through elementary

“The book Lottie and Walter is good for pre-K to third grade—a story about overcoming fear and believing in yourself.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is a great book to read aloud to young elementary kids or to give as an independent read for older kids. It’s a beautiful story about how we change for the better if we open our hearts up.”
Allison Leedie,
Content creator, English language arts

“My six-year-old daughter loves Bedtime Math so much she wakes me up in the morning to do more of it. The problems are engaging. Each one has three levels of difficulty, so kids of different ages and math readiness can all engage.”
Vicki Lang,
Senior content manager, math

Middle school recommendations

“I would gift puzzle mystery books! They’re a fun way to stretch your brain and fuel your curiosity. Plus, there’s nothing more fun than solving a mystery before the main character does. My favorites: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein, and Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.”
Kim Elliott,
Senior content creator, humanities

“Graceling is for middle school and up. It’s just a great epic fantasy novel with amazing characters to root for.”
Allison Leedie,
Content creator, English language arts

HIgh school and beyond

“Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth is a graphic novel about Bertrand Russell’s quest for fortifying the logical foundations of mathematics. This amazing book brings out the humanity in the most abstract science of them all.
Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos is a harder read and more appropriate for people who have grappled with proving theorems before. Nevertheless, it read like a thriller to me. The book is a Socratic dialogue between a teacher and some students about a proof of a famous theorem and its related definitions, which touches upon the nature of mathematical discovery.”
Tomer Gal,
Content creator, math

Games and toys

A lot of learning can happen when playing the games and toys picked by our content team. Adults will enjoy these picks, too!

Guess Who? game

“Guess Who? is a great educational game for elementary ages and up for practicing categorizing, questioning, and noticing. You can swap out the characters and create new game sheets with historical figures, quadratic graphs, or elements from the periodic table — really anything that has similarities and unique features that you want children to discover. The game, as is or with modified characters, works in any language.”
Charlotte Auen,
Content creator, math

QWIXX and Rat-a-tat Cat

“Both QWIXX (dice) are and Rat-a-tat Cat (cards) are quick to play and a lot of fun. Also, they are great strategic games for elementary-age kids but are fun for everyone!”
Lindsay Spears,
Senior content creator, math

U.S. Presidents Playing Cards and Women Cards

“Most kids can’t name all of the presidents, so the U.S. Presidents Playing Cards are a good way to remember faces and names. They are also organized in order of succession, so kids could memorize the order just by playing with them if they were playing solitaire or something similar. I also really like the Women Cards Tech Deck.”
Leah Marquez,
Content creator, social studies

Perplexus Original

“I love the Perplexus. It is a 3-D puzzle that my kids have spent countless hours on.”
Lindsay Spears,
Senior content creator, math

Highlights from our 2019 Khan Academy Language Advocate Convention

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 12:16:41 -0800

We recently hosted our fourth annual Khan Academy Language Advocate Convention, where we were joined by 23 language advocates representing 15 languages—and a whopping eight different alphabets! Our language advocates lead the effort to translate Khan Academy into dozens of different languages. Their work is crucial to achieving the anywhere part of our mission to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.

Khan Academy staff and language advocates exchanged best practices on everything from raising funds to raising awareness of Khan Academy through social media. Language advocates also shared translation tips and tools with each other and presented to the entire Khan Academy staff about their efforts to make Khan Academy available around the world. Last but certainly not least, each language advocate brought a tasty treat from their home country so everyone could share in a delicious, international buffet.

Our language advocates work hard to make sure Khan Academy content isn’t just translated into different languages but made applicable to each country’s local context. For example, an English math problem about Susie buying apples may turn into a problem about Hélène buying grapes in French or Fatima buying mangoes in Hindi. In 2019 we introduced functionality for language advocates to curate Khan Academy content to match their local curricula, and a focus of this year’s convention was sharing best practices for aligning Khan Academy to each country’s curricula and implementing Khan Academy in schools.

Finally, language advocates met with Sal Khan, our founder and CEO, to discuss the future of Khan Academy as well as the similarity between their efforts to create and launch Khan Academy in new languages today and Sal’s effort to create and launch Khan Academy 10 years ago.

Here’s to continuing to work together with translators around the world toward making a free, world-class education available to anyone, anywhere!

Our new offering for school districts empowers teachers by quickly and easily differentiating instruction for every student who takes MAP Growth

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 11:09:50 -0800

by Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy

Teachers know that meeting the individual needs of each student can accelerate learning. They’re heroic in their efforts to differentiate instruction in classrooms of 25 or more students at various learning levels. But it’s challenging for even the most dedicated teacher to meet the diverse needs of every student. Differentiation is time consuming and intensely manual.

That’s why I’m delighted school districts can now choose MAP Accelerator, a new tool that does the hard work of differentiation for teachers. MAP Accelerator uses MAP Growth scores to automatically generate a personalized, mastery-based learning plan for every student, while keeping the teacher as the instructional decision maker.

We’ve partnered with NWEA, the creator of MAP Growth, to introduce this new resource. Khan Academy and NWEA are excited to empower teachers with a new way to deeply connect interim assessment to actionable classroom learning. Our goal with MAP Accelerator is to reach the children who need our help most.

With MAP Accelerator, we import MAP Growth RIT scores into Khan Academy to automatically place students at their learning edge:

• Teachers review the learning plan that MAP Accelerator recommends for each student. Teachers can adjust suggested goals in the learning plan as they see fit or accept all goals with a single click.

• Students take ownership over their learning as they progress through their personalized plan using Khan Academy’s mastery learning system. We foster student agency because students can move ahead or change directions.

• Districts get an easy-to-implement solution with classroom, school, and district-level reporting; professional learning for teachers; and priority technical support.

We recommend 30 or more minutes per week of student learning on MAP Accelerator. As students advance, teachers can use real-time data to make decisions about classroom instruction, form small groups, and provide one-on-one coaching.

Research shows that use of Khan Academy is associated with greater than expected growth in mathematics. Completing 60% or more of grade-level math on Khan Academy is associated with 1.8 times expected growth on the mathematics portion of MAP Growth.

MAP Accelerator includes math content aligned to MAP Growth for grades three through eight in both English and Spanish. Our mastery learning system is aligned to Common Core State Standards and includes practice exercises with worked solutions, quizzes, unit tests, instructional videos, and articles.

We launched a pilot of MAP Accelerator four months ago with five school districts: Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jefferson County School District in Louisville, Kentucky, and Madera Unified School District, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and Glendale Unified School District in California. Nearly 180,000 students and thousands of teachers are using MAP Accelerator today. We’re heartened by their progress so far and look forward to great things to come.

The pilot is just the start of an exciting new era for classrooms that use MAP Growth. With MAP Accelerator, teachers can not only see where students are in their learning journey but also pinpoint where they need help and generate a personalized learning plan quickly and easily with the click of a button. Students take ownership of their learning as they progress through Khan Academy’s mastery learning system. We think MAP Accelerator equips teachers to unlock student potential like never before.

To learn more about MAP Accelerator, please visit our partner NWEA’s website.

Got test anxiety? Sal Khan shares tips for reducing stress before your exam

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 08:02:26 -0700

Are you stressed about a test you have coming up? You’re not alone! A couple of weeks ago, Sal Khan shared his advice for managing exam anxiety. We got lots of amazing responses to his suggestions, and we’d love to share them with you.

“Listening to Sal’s tips just reminds me that I am not alone. Thank you so much Khan Academy.”
—@alexiawpyisnow on Instagram

“I appreciate this more than you can imagine. It’s been rough. I wish every kid on earth could see this video.”
—Umar on Youtube

“I need more Sal in my life. Can he just be there and coach us through all of life’s challenges?”
—@ferenstein on Twitter

“Today, your words made me cry … This Friday I have another physics exam, and I’ve been stressing pretty hard. Your reminder that we, as people, are not defined by test scores really struck a chord in me. I needed to hear that. Thank you for all you do for people everywhere and all you’ve already done for me. You rock, Sal!”
—Beautiful on Youtube

If you’ve already watched Sal’s test jitters video and taken his advice, then you’ve been busy! In the weeks leading up to an exam, Sal recommends three strategies:

Build a habit of practice—take practice tests, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and work on your weaknesses on a regular basis.
Share your feelings—talk about your insecurities with people you trust and find people who can support you.
Keep a bigger perspective—remember that a test score does not define you and that real happiness is knowing who you are.

So now that it’s the night before your big test, what can you do to set yourself up for success tomorrow? Sal Khan is back with three more tips to help you put your best foot forward on test day.

Take Sal’s advice and turn off your device, go spend some time with your family or close friends, watch a show, and laugh a little.

Three Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Sal Khan

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 08:29:24 -0700

Did you know Sal Khan will be in Spain this week accepting a prestigious award from the Princess of Asturias Foundation? The team here at Khan Academy is very proud of Sal, and we’ll all be cheering for him on Friday, October 18 during the award ceremony! 🎉

You might think of Sal as the founder of Khan Academy, but we know him as the approachable, down-to-earth guy who we work with every day—and we want you to know that Sal too! Here are three facts about Sal you might not know!

Image: Sal Khan and Khan Academy Ambassador Crystal Famania

1) Sal often wears shorts to the office.

You’ll probably see photos and video of Sal wearing a suit and tie accepting his award this week, but our Sal is often in the office wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Sal knows that people learn and work better in a variety of settings and at different times of day, and the culture in our office embraces that mindset. We enjoy a relaxed and casual dress code and are encouraged to work when and where we’ll be most productive. And, of course, Sal started Khan Academy by recording videos in his closet after work, so it’s always been casual for him.

2) Sal loves to conduct walking meetings.

If you have a meeting with Sal on your calendar, chances are you’ll be going for a walk with him outside the office. These walk-and-talk meetings are great for getting more physical exercise and experiencing a change of scenery. Plus, recent research found that walking can lead to increases in creative thinking!

3) Sal’s favorite book is Pride and Prejudice.

When Sal was forced to read Austen, Huxley, and Dickens in school, he hated these classic works of literature. But, when he reread Pride and Prejudice for fun in his twenties, he realized he loved it. What book from your childhood have you reread as an adult and now realize you actually love?

Follow the hashtags #PremiosPrincesadeAsturias and #PrincessofAsturiasAwards on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on Friday, October 18, to see pictures from the awards ceremony. You won’t be fooled by the suit now—you know the real Sal!

Onward!

Figuring out how kids learn with #TeachWithKhan educator Tambra Kascic

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 07:06:29 -0700

In a recent interview, our Teacher Community Program Manager, Aviv, spoke to Tambra Kascic, an #alwaysgrowing educator with a special commitment to figuring out how kids learn and sharing her expertise in the #TeachWithKhan Facebook and Twitter communities.

Aviv at Khan Academy: Can you describe your journey to becoming a teacher?

Tambra: Before I started teaching, I aspired to work in engineering technologies, and wound up working for a military-based supplier company. This is where I worked on various military equipment during Desert Storm and I got the opportunity to inspect the Atlantis space shuttle windows! I decided to re-attend college at age 48 to complete a degree in secondary education mathematics because I got tired of hearing teens say, “I hate math.” This is where I learned about Khan Academy from a grad student who was teaching a biology lab I was enrolled in.

Aviv at Khan Academy: That’s an incredible journey! How did you address the I-hate-math attitude in your early years of teaching?

Tambra: I first taught in Roane County, a rural farm community with a high need for math teachers and then at South Charleston High School, a school with a diverse population of under-resourced students. I taught classes from conceptual math to AP Calculus and implanted problem/project-based learning in all of my classes, much to the dismay of my fellow teachers. I asked to have the desks in rows and columns removed and found round tables so my students could work together and collaborate. Khan Academy became a tool for my students to use when questioning the process or their answers when they worked to complete problems in the classroom.

Aviv at Khan Academy: Tell me more about how personalized learning fits into your teaching.

Tambra: I decided to work towards my master’s degree in special education to better understand the teaching process for students with special needs. I wanted to use those skills for students who fell through the cracks in the general education classrooms. After receiving my masters, I accepted a position at the same high school to create an engineering program as well as teach the college dual credit classes and AP Calculus. The engineering project was to increase our students in STEM-related courses and careers and to encourage female students to continue in STEM courses. Our current level of 18% female students enrolled in engineering-type courses is well below the national average, and it is my hope to continue to increase this percentage each year. We are on the right track, and have increased our enrollment by almost 400%, have a 3D printing lab, and opened our first chapter of Skills USA for our school!

Aviv at Khan Academy: What are your plans for continuing to personalize learning for all students in the future?

Tambra: While my master’s degree addressed many of the questions I had regarding cognitive learning and how it relates to curriculum, I decided to pursue my doctorate in philosophy with a focus on cognition and curriculum psychology in order to design and implement evidence-based interventions to better serve struggling students.

It is my goal to get to the heart of I-hate-math statements and encourage my district to use strategies that change the mindset of students, so they will be more motivated to continue pathways that lead to STEM careers.

I am currently working on a research topic relating to psychology, math and learning struggles of students in general education. Through this process, I have continued to use Khan Academy, going as far as becoming an Ambassador in order to train and encourage other teachers to use this amazing tool.

Aviv at Khan Academy: Thanks so much for sharing your story with us!

Tambra: Thank you for the opportunity!

After seeing substantial score gains in a pilot study, Khan Academy launches a new offering for school districts

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 10:39:29 -0700

Two years ago, Khan Academy started a pilot program with Long Beach Unified School District in Long Beach, California, to explore how to work with teachers and unlock student potential. Bolstered by the pilot’s success, we’re pleased to announce the introduction of Khan Academy Districts, a landmark new offering for school districts across the country.

In addition to Long Beach Unified, Compton Unified School District and Madera Unified School District in California and Seminole County Public Schools in Florida will use Khan Academy Districts this school year.

Khan Academy and Long Beach Unified conducted a joint correlational study in the 2017-2018 school year of more than 5,000 students. Research shows:

Teaching with Khan Academy for one class period per week for at least 30 minutes was associated with students gaining an additional 22 points on the state mathematics assessment.

Long Beach Unified reported students who used Khan Academy gained twice the district average on the state assessment.

Findings held true regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, family income, or English language learner status.

Long Beach Unified is the third largest school district in California and serves one of the most diverse cities in the United States.

We hope that Khan Academy Districts will give teachers across the United States the tools to deliver meaningful learning gains for every student in their classrooms. We’re proud to partner with districts to unlock student potential, with a focus on underserved populations.

Khan Academy Districts provides tools, professional development, and data insights to help teachers, district administrators, and principals drive student achievement district wide. District leaders gain insights into student progress via reports on usage and impact. Students have access to materials at a level just right for them. Additionally, teachers receive year-round, wrap-around support.

Khan Academy Districts is available for school districts everywhere for the 2020-2021 school year. Interested districts can learn more here.

Onwards!

Engineering principles help us scale to better meet our mission

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 16:00:22 -0700

Growth is a goal for every organization and company. At Khan Academy, our nonprofit mission is to reach all learners around the world whose lives can be improved with access to a free education. To give you an idea of our growth towards our mission, today 18 million people learn on Khan Academy every month, up from nine million in 2016.

How have we been able to deliver more content, more features, and continually improved experiences for our users? Our VP of Engineering, Marta Kosarchyn, shares out a powerful and an often overlooked strategy for scaling growth. Read more in the Khan Engineering blog. Inspired by our mission? Be sure to check out our careers page.

Making the right shifts keeps things running smoothly. Photo by Alok Sharma on Unsplash

Meet the Best Presentation winner at the first-ever Khan Academy Ambassador Summer Summit

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 11:42:44 -0700

Amy Forsythe is a high school math teacher as Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. Amy attended our inaugural Khan Academy Ambassador Summer Summit in July and we’re delighted to share this guest blog post!

By Amy Forsythe

My experience at the the pilot Khan Academy Ambassador Summer Summit—#KhanCon—was amazing!

My expectation was that I would learn some new tricks for using Khan Academy in my classroom and maybe even get some insider info on what changes will be taking place in the future, and that definitely happened. I not only heard things that will help me in my classroom, but I also got great tips on how Khan Academy can help others.

While those tangible learnings were huge, the real WOW moments for me were the connections I made with other Ambassadors and the Khan Academy staff. It is an incredible experience to be around others who share your passion for something. We realized how much we all have in common despite being from different states, different subject areas, different grade levels, and different types of schools.

I was also overwhelmed by how much the Khan Academy staff wanted to talk with us and learn about how we use their resources and what challenges we face. I was asked my opinion on things so many times! I was constantly talking with Khan Academy staff during breaks, lunch, and any other times we could find! I didn’t anticipate that.

A theme that kept coming up was looking at student growth over time rather than assignment scores alone, meaning we collectively valued looking at where a student started off and tracking their improvement. With Khan Academy, different students can have different goals for growth and mastery of specific skills—working methodically from the foundation up to more advanced learning—that they can keep track of themselves so that all students are appropriately challenged. In the past, I’ve focused more on individual assignments. But coming out of the Khan Academy Ambassador Summer Summit, I’d like to do more with growth and mastery.

It was so obvious that the Khan Academy staff wanted to do more than just make a great product. They really want to help teachers have a great impact. Seeing people working so hard to help me do my job more effectively made me so happy!

I left #KhanCon knowing more about how to use Khan Academy in my classroom and also knowing that there are so many people who really value what teachers do and want to help them reach as many students as possible, as effectively as possible.

That is simply amazing.