Harry S Truman College on Wilson Avenue in Uptown. Photo: Snowman304 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Roger Stark and Betsy Hill think the gap in American education starts with how students learn, not just what they are taught. Their company, The BrainWare Company, sells BrainWare Safari, a computer program built to strengthen the cognitive skills underneath reading, math and attention.
The software is designed to feel like a video game. Under the surface, the company says, it draws on work from medicine, education and neuroscience. Most tests can identify gaps in a student’s cognitive abilities. BrainWare’s pitch is that its program can help fill them, for students of any age.
A workforce argument
Stark, the company’s chief executive, frames the mission in economic terms. There are many open jobs, he says, but many workers lack the skills to land them. Building those skills earlier is the company’s long game, and it describes its goal as a more employable workforce. BrainWare also markets the program as a way for schools to stretch tight budgets and to raise teacher effectiveness.
The company cites results showing three to four years of cognitive growth over 11 weeks of use. Those figures are BrainWare’s own claims, and they come from the firm’s marketing of the program.
Looking for a legacy
Stark has said he was searching for work that could change lives, especially in communities that schools have historically underserved, and that he was not sure what his legacy would be until he found the product. He now spends much of his time taking it to schools, families, workforce programs and clinicians.
This week the company took part in National Brain Awareness Week, the annual campaign to raise public interest in brain research, with outreach events in the community.
Marcus Hadley covers business, transit and real estate in Uptown.
