She and the members of her board chose LearnNow after their relationship with another management company had broken down over differences in how children should be taught. They were won over when Wade approached them and explained his teaching philosophy. Nobody graduates from third grade without knowing how to read or how to do long division. What varies is the time that students need to spend with teachers. And like any good business, LearnNow pays for performance.
Teachers earn bonuses that are based on how well their students do.
And teachers are required to follow the progress of their students for at least two years in order to ensure that those students are building upon their skills. Ultimately, LearnNow hopes to make money by scaling innovation and by spreading good ideas across the system, much like a venture capitalist cross-pollinates ideas. The best ideas of a teacher in one school can spread through online lesson plans and through teaching techniques. That practice encourages teachers to create their own methods of success as well. For some of Wade's supporters, the jury is still out on whether the benchmark for change is the school or the system.