Scholar Education has raised $2 million to tackle a problem that can start months before a child ever receives extra help at school: getting evaluated in the first place.
OneSixOne Ventures joined other technology investors, strategic industry partners and existing shareholders in the seed round, which the Tampa company plans to use largely to build Scholar Health, its push into special education evaluations and family support.
Scholar says families can wait 12 to 18 months and spend between $3,500 and $5,000 getting a child evaluated. Scholar Health is being built to cut that wait from months to weeks, lower what families pay and connect the results directly with the help a student receives at school.
“What started in the classroom for us is now growing to help the families waiting months, spending thousands of dollars to get help, and also ensuring schools and teachers have the tools they need to provide the best support for students,” founder and CEO Ed Buckley said.
Scholar already says its technology reaches more than 20,000 teachers and students through BaxterBot, its student-facing digital assistant, and PAWfessor Bruce, the teacher-facing side of the platform.
BaxterBot adjusts material to a student’s reading level and learning profile while delivering accommodations during the school day, while PAWfessor Bruce helps teachers plan lessons, grade work and track those accommodations.
“Special education remains one of the most fragmented systems families have to navigate,” co-founder and President Marlee Strawn said. “Parents, teachers, evaluators, and schools often operate in separate systems with limited coordination.”
Scholar plans to use some of the $2 million to add the clinical and educational support needed for Scholar Health, along with further product development and partnerships as the Tampa company expands throughout Florida and into other markets.