A full announcement was published June 9, 2020 on Yahoo Finance. Read the full article here.

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 9, 2020 — Open Up Resources, a nonprofit whose mission is to increase equity in education, and onebillion, a London-based nonprofit software developer whose mission is to transform the learning of one billion children worldwide, are partnering to bring onebillion's award-winning software, onecourse, to pre-kindergarten-2nd graders in the United States via the onetab device. The partnership grants Open Up Resources exclusive rights to sales and distribution in the United States.

Read more from Open Up Resources CEO, Jessica Sliwerski, about why Open Up is urgently bringing onetab to the U.S.

A winner of the 2019 Global Learning XPRIZE backed by Elon Musk, onebillion has previously launched successful onetab programs in Malawi and Uganda, making the U.S. the third country to gain access to the preloaded tablets. As school systems within the United States plan for more distance learning options ahead of the 2021 school year, the onetab program will be an ideal solution navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

onecourse, the software that runs on onetab, is an adaptive literacy and numeracy course that takes PK-2nd grade children from zero to numerate and reading with fluency in their own language. Grounded in research, including the Science of Reading, children work through a structured sequence of instruction made up of thousands of engaging math, reading, and writing activities. These activities adapt for each child and the tablet can be shared with multiple children within a household. Open Up Resources will distribute the International English version, but versions exist in Swahili, Chichewa, and soon French. Additionally, the character visuals from the teachers to students featured throughout the coursework are of mixed ethnic backgrounds, appealing to children and parents of all colors.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a deep crack in the foundation of this country—our PK-12 education system is far from equitable," says Open Up Resources CEO Jessica Sliwerski. "With schools around the country closed and inequitable access to high-quality instruction, we knew we had to act immediately to create a safety net for the most vulnerable children. It is absurd that the richest country in the world has so many educational inequities and our hope is to bridge those gaps by bringing onetab to the U.S. onetab is a self-contained device that doesn't require wifi and provides early elementary-aged children with critical access to foundational math and reading instruction. 

Learn more about bringing onetab to your students:

 

 
onebillion is a non-profit organization based in London and Nairobi whose aim is for every child to become numerate and literate in their own language. Our international team of experts has built comprehensive, scalable educational software and solutions for children in and out of school. Together with partner organizations around the world, we work to bring these solutions directly into the hands of the child. By encouraging independent researchers to evaluate our software, we make absolutely sure that it meets the needs of the child. To learn more about onebillion, visit onebillion.org.