i'm represented in school

Boost classroom engagement by providing teachers with insights that are guaranteed to appeal to student interest and identity.

Our solution

Start this school year with a synthesized dashboard that tells you who your students are. The iris product, co-created with teachers, uses a suite of prompts and activities tailored for students and their families to share their backgrounds.

Integrate Culture

iris helps teachers seamlessly integrate students' diverse cultural backgrounds and learning interests into everyday lessons, fostering a more inclusive and engaging classroom environment.

Monitor Engagement

Educators can track student engagement levels year-round through identity-focused prompts and student enjoyment surveys, allowing for informed curriculum planning and targeted support.

Build Identity

iris encourages students to share their cultural heritage and interests, fostering a sense of pride and empowerment in their identities within the classroom community.

Discover how iris can revolutionize your teaching approach

Try iris

- why we built iris -

Every teacher aims to give their best to their students, whether by working closely with them one-on-one, adapting teaching methods to individual needs, or creating an inclusive classroom. However, achieving this is challenging, especially when they must also understand and respond effectively to students' diverse cultural backgrounds and interests. This complexity often results in meticulous record-keeping and additional burdens on teachers.

Our goal is to reduce this burden and help teachers more easily engage with their students' identities, backgrounds, and interests.

New Fall Pilot

Join our fall pilot program for the '24-'25 academic year and discover how iris can revolutionize your teaching approach. Participate in a more personalized, engaging, and culturally rich educational experience. With iris, you’re not just teaching; you’re actively participating in the cultural journey of your students. Every class becomes a dynamic environment where students feel understood, represented, and motivated to succeed.

Our partner educators

Cori Croot

Teacher & Educational Consultant

Cori started as an elementary educator in the urban classrooms of Camden, NJ. After eight years as a teacher, Cori took on an educational consultant role at IDE Corp where she coached thousands of K-12 teachers and administrators through workshops and classroom visitations. In Cori's 15 years as a consultant, she grew into the role of Vice President of Consulting Services. Today, Cori is back in the learning mode, pursuing a Master's of Social Work degree at Delaware State University.

Kirby Sypek

Teacher at Denver Public Schools

Kirby has been an elementary educator and coach for 13 years in Virginia and Colorado. She is excited about her other journey focused on facilitation of adult learning and understanding the ecosystems that affect education. She is a passionate team player striving to enhance the alignment of systems, structures, and instructional practices.

Our team

Larry Dang

Co-founder,
Director of Administration

Larry is deeply committed to the role of social innovation in achieving equity. He has experience in education, social science research, and nonprofit development. Larry currently lives in Queens, New York, and is slowly but surely trying to earn the right to call himself a New Yorker.

Shuxin Zhou

Co-founder,
Director of Engineering

Shuxin wants to see a world equity driven, technology enabled where appropriate. She's spent time in civic tech, education, and startups. Shuxin deeply enjoys binging the latest manga and anime updates and the occasional indoor rock climb.

Pragathi Balasubramanian

Co-founder,
Director of Product Development

Pragathi believes in the power of community-driven design. They have over a decade of experience working in both big tech and civic tech and has a passion for socially conscious solutions. Pragathi writes speculative fiction as their creative outlet and loves coming up with silly characters for them.

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