Ellevation Education, a Boston-based provider of online planning, reporting and communication tools for English Language Learners (ELL), has raised $2 million from a motley of parties, including existing investors Chris Gabrieli, NewSchools Venture Fund, Adam Miller, Rick Burnes, Josh Tolkoff, Eileen Rudden, and Lynda Bodman. New participants include Berylson Capital, Steve Kupfer, Alan and Judy Wurtzel, Alex Saltonstall, and Josh Kirkpatrick.
The startup has now raised $5.1 million, according to co-founder and CEO, Jordan Meranus.
Ellevation was founded in 2011 in response to the founders’ frustration at the lack of programs to help teachers differentiate instruction for ELL students. To this end, the startup offers a suite of tools that cover goal planning, reports, and data dashboards to help educators track ELL students’ proficiency levels and progress. (Detailed information about how Ellevation works here.)
The team of 24 currently serves 450,000 English Language Learners across 260 districts in 30 states. It most recently completed a partnership with Broward County Public Schools in Florida, and also expanded its reach in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina.
“Over the coming year,” Meranus tells EdSurge, “we will add tools that help districts and educators make informed decisions about the programs and services individual English Learners should receive, and access instructional strategies and content based on students' language acquisition needs.”
