Increasing Student Achievement

What a student already knows about a particular subject is one of the strongest indicators of how well s/he will learn new information relative to that subject.   This means that when a child has background knowledge of a subject through books, educational television and/or verbal discussions, then that child has the greatest ability to build on this base of knowledge to learn incrementally.   To help students reach a higher level of learning, Robert J. Marzano's 35 years of synthesized research data has concretely identified key instructional strategies that are proven to build and increase background knowledge.   He outlines how a carefully structured combination of three approaches - reading, instruction in subject-specific vocabulary terms and educational television - helps build background knowledge that will enable greater achievement.   Marzano states, "Watching educational television significantly enhances the development of such knowledge."

Start Smarter's Mission - Educating Young Children

As school systems around the country embrace Marzano's research, (including Cathy Cox with the Georgia Department of Education), Start Smarter is equipping educators with the tools they need to help close the achievement gap and enable all students to succeed.   As Marzano states, "My basic position is quite simple:   Schools can have a tremendous impact on student achievement if they follow the direction provided by the research."   Start Smarter follows the direction provided by Marzano's research, applying it to both educational videos and lesson plans for teachers.

How is Start Smarter working to educate children?

Start Smarter is creating a nutrition and fitness series of educational videos for elementary school students, specifically for grades pre-K through 2 nd grade.   Our educational videos come complete with age appropriate lesson plans that incorporate math and ELA skills directly in accordance to Marzano's approach to facilitate silent reading and verbal discussion.   Our first video in this series was released in September 2005 with the second video due for release in October 2005.

Start Smarter's Proven Track Record

Start Smarter has had the privilege of working with some of the finest partners in their respective fields:   The Georgia Department of Education, Delta Airlines, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, MARTA, The Blue Angels, Norfolk Southern, and Operation Lifesaver.   In five years Start Smarter has produced eight videos.   Each video released by Start Smarter has won national awards of recognition including "Top Ten Videos for Social Responsibility", "Top Ten Videos of the Year", "The 100 Best Children's Products" and Oppenheim's coveted "Gold Best DVD" award.   A brief overview of Start Smarter's award-winning library is attached.

What can Start Smarter do for you?

As evidenced through the lack of quality educational television and video programming, the 2-8 year old age group is very difficult to reach.   Fortunately, this is our specialty.   We know how to capture a child's attention at this age and teach them.   Our test cases are showing powerful results from children who watch our nutrition videos and follow our lesson plans.   I would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your needs and how Start Smarter can assist you in spreading the nutrition and fitness message as well as other messages that you are looking to deliver to this age group.