Dallas-based edtech company a leader in literacy
DALLAS, May 21, 2018 — With summer vacation fast approaching, many parents and teachers are concerned about “summer slide,” the documented regression in reading skills that happens when students spend summer months away from school and regular reading practice.
Istation, a Dallas-based educational technology company, wants to prevent the summer slide in children’s reading ability. The company provides school districts across the nation with innovative reading, math and Spanish-language programs featuring high-quality animations and educator-developed lessons and assessments, making it a natural fit in the effort to stop summer slide.
“We know a lot about summer slide,” said Ossa Fisher, Istation’s chief operating officer, who has written on the subject for Huffington Post. “Over the years, it can lead to real regression in a child’s reading ability, as well as their ability to learn.”
In fact, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading reports that summer learning loss is one of the three major obstacles to reading proficiency by the end of third grade. Research shows that summer slide hits children from low-income families hardest. By the time students reach high school, the summer slide gap accounts for two-thirds of the performance difference between children from low-income families and their peers.
To help parents combat the summer slide, Istation has prepared a free e-book on the subject that is available on the company’s website. Both English and Spanish versions of the book can be found at info.istation.com/stopping_the_summer_slide.
“At Istation, we believe every kid has the ability in them to be a superhero,” said Richard H. Collins, Istation chairman and CEO. “Our core value is to help kids reach their potential, and a big enemy of potential is the summer slide. With our e-book, we want to help parents make sure their kids are ready for school in the fall.”
Fisher said that fighting the summer slide can be fun for both parents and children.
“Reading is not only a critical life skill, it is a great form of recreation,” she said. “Books can take readers any place their imaginations can cook up. We want parents to know they have immense power when it comes to making sure kids’ reading ability stays strong, even while the family is having fun this summer. In the end, we want families to have a great summer and students to be ready for an even better school year in the fall.”
About Istation
Founded in 1998 and based in Dallas, Texas, Istation (Imagination Station) has become one of the nation's leading providers of richly animated, game-like educational technology. Winner of several national educational technology awards, the Istation program puts more instructional time in the classroom through small-group and collaborative instruction. Istation's innovative reading, math and Spanish programs immerse students in an engaging and interactive environment and inspire them to learn. Additionally, administrators and educators can use Istation to easily track the progress of their students, schools and classrooms. Istation now serves over 4 million students throughout the United States and in several other countries.