Reasoning Mind Wins Deloitte RightStep™ Innovation Prize

NEW YORK, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Deloitte, as part of its ongoing commitment to developing tomorrow's leaders, announced the winner of its RightStep™ Innovation Prize, Reasoning Mind, an organization committed to providing a first-rate math education for every child. Learning math skills has proven to be a critical step in preparing students for college. For example, studies show that students who complete at least Algebra II in high school are twice as likely to complete a four-year college degree.¹ However, 74 percent of our nation's 12^th graders are not proficient in math.² Reasoning Mind seeks to address this issue head on by changing the way students learn math skills. Deloitte's cash award and pro bono services will help the organization scale their proven solution to reach more students across the country.

"Deloitte's judges were impressed by Reasoning Mind's dynamic online learning system which adjusts moment-to-moment to respond to student's ongoing performance," said Global Chief Innovation Officer John Levis, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. "However, this is not a standalone, off-the-shelf solution.  Reasoning Mind offers the wrap around support for schools and teachers to help make sure their technology achieves results."

Deloitte designed its RightStep™ competition, which launched in November, to recognize an innovative education solution with a demonstrated track record of success. Through the six-month process, Deloitte has engaged more than 100 Deloitte professionals and conducted three rounds of intensive screenings to narrow down the initial pool of 116 applicants. Deloitte selected the winner based on a number of criteria, including the organization's commitment to underserved youth, its technology solution's level of innovation, how scalable the solution is in terms of impacting target beneficiaries, and how the mission aligns with Deloitte's education initiative.

Reasoning Mind implements an interactive online math curriculum in partnership with school districts and provides robust teacher training to reinforce this innovative approach in classrooms. The organization, which currently operates in Texas, West Virginia and California, has a track record of success validated by 10 research studies including multiple evaluations that demonstrate increased student achievement on standardized math tests, improved attitudes towards mathematics and increased concentration rates measured by percentage of time students spend on task in math classrooms.

"We are honored and excited to be selected as the winner," said Alex Khachatryan, co-founder and president of Reasoning Mind. "We've seen not only tremendous growth over the last five years, but also tremendous impact and student outcomes as a result of our work. With Deloitte's support, we know we can even further scale the reach of our effective programming to more students, transforming the way students learn math in schools."

"Research shows that mathematics instruction in the U.S. requires a comprehensive approach to be successful. And, we know that math learning is a key indicator to future student success and achievement," said Bill Copeland, vice chairman, U.S. Life Sciences & Health Care leader and Corporate Citizenship Education champion, Deloitte LLP. "Deloitte is focused on how to prepare today's students to be tomorrow's leaders, and math learning is a critical part of the equation. We look forward to investing our resources and the time of our people to help advance Reasoning Mind's effective solution and make it more accessible to students nationwide."

For a complete overview of the prize including rules and regulations, please visit: http://www.deloitte.com/us/deloitte-rightstep-innovation.

About Deloitte's RightStep™ Programs
A classroom full of children or young adults is never just that – at Deloitte, we see a room full of CEOs, CFOs, doctors, public servants, and teachers to name a few. But we're doing more than seeing their potential. We're taking steps to help them achieve success. Through our RightStep™ programs, Deloitte is helping these children unleash their full potential by building confidence, inspiring leadership, fostering trust and taking the right steps to build brighter futures.

RightStep™ is part of Deloitte's larger commitment to corporate citizenship. Deloitte's corporate citizenship programs range from pro bono services and skills-based volunteering to nonprofit board membership, service sabbaticals, and a range of community involvement activities. Deloitte promotes a stronger economy and society by serving the public interest, building a culture of purpose, and inspiring leadership in others – within and outside Deloitte.

About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a U.K. private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte's more than 210,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.

¹National Mathematics Advisory Panel Final Report, U.S. Department of Education (2008).
²National Assessment of Educational Progress report: Mathematics and Reading – Grade 12, U.S. Department of Education (2013).

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SOURCE Deloitte