How Academity's 12,000-Strong Community is Broadening the Definition of Gifted Education
Her journey to business began in the Texas classroom. In her time as a teacher for over 10 years, she has been a major part of her career advocating for gifted children's achievements in places in which their needs are not being met.
"It is commonplace for public schools that gifted students are left to fend for themselves in their most full potential and their potential to not be realized," Meredith explains. "Students who might not appear as typical gifted children require teachers who have been trained to comprehend their individuality and needs. They must be able to appreciate their individuality, ideas or beliefs honored and respected. ."
In her classroom experience, Meredith realized that there was a lack of methods within her particular area of specialization. There were no high-end online professional learning services which could provide teachers with the best techniques for gifted education.
About two months ago Meredith made the decision to extend her passion for gifted education and education for the rest of the world. Armed with only her education degree, she founded Academity -- an online community for learning that offers researched and well-designed programs that satisfy the essential demands of teachers who are in the field of gifted education formation.
In the past, more than 12,000 educators have participated in her programs. Here's how she did it.
Jump ahead:
- She took her leap of faith and did not have having any business experience
- Her goal was to create an organic, similar-minded community
- She created an easy sales funnel
- She combined her unique program with existing frameworks
- Her team was united around their mission
- She capitalized on the benefits of online community using forums for discussion
- She took advantage of the advanced features and accessibility of HTML0.
The woman took a naive risk even though she did not have any business knowledge.
In the present, Meredith remains transparent about the fact that she had not had any prior business experiences prior to beginning her online course journey. However, she's come to embrace that as a positive thing.
"It might sound like a lot, but I've got no knowledge of anything something to do with the business world. I'm from the educational world and am a geek. I'm a geek, and I enjoy learning about new technologies, and my fascination with technology led me to this area," she says.
"I'm quite comfortable jumping into something even if it's terrifying. As someone who has knowledge of education, I try my best to impart to my children that it's okay to make mistakes. Positive things can result from things not going well. If something doesn't work, I can always improve the situation .'"
Even with the less traditional abilities, Meredith was able to identify a gap she could fill.
"Within my own state of Texas, there's thirty hours of training that teachers have to go through in order to become specialists on gifted and talented education. Teachers generally, it's an expectation of them during this process, and there's little dollars or hours are spent on it," she explains.
The time was when Meredith's school district used a outdated method of training that has proven to be a non-reliable choice. This was one of the reasons that Meredith began to experiment with online classes.
"When the pandemic started to take hold in the beginning period, there were several schools in the Houston area that needed the instructors to be trained, but there was no way to get it, since the training was conducted in person. At that point, I thought"Whoa, let's try creating courses. Let's test it,'" she recollects.
"Everyone was awed by everyone loved it. The feedback I received was "This was the very best class I've ever taken. It was fascinating and engaging ."
Her intention was to create an organic, like-minded community
After the initial reaction was positive, Meredith realized that she found something that was unique. Meredith continued to expand her curriculum and elective courses to offer services to the Houston community. Later on, the school expanded to different state districts.
Meredith states that she is able to attribute a large portion of her success thanks to her unique methods for marketing.
"Word of mouth" is very important. Teachers haven't been rolling dough so I included that in my marketing strategies. One thing I really like about this strategy is that all of these educators have a common belief in equity. ."
In comparison to more conventional approaches she's utilized, Meredith found this personalized method of marketing that is more intimate will be a big success with the target market in a far more meaningful manner.
"Me and my readers share the wish to help educate gifted children as well as to broaden the definition of gifted education. As we put that in practice It is evident that we are positively impacting numerous districts and schools. the whole thing is a matter of the shared messaging that I advocate for. ."
To enhance this natural interaction, Meredith was intentional to connect with contacts she already had in the education world. As a fellow educator, she partnered with various parent associations and the Texas Association of Gifted Children to attend events, appear in publications, and get acknowledgement.
She created an easy funnel for sales
Furthermore, Meredith established a sales funnel, which helped her turn her existing customers into paying, loyal customers.
"I decided to offer one of my shorter training courses for free. It proved to be a great test for teachers who haven't fulfilled the minimum number of hours required. may enroll in a free three-hour course," she explains.
"I've gotten numerous customers that way for a couple of reasons. They're saying"Oh, I've finished this amount of time, I'd like to take a few minutes to do something else. Also, these test courses are extremely effective at getting valuable feedback. It's my goal that I've been very careful when designing these courses so that I can try to keep the feedback loop running ."
She integrated her revolutionary course using frameworks in use
As her student enrollment increased, Meredith realized that she had a distinct position in regards to her course curriculum. Since there was a proven curriculum for training available on the market and she was equipped with the equipment and knowledge to enhance the quality of it.
"When I developed my program, I was aware there were various requirements available. I created a mind map and outlined the essential elements that should be covered in the mandatory thirty hours. From there, I could create the exciting additional elements," she says.
"I'm very committed to remaining at the top of the line with regards to my study. As I was writing these classes, I constantly was thinking, "What is it that people are saying about this? Why do we have to keep repeating this? What can I do to instruct this set of standards with enthusiasm? What is the most important thing that I need to make sure my understanding satisfactory? What is the understanding I would like my teachers to depart with? ?"
Meredith was able to answer the questions that mattered because of her experience as a lawyer, but also because of her ability to think in terms of equity.
"I am a doctoral student in gifted education. Therefore, I was able to be confident in filling any gaps that came up with regards to designing course content. Additionally, I took a thoughtful approach to designing my curriculum with an equitable mindset. I made sure to ensure that I'm not writing the syllabus solely from a white, female, Texas teacher's perspective. I try to incorporate lots of thoughts."
She made sure her team shared a common purpose.
From the very beginning of Academy's creation until the present, Meredith has placed great importance on her key value of reducing stigma around gifted education. It is a personal mission which she has laid the stage for her educational curriculum and business model.
The author states that there's no government-issued definition of gifted educational opportunities in Texas but it is believed that the Academity community is creating their own definition of gifted education.
"Several definitions of gifted education are insufficient and out of date. I subscribe to the framework that describes a kid who requires more than the typical curriculum gives the child. They're among their peers, but they're struggling. My mission is to bring the definition to life." She says.
Meredith has made it her mission to make sure Academity's entire staff and instructors is united on this mission. She believes that this has played a major role in the success of her program.
"We are averse to the common perspective that states that giftedness can be a synonym for strange. There is a myriad of ridiculous myths that are a aspect of populism and politics. In the past, the gifted educational system has been marred with discrimination and inequity. The goal of our campaign is to revamp the narrative to find children needing more than they're currently getting," she says.
An understanding of the Academity's primary value-proposition assures that everyone in the Academity team is working towards the same end. Without a defined goal it's impossible to reach it.
She capitalized on the benefits of online community by utilizing forums for discussions
This common goal is evident in all levels of The Academity Community. Meredith believes that everyone in her larger community of 12,000 members is committed to her unique way of teaching gifted students.
"One of the most enjoyable parts of my courses are the discussion boards which explore the topic of, 'What is gifted?' Teachers are able to contribute throughout all over the State of Texas about what their perceptions are of giftedness. Our questions are"Is the child gifted or is he gifted? What's the difference between gifted and bright? Does this child need of something more than they're receiving?" she asks.
"By discussing the issue individuals generally tend to be in same way overall, and go away with an entirely new information."
7. She used the most recent and easily accessible features
Meredith is confident that Academity's platform has unlocked unlimited possibilities for Academity's platform regardless of whether one is thinking about the present, past or even the future.
When Academity was founded, Meredith longed for an easy-to-use platform to help her realize her dream. As with many other authors of course content, she's realized that the offerings of Academity are perfect to her and her company's needs.
"One thing I love about the platform is that there's only an extremely little amount of learning curve for figuring out how to maximize the platform's greatest capabilities. As a designer , developer as well as for the students who are taking this course, there's only a handful of technical hurdles that I've faced," she says.
"Right at the start I was able adapt my concept to the Academity platform and design a minimalist and modern user interface. Templates for course templates are extremely useful and have also provided the necessary help resources," she says. " It has made everything possible."
Are you intrigued by Meredith's success story in creating an online-based company for courses? Are you ready to make the jump for yourself? Sign up today and start your journey.
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