Students come to the classroom with different learning abilities. Teachers spend most of their time, particularly at low-income school districts, trying to create lesson plans germane to the needs of all their students. As overwhelming as this can be along with other duties, many teachers burn out within three years. While every student deserves a quality education, the critical questions to be asked are: Is there a viable alternative for teachers to implement lesson plans for all students without the increased risk of being burned out on the job? Is there an exemplary education program that can improve teacher effectiveness in the classroom while preparing students for 21st century skills? Who is the president and CEO of JASON Learning?

For over three decades, JASON Learning has been at the forefront of transforming education through real-world STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) experiences and resources to millions of K-12 students and educators in the United States and worldwide. JASON Learning offers many educational best practices and is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization.

In 1989, JASON Learning was founded by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, the renown oceanographer who discovered the Titanic shipwreck in 1985. JASON’s mission is to inspire and educate students everywhere through real science and exploration as shown in the video of Oliver Grant from South Carolina.

Dr. Eleanor Smalley is president and chief executive officer of JASON Learning. Having worked as a former teacher, principal and superintendent, Smalley understands the challenges of teachers in education. She is diligent, eager and passionate about creating access and opportunity for all children, especially those from underserved and underrepresented communities to develop the necessary skills and experiences they need to succeed in the 21st century.

Dr. Smalley has been a leader in curriculum development, strategic planning, partnership building and publications of district case studies in education for over 40 years, and she has received noteworthy recognitions for her outstanding achievements. As the adage states, an apple does not fall far from the tree. Dr. Smalley acquired both the entrepreneurship spirit, fortitude and determination from her mother and educational leadership attributes from her father who was a former school superintendent. As a trailblazer for academic achievement, Smalley is inspired by the biblical story of Ruth and embodies the spiritual qualities such as loyalty, obedience, diligence, gratitude, service, kindness and love to her profession by providing access to integrated STEM education to all students and professional development training to teachers.

With a B.S. in English, a M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Public School Administration from the University of Virginia, Dr. Smalley continues to use her knowledge, expertise and partnership building to advance JASON Learning’s mission and model to combine rigorous academic standards, hands-on learning experiences, and inspiring role models from STEM fields to foster student achievement and interest in STEM careers. Building the Future Ready Workforce developed by the Ohio Valley Employment Resource (OVER) is an example of a successful partnership development. OVER works with JASON Learning to enhance STEM knowledge and advanced manufacturing skills for high school students in Appalachian Ohio. The project reached approximately 19,000 students from 2021 – 2024. During this time, 746 students earned certifications in industry recognized credentials preparing them for real-world job opportunities.

Another example of Dr. Smalley’s partnership building to advance JASON Learning is through Go Virginia (Growth and Opportunity for Virginia). In collaboration with the Portsmouth Public Schools, Go Virginia and JASON created the SPARK project (Setting Pathways that Activate Real-World Knowledge) to focus on promoting STEM education and career readiness. With a focus on STEM, “our students are constantly aware of how their education relates to the world beyond the classroom,” noted Dr. Ellie Bracy, superintendent of Portsmouth Public Schools.

Through the leadership of Dr. Smalley, JASON Learning also formed a partnership with Cuebric. This initiative allows students to collaborate on projects, utilize generative AI tools and explore complex concepts in a highly engaging and captivating way. In one project with Cuebric, students learned how to generate stories using the AI platform along with building their critical thinking and creativity skills and understanding the ethical implications of AI. To learn more about how Cuebric and Jason Learning Program can be used in the classroom, click on the link.

In this millennium, all students regardless of their social and economic status, deserve a quality education. To overcome workloads and gain professional development training related to 21st century skills, teachers need exemplary education programs and resources to foster a positive and competitive learning environment. JASON Learning provides these programs and resources to students and teachers. To learn more about JASON Learning, visit: https://jason.org/.

Dr. Ronald Holmes is the author of 30 books and publisher of “The Holmes Education Post,” an education focused Internet newspaper.  His latest children’s book is Jacob’s Dream! A Bible Story of Naomi and Ruth. Holmes is a former teacher, school administrator, test developer and district superintendent.