Digital Interventions & Services

Susan Athey and Lab Affiliate Stefan Wagner's new research taps economics and computer science to calculate the financial requirements for targeted cash-transfer programs that could help lift individuals above the poverty line. The research integrates ethical considerations with statistical learning for improved poverty alleviation.

Susan Athey talks about several recent implementations of digital technology to social impact applications, including childhood literacy, programs to enable career transitions and demonstrate skills, and digital assistants that help workers and service providers be more effective.

Stones2Milestones (S2M) is an Indian EdTech firm that has helped over one million Indian children improve their English reading skills. They have demonstrated the effectiveness of personalization of content selection in driving engagement with a digital reading app and the impact of gamification on forming long-term learning habits.

Amy Klement, Omidyar Network; Peter Bergman, Columbia University; and Tory Patterson, Owl Ventures, on technologies to inclusively improve U.S. student learning outcomes.

Venture capitalist Arjan Schutte and economist David Laibson discuss how fintech products and services could benefit more Americans.

Kattan, Executive Director of Adult Literacy at XPRIZE, is improving access to literacy instruction for low-income and low-skilled adults through a competition.

The answer may vary based on which platform you currently have in mind. The edtech industry is bursting with platforms that attempt to tailor lessons and materials to individual students.