The Learning Institute*

The Learning Institute's goal is to improve education by giving school districts usable data about their students' achievement.
"Districts that are struggling or districts that want to improve come to us and say, 'How can you help?'" said Joel Rush, the CEO of the Hot Springs firm.
The Learning Institute compiles information about the students' math and literacy scores, allowing school officials and teachers to know what teaching methods are working.
"We try to streamline that process so they can spend more of their time actually teaching kids stuff they don't know in a more effective way," Rush said. "Test results have become the currency of the day."
The Learning Institute also provides training to the schools to target the weaknesses discovered in assessments.
"It’s all about improving instruction so as to promote an environment where kids can achieve a higher level," said Rush, who said he realized the need for the service after beginning work in 2000 on student achievement databases. He said he saw that teachers were struggling with state and federal mandates while trying to teach students.
Formed in 2005, the Learning Institute started out with a client base of eight school districts. Now, it has 120 in Arkansas, representing about two-thirds of the students in the state, and one school district in Louisiana.
The company, which has 24 employees, has been successful because of its customer service, he said. "We're able to respond fairly quickly for a small company."
Rush said the company was considering expanding to neighboring states. "In a few years, everyone will be on the same set of standards," he said. "That should enable us to grow out of state."

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