In 1984, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom published a study that haunted education for 40 years. Students who received one-on-one tutoring performed two standard deviations above those in conventional classrooms. In plain terms: a student at the 50th percentile, given a personal tutor, outperformed 98% of their traditionally taught peers. Bloom called it the 2-sigma problem:…
by BrainStream Chief Financial Officer Phyllis Chia-Hua Chen Over the past year, conversations around AI in education have noticeably shifted. As a CFO at an EdTech company, I see this not just as a technology trend—but as a market maturity signal. Not long ago, the focus was on what AI could do. Demos were impressive,…
by BrainStream Chief Operating Officer Tzu-Ying (Kimberley) Chen Multiculturalism and inclusive education are foundational values in modern learning systems. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), special education is transforming from a support function into a learner-centered space for innovation. As an Education Technology (EdTech) startup, we see AI not merely as a tool, but…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn A fascinating new study from Cal Poly is challenging the dominant narrative about AI in education. While headlines scream about AI-powered cheating epidemics, student Parker Jones decided to find out what’s actually happening on campus. He interviewed more than 50 students, and what he found is both reassuring and illuminating….
by CFO Phyllis Chen For a while, the conversation around AI in education felt familiar: fear, resistance, and attempts to shut it down. But that phase is ending quickly. The reality is simple—AI is already in the classroom, whether educators like it or not. What’s more interesting now is a growing shift in mindset. Instead…
by BrainStream CEO Steve Alcorn Dan Lewis, who writes the popular daily newsletter Now I Know, shared a fascinating firsthand account this week of how AI is already transforming education—not in some distant future, but right now, in a high school classroom. For the past four years, Dan has been volunteering with a local high…
by BrainStream Chief Operating Officer Tzu-Ying (Kimberley) Chen As artificial intelligence continues to influence the broader educational landscape, its application within early childhood learning remains a subject of significant interest and careful consideration. The early years are a unique developmental period, focused on building the foundational cognitive and social-emotional skills that support lifelong learning. Introducing…
by BrainStream Chief Marketing Officer Laura Ya-Hui Kao Introduction: Making Learning More Engaging Students today are accustomed to interactive, game-like environments in daily life. Applying these principles to education—through gamification and AI-powered personalization—can transform learning into a more engaging and effective experience. By combining game elements like points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges with AI-driven adaptation,…
Here on the BrainStream team, we’re always looking at what’s next in the world of AI. The recent buzz around frameworks like OpenClaw and its “memory” feature sparked my interest. Claude has a dedicated page teaching users how to export memories from other AI providers, so Claude understands and can pick up where the user…
by BrainStream Chief Financial Officer Phyllis Chia-Hua Chen Working at the intersection of AI and education, I spend a lot of time looking at growth curves. But the latest 2025 data from KPMG Canada presents a trend that should give every educator, parent, and tech leader pause. The adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) among Canadian…
