ASSISTments Foundation Announces New Co-Executive Directors to Meet Growing Demand for Proven Math Solutions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ASSISTments Foundation Announces New Co-Executive Directors to Meet Growing Demand for Proven Math Solutions 

Worcester, MA, September 16th, 2024 — The ASSISTments Foundation is pleased to announce a significant organizational transition with the appointment of Cristina Heffernan and Britt Neuhaus as Co-Executive Directors. This move represents a key step in our effort to scale ASSISTments, in response to growing demand for evidence-based math solutions across the education field.  

Districts are increasingly prioritizing programs proven to impact student learning, such as those supported by the Maryland Fund for Proven Programs. Elevating Britt Neuhaus to Co-Executive Director adds capacity to invest in strategic partnerships for growth, and accelerating product evolution in alignment with the needs of K-12 math teachers and students, and our expanding list of school and district partners. 

Britt Neuhaus, who has been with ASSISTments for five years, will co-lead the Foundation in its next phase of growth. Britt will hit the ground running, having played a pivotal role in TAF’s strategic direction and fundraising efforts as part of our leadership team. She is now tasked with overseeing all of TAF’s scaling efforts, further driving our mission to bring effective, evidence-based solutions to schools and districts.  

“As we scale, we remain committed to ensuring ASSISTments continues to create real and meaningful impacts on teaching and learning,” says Britt Neuhaus. “This transition is not just about scaling a product – it’s about scaling a proven program, backed by research, that drives improvements in student math achievement.”

Britt’s priority is to continue to scale ASSISTments as a fully aligned and coherent assessment solution for high quality math curricula. She will also solidify a 5-year scale strategy with Redstone Strategy Group with defined growth plans in current and new markets. 

“While research and innovation will remain critical to our work,” said Cristina, “we are equally committed to seeing growth and impact in school districts, improving math achievement in a cost-effective manner.”  

Cristina Heffernan will continue to lead TAF’s research and innovation initiatives, including overseeing the success of Generative AI innovations funded by MIT SOLVE and IES Transformative grants. Since 2019, TAF has worked closely with the ASSISTments Lab @ WPI, overseen by Dr. Neil Heffernan, where ASSISTments was first developed. This partnership has yielded over 100 research publications and advancements in rapid randomized control trials (RCTs). The co-leadership structure allows Cristina to dedicate even more time to advancing the organization’s research portfolio.  

“We believe this co-leadership model will position ASSISTments for continued success and growth,” said Neil Heffernan, TAF Co-Founder. “Cristina and Britt complement each other, allowing us to balance scaling our impact while continuing to drive research and innovation. This transition solidifies our strategic direction and ensures we have the leadership to maximize our impact in improving math education for all students.”

This transition marks an exciting new chapter for the ASSISTments Foundation, setting the stage for greater impact and success in the years ahead.

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