In this five-minute talk, educator Ben York demos READY4K, a text messaging program for parents of preschoolers. York found that by sending simple text message suggestions to parents whose children are struggling, it is possible to measurably increase literacy in those youngsters.
Ben York is the co-creator of READY4K!, a text messaging program for parents of preschoolers that has been highlighted in the New York Times, PBS NewsHour and Education Week. He is an Institute of Education Sciences Fellow and a Karr Fellow at the Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at Stanford University. Ben holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics, summa cum laude, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, as well as a master's degree in political science from Stanford. He expects to earn his doctorate in education from Stanford in the spring of 2015. Ben has worked in investment banking, venture philanthropy and public education.