Minnesota educators Shannon Seaver and Jena Zangs have developed something revolutionary in just 48 hours—an AI application that could fundamentally transform how we approach individualized education. Their ‘Let’s Get REAL’ app isn’t just another edtech solution; it represents a critical shift in addressing one of education’s most persistent challenges: truly personalizing learning for every student regardless of ability, language, or learning style.
For decades, teachers have been expected to perform the impossible—customize education for 25-35 students with widely varying needs while working within rigid time constraints and limited resources. The result? Teaching to the middle, leaving both struggling and advanced students underserved. This new tool doesn’t just save teacher time—it democratizes educational access.
The True Cost of One-Size-Fits-All Education
The current educational model forces a painful trade-off: either teachers spend countless hours creating multiple versions of lesson plans (an unsustainable workload), or students receive standardized content that fails to meet their individual needs. The statistics reveal the consequences. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 37% of fourth-graders are proficient in reading, with even lower rates for students with learning disabilities or English language learners.
Seaver’s observation that teachers typically
