When a “personalized” MATH program admittedly creates a virtual reality “Genie” to become a child’s best friend… what happens when email secrets start to go out, along with confessions about themselves and their home life? Many parents in America are very concerned. Who is behind the Genie? Who gets the information? When they found out that BILL GATES, RUSSIA, and the US DOE are promoting and/or paying for this…. let’s just say they became more concerned. Please read and share this so more parents can become aware of this child predator in the making! As for the Genie… Well, how would you feel if your child was emailing grown men, disguised as a friendly Genie? In another country?
The non-profit Reasoning Mind offers “personalized” on-line math curriculum and a computer-based “Genie” who is virtually a child’s best friend, and knows personal things about them, even confessions. As first noted in this RM document posted by a blogger known as Educray, Reasoning Mind math curriculum places a large emphasis on teaching Soviet-style morals, collectivism, and the importance of labor (Tudge, 1991). Reasoning Mind has given some parents reason to worry. So, let’s take a look at Reasoning Mind and see what could possibly cause concern.
“The Genie”, according to this Reasoning Mind report:
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that students are quite “attached” to Genie, who regularly receives (and answers) email on topics beyond the scope of the learning software, including jokes, requests for friendship, and confessions about students’ home life.”
“Every day, Reasoning Mind elementary students send hundreds of messages to the Genie, a “friend and mentor” who guides …students through their studies. Here’s our favorite student message from this week. And yes, the Genie does respond!”
Since Reasoning Mind offers “personalized” curriculum that knows and also remembers the student, a child can log into RM from home or school. And since it’s adaptive and personalized, RM and Genie will keep track of the child, will remember their profile. If RM and Genie can track a child into consecutive grades, like an old friend, Genie will be able to pick up the profile where the child left off last year. While proponents would say keeping track of learners’ profiles is beneficial, this massive accumulation of student information also begs the question of data privacy, risk, and security.
With all that PERSONAL communication being directly and indirectly (ie: analyzing emotions) shared with RM’s Genie, we wondered what their data sharing agreements and Privacy Policy look like. If a parent were curious what data was collected and shared on their child, this is what they would find if they went to Reasoning Mind’s website. There is nothing posted about how RM uses and analyzes and shares the noncognitive and personal information that children are providing to RM and to Genie while logged onto their curriculum. There is no mention of how RM complies with COPPA law.
Given the many Supporters and In-Kind Contributors of Reasoning Mind, spanning the globe, parents wonder if organizations like Salesforce, Microsoft, Russian Petroleum, Google, Swagger Films, etc. are allowed access to their child’s profile or personal information. We know that data is money.
Money and Moscow Connections:
Non-profits must make public their tax returns (form 990). Here are 990 returns available for Reasoning Mind. Looking at the 2014 return tells us a lot; for starters, Reasoning Mind is connected.
Connected to each other: Page 32… FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION A, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO IS MARRIED TO ONE OF THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT’S AND THEIR SON IS (LINE2) ALSO A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Reasoning Mind is Connected to Bill Gates, with this $300k grant for a math pilot as seen in Gates Foundation 2011 990 form (hint: take a look for other interesting awardees)
“There is a growing movement to explore the potential of the “noncognitive” factors—attributes, dispositions, social skills, attitudes, and intrapersonal resources, independent of intellectual ability—that high-achieving individuals draw upon to accomplish success… —it is the responsibility of the educational community to design learning environments that promote these factors so that students are prepared to meet 21st-century challenges.…Several private foundations have recently initiated programs to push the frontiers of theory, measurement, and practice around these and related factors, particularly for at-risk and vulnerable students. In national policy, there is increasing attention on 21st-century competencies (which encompass a range of noncognitive factors, including grit), and persistence is now part of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics….
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that students are quite attached to Genie, who regularly receives (and answers) email on topics beyond the scope of the learning software, including jokes, requests for friendship, and confessions about students’ home life. On the basis of these reports, it seems that the effect of Genie deserves more careful consideration, as the success of her design may contribute significantly to the high levels of engagement observed. Finally, we should consider the many game-like elements in its design, including a point system that rewards students for speed drills and puzzles. Once sufficient points have been accumulated, students may furnish their own virtual space within RM City or buy virtual books. Particularly at a young age, this kind of autonomy is likely very appealing.”
Is it any wonder that students areengaged in this video-gaming atmosphere? They are engaged because many like Dr. Kardaras, author of Glow Kids, know: online games are addictive.
Online Curriculum– or Spying on Children?
“We’ve been absolutely staggered by realizing that the computer has the capability to act as if it were 10 of the top psychologists working with one student… you’ve seen the tip of the iceberg. Won’t it be wonderful when the child in the smallest county in the most distant area or in the most confused urban setting can have the equivalent of the finest school in the world on that terminal and no one can get between that child and that curriculum?”-Dustin H. Heuston, “Discussion–Developing the Potential of an Amazing Tool,” Schooling and Technology, Vol.3, Planning for the Future: A Collaborative Model, published by Southeastern Regional Council for Educational Improvement, P.O. Box 12746, 200 Park, Suite 111, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709/ Grant from National Institute of Education, p. 8.
“The ability to remotely and accurately quantify interaction with a computer-based curriculum and assessment in the home defines a new vista in ALT research.”
The Season Of Myths 
Hello,
I’m an authorized spokesperson for Reasoning Mind and recently found the post you are re-sharing here (http://missourieducationwatchdog.com/reasoning-mind-math-reason-to-worry). I’m copying the comment we left on the original article below, which will hopefully correct misunderstandings. Please reach out if you have further questions!
Response:
Hi Cheri,
I appreciate the concerns you expressed over student privacy, which we are absolutely committed to protecting, and I’ve provided more detail on our policies below (apologies that this information was difficult to find on our website—thank you for pointing this out!—we will be updating our privacy page soon so that these are more visible).
In addition to more detail on our commitment to student privacy, I am also clearing up some misunderstandings from this post so that readers have a better understanding of Reasoning Mind’s work and mission.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at derek.hopf@reasoningmind.org, as I would be more than happy to discuss any aspect of our organization or even provide you with a tour of a Reasoning Mind classroom or demo of our programs.
– Much of this post focuses on the Genie character, a relatively minor element of our elementary program that is intended to make math fun for students and build their confidence in the subject (as you probably know, many students are anxious about math and intimidated by the subject). Most “interactions” with the Genie come in the form of automatic animations, in which the Genie congratulates them on a job well done. When students do email the Genie (an ability that can be turned off by teachers), messages are fielded by adult educators employed by Reasoning Mind, who use a rubric to craft their responses (most of which are simply template responses); all individuals responding to Genie messages have undergone background checks, are only allowed to see a student’s name and no other identifiable information, and are not allowed to send or request personal information from or to students. Most messages from students are about math, or silly topics like asking the Genie’s favorite color. Messages are NOT included in any kind of profile on a student.
– If one of Reasoning Mind’s employees who responds to Genie messages receives a message they find concerning (say, something about a student’s home life, as this post mentions), the student’s teacher and campus is immediately notified per our protocol and Texas state law (Texas Family Code 261.101).
– Reasoning Mind takes COPPA compliance very seriously, and we are continually auditing our privacy policies. Reasoning Mind never knowingly requests, uses, or discloses personally identifiable information or private content as defined by COPPA from anyone under the age of 13 without parental consent. We’re working on updating our website to include information about our COPPA compliance now.
– Reasoning Mind never sells access to student data or personal information, or shares student data or personal information in exchange for other goods or services. So in response to one of the post’s implied questions, no, we do not allow our Supporters or In-Kind Contributors access to children’s profiles or personal information.
– The assertion in the first paragraph that the “Reasoning Mind math curriculum places a large emphasis on teaching Soviet-style morals, collectivism, and the importance of labor (Tudge, 1991)” is false. This is a misquote of a 2012 Harvey Mudd dissertation by Maia Valcarce which makes that claim about “Soviet education,” not Reasoning Mind. Reasoning Mind’s mathematical content and curriculum bears similarities to the Russian mathematical curriculum, but that content is mathematical in nature. Reasoning Mind does not teach “Soviet-style” or any other kind of morals; we teach mathematics.
– Regarding the “Russia connection”: Russia does not promote or pay for Reasoning Mind. Reasoning Mind was founded by Alex, Julia, and George Khachatryan, a family who immigrated to the United States as political refugees from the former Soviet Union in 1990. (Julia’s grandfather, for instance, faced significant persecution under the Stalinist regime and was confined to a concentration camp for multiple years.) They are all now American citizens. Reasoning Mind has an office in Moscow where functions like programming, design, and some data analytics are carried out, but this office and these employees are not members of the Russian government. Readers can find more information about Reasoning Mind’s origin story at https://www.reasoningmind.org/who-we-are/.
– The post implies we’re connected to the Clinton Foundation. We’re not; the site linked to—ShareYourShare.org—allows someone to donate to one of many charities and nonprofits, and is not affiliated with the Clinton Foundation. Both Reasoning Mind and the Clinton Foundation happen to be on that third-party list, but Reasoning Mind and the Clinton Foundation have no connections to each other.
– The post mentions that Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance mentions Reasoning Mind as an example of a system that adapts to students “using inputs from physiological indicators and facial expressions.” This is another misquote; the image of the report below makes no mention of this. Reasoning Mind has never built a program that collects visual inputs of students. The program adapts to student needs based on the answers they give to math questions, not their physical demeanor or facial expressions.
– Toward the end of the post, the question is asked whether parents, teachers, and friends should be replaced by an online avatar. We at Reasoning Mind believe they shouldn’t – in fact, one of our core beliefs is that no matter how effective our online curricula are, students won’t succeed without a well-prepared, high-quality teacher. This is why we put a heavy emphasis on teacher professional development, and empower teachers to use all the tools we provide in the way that works best for them to give all of their students a first-rate math education.
Again, we appreciate the concern you have over student privacy, safety, and well-being. We share these concerns and hope the responses above address any misunderstandings that might have developed about our work. Reasoning Mind’s driving passion is to help ignite students’ interest in math and to build their logical-reasoning and critical-thinking skills through a strong math education that will help them be successful both in school and in life. We invite you to review our outcome results (www.reasoningmind.org/results) and to see an example of what a Reasoning Mind classroom looks like in practice here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImY5gIs9d5.
Thank you for your interest in our work and your concern over ensuring educational excellence for students.
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