Nithi Thomas joins our team as our new Director of Instructional Technology wherein she will help oversee the continued development, design and deployment of Matchbook Learning's open source, technology platform "Spark".  Nithi has served as a Manager of Blended Learning in two other national turnaround CMO's prior to Matchbook Learning.  We interviewed Nithi on her new role with our team.

What led you to Matchbook Learning?  Describe your journey here.

I heard about Matchbook Learning a few years ago through their work in Detroit.  I was fascinated with their innovative approach and ability to leverage technology to drive student achievement with their competency based model. After meeting Sajan and his team it was clear that we were aligned in our principles about education and the importance of finding ways to close the achievement gap.

What most attracted you to this position?  What do you think will be the biggest challenge of serving as a Matchbook Director of Instructional Technology ?

What attracted me the most was Matchbook’s approach to question the traditional style of education and fundamentally changing how students learn. Their innovative approach entails leveraging technology to identify students’ educational gaps and address those opportunity areas in order to drive success in the bottom 5% of our nation’s schools.  Having worked in blended learning for many years I have always noticed that the product market has not kept up with the demands of the field.  Often times, educators get lost in the plethora of data; however Matchbook’s Spark has been able to mine the data and create meaningful and actionable outcomes.  The possibilities of Spark are endless and it will redefine the ed-tech field by enabling school leaders, teachers, parents and ultimately students to make informed decision about their educational needs. 

What are the keys to accomplishing a school turnaround?
In order to be successful in turnaround, we need to:
o Build student agency and meet the student at their academic levels.
o Attract, train and support high quality teachers and school leaders.
o Create a positive culture of achievement that is built organically within the school and with the communities that the schools serve. 

What are your goals for this next year?  What are your expectations a year from now and how will you be different?
My goal for this next year will be to work diligently to maximize the impact of Spark.  The beauty of Spark is that it is a system created for teachers, students and parents; created by teachers, students and parents.  A year from now I am hopeful that Spark will have helped support teachers drive better students’ outcomes.  My hope is that we can share our lessons learned with other organizations and empower them to think about leveraging data in a more purposeful way.

Why should gifted educators consider working for a Matchbook school?

Gifted educators should consider working for Matchbook because:
o The educational landscape is changing and Matchbook Learning is seen as an innovative leader and in the forefront of this change.  By joining Matchbook Learning, you get to be part of an organization that is working on redefining what schools will look like in the future.
o Matchbook Learning is invested in your growth whether you are a teacher or school leader and will ensure that we are continuously focused in supporting you.
o Matchbook Learning truly values its people and does not have a top-down management approach.  Everyone in the organization is open-minded and reflective about their practices so that our students are set up for future success.

Lastly, what do you like to do in your spare time?  Offer a glimpse of who you are or what you are like outside of the working day. 

I love spending time with my daughter, Kaitlyn and husband, Jerry.   It’s a real joy and blessing to watch Kaitlyn grow up and see her personality develop.  I enjoy cooking, hosting and spending time with my family and friends, especially my 4 nieces.  We also love to travel and explore new places and cultures.  Over the next year I would like to train to run my first marathon. Jerry and I are both huge tech geeks that love to try out all the new tech gadgets that hit the market.