Along wins Tech & Learning Award of Excellence: Named a 2024 Best Tool for Back to School

The back to school season is a time of new beginnings and endless possibilities. But, it’s also a time of uncertainty as students meet new teachers and approach new classroom experiences. How can educators create and maintain a positive tone in the classroom at the start of the school year?

This is exactly where the Along platform can help. Not only does our free tool help quickly build teacher-student connections, it does so using an engaging, interactive platform that helps students feel seen, valued, and understood from day one and throughout the year. And, research shows that when schools focus on relationship-building, there are many positive outcomes including more engaged classrooms, decreased absenteeism rates and student behavioral referrals, and increased academic success.

We believe that Along is a powerful solution through the validation of education experts, as they continue to independently evaluate and rank our tool amongst the best in the market. This back to school season, we’re honored to win the Tech & Learning Award of Excellence: Back to School 2024. The award specifically recognizes Along’s contribution to secondary level education. 

Industry experts say Along is valuable and versatile

Judged by a panel of industry experts, winning an Award of Excellence is more than just acknowledgement from Tech & Learning’s editors; it is a showcase of which products are truly going above and beyond to contribute to the education sector. The panel seeks the most outstanding products offering schools versatility, value, and solutions to specific problems to support innovative and effective teaching and learning.

“With emerging technology like AI exploding just as ESSER funds are dwindling in schools nationwide, our readers count on Tech & Learning to curate the best products out there to support an equitable, effective learning environment,” says Tech & Learning Content Director, Christine Weiser. “The winning products met our evaluation criteria to qualify for this prestigious list.” 

This is just the latest in the ongoing recognition of Along. Tech & Learning granted Along the Award of Excellence: Best of 2023 just months after we received the 2024 Top Ed Tech Product Award from District Administration at the Future of Learning Technology Conference (FETC). Within the past year, we were also honored as a “top tool” from Common Sense Education. Previous awards also include nods from educational influencers Cult of Pedagogy and CODiE, among others. 

Educators see the impact of Along

We’re thrilled to win awards, but what matters most is what we hear directly from educators who use Along:

• Along is an innovative tool for connections: “We need new, innovative ways to connect with students and Along is a unique, ‘ready to go’ platform that can support teachers and students in building relationships” – Kristina Robertson, multilingual language teacher, Murray Middle School, St. Paul, Minnesota
• Along creates thriving classrooms: “If you start by focusing on student well-being, and making kids feel seen, you’re going to see academics and a positive classroom culture thrive. There is a correlation to these connections at school. Relationships are the foundation for making school a place where all students can be successful. Along is a good place to start.” – Mark Lenz, administrator, Catalyst Maria High School, Chicago, Illinois
• Along helps students feel understood: “At the beginning of the school year, I ask questions in Along like, ‘What do you do for fun?’ or ‘what is your favorite kind of candy?.’ Once they realize this is fun, you can throw in tougher questions like, ‘What do you do at home?’ Then you can start understanding what’s really going on in their lives. Teachers sometimes don’t realize that kids will really open up when they trust you. It’s my job to get to know them, otherwise, how can I meet their needs every day?” – Heather Nielson, special education teacher, Thompson Intermediate School, Pasadena, Texas

Interested in learning more about the power of Along? You can download our free eBook: “Strong classroom connections improve student outcomes.” 

We’d also love to share with you just how easy it is to start using Along at your school—reach out to our team today for a demo. You can reach us directly at support@along.org.