Grant Competitions

Deadline is March 31 to Enter MIT Solve Challenge Calling for Tech Solutions to Re-Engage Learners

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 03/22/22

The submission deadline is March 31, 2022, for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Solve Challenge calling for technology-enabled solutions that help re-engage and meet the holistic needs of underserved learners ages 5 to 18 so they may thrive and succeed.

The re-engaging learners challenge is one of four global challenges included in this year’s Solve initiative. More than $1.3 million in funding will be awarded to the winners of the challenges, according to the MIT Solve website.

The challenge asks for tech-enabled solutions to the question: “How can we bridge learning gaps for the most underserved children and youth between the ages of 5 and 18 so they can thrive and succeed?”

Eight challenge finalists will be invited to pitch their solutions to a panel of judges from various sectors prior to the Solve Challenge Finals on Sept. 18–19, 2022, in New York City, according to a news release. The winning teams will share over $1.3 million in grant awards and will participate in MIT’s nine-month Solver program, including coaching, mentorship, and opportunities to scale their solutions.

“Prior to the pandemic, one in six children globally were not in a formal school setting,” the Solve Challenge site said. The demographics of children not in school include a disproportionately high number of girls and disproportionately high number of youth experiencing poverty, youth living in rural areas or conflict zones, and youth with disabilities, MIT noted in the challenge introduction.

“Technology-enabled innovations for teaching, learning, and assessment can help learners catch up on what they’ve been missing while building on individual strengths and gains,” the Challenge overview states. “Student and teacher experiences vary widely in this pandemic schooling era, but across all demographics, the psycho-social wellbeing of young people has been severely impacted and educators are overwhelmed and overtaxed. In addition to mental health services, robust social-emotional learning will be key for learner re-engagement and helping students navigate their shifting academic, social, and familial landscapes.”

The Solve Challenge seeks solutions that:

• Enable and improve personalized learning and individualized instruction for learners who have experienced disruptions in schooling and missed foundational milestones.
• Facilitate meaningful social-emotional learning among underserved young people.
• Support timely and manageable assessments to help under-resourced communities better plan, monitor, and evaluate learning.
• Lift administrative burdens on educators and support professional development as they implement new approaches and navigate continued disruptions.

To learn more, view solutions submitted thus far for the challenge, or submit your own solution, visit Solve.MIT.edu/challenges/re-engage-learners.