About Us
And our need for your help -

Synergy Learning was incorporated in 1994 with a mission to engage in publishing and professional development for educators, pre-K through middle school. We are dedicated to supporting schools, teachers and families with challenging science, math and technology learning for children in a variety of ways.

We have a small, dedicated and professional staff, with additional individuals joining us when needed to provide specific skills. Synergy Learning is headed by Casey Murrow and Meredith Wade. Both are experienced teachers at several elementary and middle school grades. Meredith Wade has served as an educator for the Museum of Science (Boston) and in multiple other professional capacities. Casey Murrow has served as the director of two federally funded education projects, has taught on the faculty of the University of Vermont and is the author of three books on education.

We believe that there are habits of mind that are part of science, mathematics and technology education from which all students can benefit. Many of these are encompassed in the idea of scientific literacy. This concept, which has been central to our own work, also forms the core of the National Science Education Standards:

All of us have a stake, as individuals and as a society, in scientific literacy. An understanding of science makes it possible for everyone to share in the richness and excitement of comprehending the natural world…. A sound grounding in science strengthens many of the skills that people use every day, like solving problems creatively, working cooperatively in teams, using technology effectively, and valuing life-long learning. And the economic productivity of our society is tightly linked to the scientific and technological skills of our work force.

National Science Education Standards, National Research Council (1996)

We believe that our mission is essential because, throughout our country:
Children need to actively engage in science - examining objects, observing phenomena, collecting data, thinking creatively and solving problems.
Teachers need on-going support so that they can refine their own knowledge and skills in order to provide their students with challenging educational experiences.
Families need tools to help children enjoy science and math at home, and to see these subjects as integral to a productive future.
All these groups need to experience the breadth of technology in its fullest sense, from building a pulley system or designing a solution to a common problem to actively using a computer that can gather data or manipulate a machine.

We support dynamic, child-centered curricula in environments that are manageable for teachers. We encourage links between disciplines - not just math and science - but also, language arts/literacy, social studies and fine arts. We believe that learning should have strong critical thinking and problem solving elements. Teachers have a wealth of knowledge and skills, and Synergy Learning builds on that by asking educators to share ideas in writing, to be active participants in professional development and to partner with us on a variety of projects.

Our professional development work takes us from our base in Brattleboro, Vermont, throughout the northeastern US and to such diverse places as the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, Anchorage (Alaska) Public Schools, and a long term project with a magnet school in Durham, North Carolina. Most (but not all) of the actual presentation time for these sessions is paid for by schools. We seek additional support for this work because of these specific circumstances:

• We volunteer to do certain professional development, particularly for small rural schools with little or no access to funds for this purpose.
• We do not walk away from a school if we feel that our task is incomplete. Too often, we find that the school-designated funds are inadequate to complete the job.
• All of our sessions are tailored to school needs and are not pre-packaged presentations. The time required to design and prepare is never fully compensated.

Connect, our national magazine - reaches educators, schools and curriculum centers across the US, Canada and overseas. It is an independent science, math and technology magazine that consistently solicits and publishes the writing of teachers. We seek out complete articles that explain how something is done in a full and professional way. Subscriptions cover a portion of these costs. Yet we need public support because:

• We do not accept ads. Connect is a hybrid between a professional journal and a magazine.
• In order to expand the reach of the magazine, we engage in marketing efforts that are costly beyond our subscription revenues.
• We continue a very large effort to provide all of our past 20 years of articles in an archive format on our website. This is a free service that can only be supported through donations.

[Connect was first published by Teachers' Laboratory, beginning in 1987, under the same editorial leadership.]

Partnership projects often lead to greater impact than one organization working alone. We actively seek ways to expand our services by collaborating with others, in keeping with our mission. However, some of these ventures do not provide income comparable to the effort that must be expended. Once again, public donations help to support the larger impacts of these collaborative efforts.

TeachersLab Resources is a listing of high quality materials and equipment for teaching, all carefully evaluated by educators. Students crave opportunities to work with real materials and equipment which may help them to ask the questions a scientist might pose - and to devise their own answers. TeachersLab Resources lists are reviewed and kept up to date. Like our archive of articles, this is a free, web-based service, dependent on donations to help it to continue and to expand.

To support all of our efforts, carefully focused on improvement of math, science and technology learning from pre-Kindergarten years through middle school, we need the help of donors, large and small.

We are proud to be a part of the Donate Now! program of eGrants, a service for non-profits developed by the Tides Foundation in San Francisco. Synergy Learning International, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, enabling it to accept donations to support all elements of its work to advance math, science and technology learning.

Let us say in advance, thank you very much if it is possible for you to help us with a gift through Donate Now! Alternatively, we gratefully accept gifts by check and gifts of appreciated stock. If you wish to donate shares of stock, please contact us for assistance. Again, our thanks!