Education Elements Inc. (Ed Elements) is a critical race theory-influenced education consulting firm. Members of the Ed Elements staff have said teachers must “acknowledge white supremacy culture” in schools ¹ and has promoted “abolitionist teaching” to “counter colorblindness on intersectionality” in the classroom. ²

Ed Elements officials have worked with more than 1,300 schools in 250 school districts; ³ promoted reading lists from controversial critical race theory-inspired authors and projects such as Ibram X. Kendi ⁴ and the 1619 Project; ⁵  and linked readers to left-of-center organizations’ plans of action for discussing race in school, including the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice, far-left agitation group Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ), the pro-immigration group United We Dream, and others. ⁶

History and Leadership

Education Elements Inc. was founded by Anthony Kim in 2010 ⁷ to support personalized learning for students. Ed Elements officials have worked with over 250 school districts serving 1 million students ⁸ and have promoted critical race theory-inspired concepts at these schools. In a YouTube video, Ed Elements staff said that equity is “people getting the support they need to get equal results.” ⁹

Former charter school administrator Angela Kennedy-Toon is Ed Elements’ managing partner. ¹⁰

Activities and Funding

Education Elements, which is influenced by critical race theory, promotes “diversity, equity, and inclusion” in schools and “restorative justice” to reshape the American legal system, ¹¹ and develops strategic planning, leadership, and personalized learning for students. ¹³ Ed Elements supports the far-left Black Lives Matter movement ¹⁴ through the racial-advocacy organization Movement for Black Lives. ¹⁵

Ed Elements staff has said teachers must “acknowledge white supremacy culture” in schools ¹⁶ and has promoted “abolitionist teaching” to “counter colorblindness on intersectionality” in the classroom. ¹⁷

The organization also has instructed teachers to disassociate the Black Lives Matter movement from riots, looting, violence, and criminal behavior and instead think about how to “communicate the value of people over property,” ¹⁸ contextualize riots in American history, and co-develop critical analysis of media coverage to students. ¹⁹

In the summer of 2020, Ed Elements redesigned their programs to commit to dismantle perceived unequal systems in education. ²⁰ Ed Elements supports “prioritizing hiring for equity,” ²¹ hosts webinars on how teachers can “leading with equity,” ²² and has hosted blog posts by staff that claim that “racism shapeshifts to keep up with the times” and is “seeped into all American institutions.” ²³

At the same time, Ed Elements shared a critical race theory-inspired “anti-racist reading list” by controversial author Ibram X. Kendi ²⁴ and the 1619 Project; ²⁵ resources about “getting real about race in school;” and links to left-of-center organizations’ plans of action for discussing race in school, including the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice, Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, Color of Change, Equal Justice Initiative, Families Belong Together, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, MPowerChange, NAACP, Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services, far-left agitation group Showing up for Racial Justice, the pro-immigration group United We Dream, and others. ²⁶

Ed Elements has worked in schools in Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming; ²⁷ it has also worked with Loudoun County Public Schools in Loudoun County, Virginia, the site of much critical race theory and left-progressive ideological controversy. ²⁸

Funding

Education Elements Inc. receives money from program service fees and private investors. In 2012, Ed Elements received $6 million from Harmony Partners venture capital with contributions from Rethink Education and private investors to assist schools learning with technology. ²⁹ In 2011, Ed Elements received $2.1 million of seed investment from Tugboat Ventures, NewSchools Venture Fund, and Imagine K12. ³⁰

1. “Leading with Equity: How to Take the First Steps.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded September 10, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovGXIWgAVQ.
2. “10 Books You Need To Read This Black History Month | 2021 Anti Racist Reading List for Educators.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded February 17, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb6HQChDDfk&list=PLpJvMT3yigZndhq8A06ArAL74imQtsHOw&index=4.
3.  “Education Elements Celebrates 10 Years.” Education Elements YouTube. Published December 11, 2020. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=794BaSFVoHM&t=28s.
4. “Leading with Equity: How to Take the First Steps.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded September 10, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovGXIWgAVQ.
5. “Understanding Demands.” Education Elements. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/?hs_preview=ZbKOWHZW-29993276809.
6. “Understanding Demands.” Education Elements. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/?hs_preview=ZbKOWHZW-29993276809.
7. “Anthony Kim, Founder and CLO.” Education Elements. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/anthony-kim.
8. “Education Elements Celebrates 10 Years.” Education Elements YouTube. Published December 11, 2020. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=794BaSFVoHM&t=28s.
9. “Equitable Classrooms: Personalized Learning Expert Conversation Webinar.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded November 5, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37fMFqZg0o.
10. “Angela Kennedy-Toon, Managing Partner.” Education Elements. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/angela-kennedy-toon.
11. “5 Myths About Restorative Justice in Schools.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded March 31, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb6HQChDDfk&list=PLpJvMT3yigZndhq8A06ArAL74imQtsHOw&index=4.
13. “The Core Four of Personalizing Learning White Paper.” ¹² “The Core Four of Personalizing Learning White Paper.”
14. Education Elements Staff. “We Stand With the Movement for Black Lives.” Education Elements. June 2, 2020. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/blog/we-stand-with-the-movement-for-black-lives.
15. “Understanding Demands.” Education Elements. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/?hs_preview=ZbKOWHZW-29993276809.
16. ^[1] “Leading with Equity: How to Take the First Steps.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded September 10, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovGXIWgAVQ.
17. “10 Books You Need To Read This Black History Month | 2021 Anti Racist Reading List for Educators.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded February 17, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb6HQChDDfk&list=PLpJvMT3yigZndhq8A06ArAL74imQtsHOw&index=4.
18. “12 Things Equity-Focused Teachers Should Be Saying to Students this School Year.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded October 6, 2020. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUY5-cf9N4I.
19. ^[1] “12 Things Equity-Focused Teachers Should Say to Students In the New School year – 2020 Edition.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded September 25, 2020. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTIi59FZcZg.
20. Education Elements Staff. “We Stand With the Movement for Black Lives.” Education Elements. June 2, 2020. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/blog/we-stand-with-the-movement-for-black-lives.
21. Falaise, Josue. “How Leaders Can Prioritize Hiring For Equity In This Moment.” Education Elements. September 20, 2021. Accessed November 18, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/blog/leading-with-equity-how-to-take-the-first-steps?utm_campaign=Learning%20Now%2C%20Planning%20For%20Next%20Year&utm_content=181216912&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-150669774984867.
22. “Leading with Equity: How to Take the First Steps.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded September 10, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovGXIWgAVQ.
23. Jacobs, Britteny. “Leading with Equity: How to Take the First Steps.” Education Elements. September 27, 2021. Accessed November 18, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/blog/leading-with-equity-how-to-take-the-first-steps?utm_campaign=Learning%20Now%2C%20Planning%20For%20Next%20Year&utm_content=181216912&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-150669774984867.
24. “Leading with Equity: How to Take the First Steps.” Education Elements YouTube. Uploaded September 10, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovGXIWgAVQ.
25. “Understanding Demands.” Education Elements. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/?hs_preview=ZbKOWHZW-29993276809.
26. “Understanding Demands.” Education Elements. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/?hs_preview=ZbKOWHZW-29993276809.
27. “Education Elements Inc.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/education-elements/.
28.  “Personalized Learning Empowers Students to Go Farther than Before.” Education Elements. Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.edelements.com/personalized-learning-at-loudoun-county-public-schools-va?hsCtaTracking=b1ad7d26-eec3-420b-84a4-daf6810b1b53%7Cbaf5664e-7ff4-49cd-a9c0-6e61abaf8678.
29. Empson, Rip. “Education Elements Raises $6M to Help Schools Accelerate Learning With Technology.” Tech Crunch. March 6, 2012. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/06/education-elements-funding/.
30. “Seed Round – Education Elements.” CrunchBase. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://www.crunchbase.com/funding_round/education-elements-seed–95ea91f5.