kSero News
May 19, 2006: KSERO WINS COVETED MUSE AWARD FROM VMFA
January 30, 2006: KSERO RELEASES FINDINGS FROM STUDY ON AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND COGNITIVE SKILLS
January 23, 2006: KSERO CORPORATION PROMOTES DAVENPORT, WALLACE
KSERO WINS COVETED MUSE AWARD FROM VMFA
Glen Allen, VA (May 19, 2006) - Glen Allen, VA (May 20, 2006) - kSero Corporation, Inc., announced today that the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts honored kSero with the "best overall" award for creativity in business in the Richmond, VA metropolitan area. Nine Muse awards were presented to area businesses from a total of 77 nominees. kSero was recognized as the most creative for its conceiving and implementing the "fitness center for the mind," which helps children and adults improve memory, attention, learning, decision-making, and other areas of cognitive performance. "We are extremely pleased that kSero’s work has been recognized among so many prominent companies," said Dr. Susan Hardwicke, president and CEO of kSero Corporation. "The award signifies the importance of developing and conserving the brain."
Other companies receiving Muse awards included Capital One and Genworth Financial.
KSERO RELEASES FINDINGS FROM STUDY ON AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND COGNITIVE SKILLS
Glen Allen, VA (January 30, 2006) - kSero Corporation, Inc., announced today findings from a grant from the U.S. Department of Education on after-school programs and cognitive skill development. "The Innovative Cognitive Learning Project’s findings underscore the missed opportunity for developing critical cognitive skills needed for language, math, science, and social studies," according to Dr. Susan Hardwicke, president of kSERO Corporation and author of the study.
Purpose
The purpose of the project was to incorporate recent research on the brain and mind, as well as related areas of play and cognition, and develop a prototype after-school program aimed at improving academic performance using a cognitive skills (rather than a pure curriculum) approach. Additionally, the prototype was to be implemented in a number of after-school settings and evaluated for feasibility and potential effectiveness.
Methodology
Recent evidence about brain function and the related models of cognitive behavior have revolutionized notions of human cognitive development. Applications of cognitive neuroscience to educational settings have been few, focused on particular skills or curriculum, or developed for high school age students. Evidence suggests that the greater the network of neurons in the brain, the greater the student’s learning capacity, and further, that the experiences which help to create such networks should be varied (i.e., not confined to curriculum).
kSero conducted an extensive literature search and review which yielded conclusions about the nature and complexity of problems facing U.S. students and their entry into the workplace and higher educational settings:
Despite progress on state-developed measures of performance for compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), high school graduates on the whole lack foundational skills needed in order to perform basic tasks in the work place, or they need extensive remediation in higher education. A primary complaint from employers is that education focuses more on content than on skills. The skills in greatest need of improvement relate to comprehension, expressive language, basic logic, and basic math.
International comparisons and national data indicate that very little progress has been made in verbal or quantitative skills in the past decade.
Reports on readiness for entry into the workforce and higher education were also reviewed in order to determine specific needs for skill development. Our search also warranted a review of:
National test scores in areas deemed important in the workforce and higher education readiness studies
After-school programs that have employed cognitive, non-curriculum means for improving learning or academic performance.
Since schools are already burdened by increased demands for testing, the rising number of special education students, and addressing cultural and behavioral issues, any improvement strategies would understandably be met with resistance. kSero explored after-school programs as an appropriate setting for non-curriculum based skill development.
Findings
The review of literature and reports on after-school programs suggest that, while after-school settings may be the most appropriate venue for effecting positive change in skills, after-school organizations also present significant challenges as vehicles for improvement:
The quality of staff and their educational backgrounds vary substantially.
Priorities are focused on homework completion, tutoring, sports, and various "enrichment" activities, such as arts and crafts.
After-school programs lack design and structure.
Little evidence exists concerning the direct effects of after-school programs, since a multiplicity of variables affect student outcomes.
Nevertheless, our findings indicated that children preferred active over passive activities and that a program emphasizing the arts significantly increases positive responses in participants’ academic, attitudinal, and life outcomes. In addition, children participating in a well-designed, structured after-school program increased their liking of regular school. kSero incorporated these lessons learned in development of the BrainGain Cognitive After-School Program. BrainGain was designed to have sufficient structure and materials that would ensure measurable benefit for all participants, while having flexibility for adapting to staff qualifications and a range of student abilities.
kSero produced a number of deliverables under the contract, including a review of literature and a final report. Copies of the reports are available through kSero.
KSERO CORPORATION PROMOTES DAVENPORT, WALLACE
Glen Allen, VA (January 23, 2006) - kSero Corporation, Inc., owner of kSero Centers for the Mind, announced today that Suzanne Davenport has been promoted to Vice President. Davenport assumes financial and development responsibilities as an officer of the company. "Suzanne Davenport has been key to the expansion of kSero Centers for the Mind, and she will have increased responsibilities as we expand our services, products, and locations," according to Dr. Susan Hardwicke, President and CEO. The company also announced that neurofeedback specialist William A. Wallace, who joined the kSero Corporation staff last November, has been promoted to Assistant Director of the kSero Center for the Mind in the Innsbrook area of Glen Allen, VA. "Andy Wallace adds an important dimension to our client service. His expertise in neurofeedback and client care is a tremendous benefit for our clients," said Hardwicke.
Davenport previously held the position of Operations Manager. William A. Wallace came to kSero from Portland, Oregon, where he had a successful EEG Biofeedback practice.
About kSero Corporation, Inc.
kSero Corporation, Inc. strengthens mental and physical brain performance through diagnostic assessments and systematic methods. kSero’s assessment strategies differ from conventional standardized tests, in that they are based on recent brain research and employ physical measurement and behavioral samples. Improvement methods, also based on recent findings from scientific brain research, include developing cognitive skills, modifying environmental and lifestyle factors, and improving the electrical and biochemical activity in the brain. kSero was founded in 2002 by Dr. Susan Hardwicke, psychologist and founder of the online educational testing company, Edutest, Inc., and Dr. Donald Abraham, former chair of medicinal chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Additional information is provided at the company website, www.ksero.net.
Contact: Fay Parrish Wade
fwade@ksero.net