In the fall of 2020, a team of six New York Life employees contributed to a skills-based volunteer project geared toward improving Classroom, Inc.’s data-collection infrastructure and bolstering its efforts to become a more data-driven organization.

The project, facilitated by the Taproot Foundation, began in September with an analysis of Classroom, Inc.’s database and a determination of the project’s ideal end-state: an expanded data warehouse able to process large data sets to accommodate an expanding base of students and educators.

After assessing the data warehouse, the New York Life team designed and began building a new warehouse over the project’s ten-week timeline. While constructing an entirely new warehouse fell beyond the project’s scope, the New York Life team ensured that Classroom, Inc. had the tools to complete the warehouse after the project ended.

“Through the entire partnership, the New York Life team was a dream to work with,” said Nicole Guagliardi, Research Manager at Classroom, Inc. and project lead. “They were incredibly organized, asked pertinent questions, had a solid roadmap, and met all objectives that we set together for the project.”

Classroom, Inc.’s project with New York Life addresses a longstanding challenge to become a more data-driven organization capable of impacting more students and assessing their progress toward becoming more confident readers and leaders.

For over ten years, the New York Life Foundation’s partnership with Classroom, Inc. has helped equip thousands of middle school students with the literacy, life and career skills they need for their futures by giving them access to Read to Lead‘s games and curriculum.

Christina Oliver, Executive Director at Classroom, Inc., said, “Generous corporate partners, such as the New York Life Foundation, are instrumental to helping us improve our systems, skills and capacity. The New York Life volunteers’ talent helped us achieve a strategic goal to improve our data systems to reach and impact more educators and students across the United States. This type of support is priceless, and we are so grateful to the employees and leadership of New York Life!”