About Us

We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit education start-up company dedicated to the improvement of K-12 education through sound and proven motivational pedagogical methodologies. We have a very simple mantra – we feel that every time a child steps into a classroom they should feel the warmth of love and the thrill of happiness; or every time a child peers into a computer screen for distance learning they should get excited about what they will discover. We feel that it’s about time that Disney relinquished its claim of being the “Happiest Place on Earth™” and turn it over to the worldwide K-12 classroom. The “pursuit of happiness” is an i-pel core tenet.

All i-pel services are conducted through the scaffolding of the education philosophy Innovationism which, by looking at the integrated balance of the intrinsic/extrinsic and objective/subjective elements found in all education phenomenon, guides the development of K-12 content and application.  All services begin and stop with the question – “Is this function of the education system MOTIVATIONAL and ENGAGING not only for the students but also the teachers, administrators, parents, support staff and vendors – if not, why not?” If we were ever to change our name it would be The Institute of Motivation and Engagement.

We focus on three primary activities which include Motivation & Engagement Curiculum and Learning Platforms, contemporary education Research Projects and the WHATZIT Academy©™, virtual school (see: Our Services). It is intended that the highly motivational and engaging WHATZIT Academy become the student choice for virtual learning both in and out of the physical classroom. (see: K-12 Virtual Education)

Our goal is to help the K-12 educational community evolve to a point where each day all children look forward to the joy of learning and becoming part of the foundation that keeps America the most advance society in the World. The reasoning for our approach is based on the fact that every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of the nation’s 100,000 public elementary and high schools — that’s one student every 26 seconds or 7,000 a day — without receiving a diploma or an equivalency credential, such as a GED, according to DoSomething.org. The U.S. high school completion rate of the nation’s approximate 59 million students enrolled in public and private schools has been dropping slightly in real terms, and dramatically relative to other industrialized nations. The U.S. now ranks 22nd of 27 developed countries in terms of its graduation rates.

Our focus is on educating through alternate learning styles, such as the spatial-visual and kinesthetic learners, to reach not only the failing and disenfranchised students but also the successful students who might be suffering from extrinsic or intrinsic boredom. To that end we are looking to develop core curriculums that are progressive in both visual and conceptual learning. Our goal is to make learning fun through original and compelling interactive content that will make improved student achievement a byproduct. Our intention is to help the weakest students prepare for testing with innovative learning techniques that reinforce content with interactive activities and motivational supplements that reward learning success. Our programs allow teachers to assess student progress in real-time so they can deal with issues on the spot.  All i.pel content will conform to state standards and will be able to be customized to support any technology platform.

Like most 501 (c) (3) non-profits, i-pel is always looking for donations and grant money to finance our K-12 education activities. We like to think our work is worth it and, of course, all donations are tax-deductible (see: Donate). Please contact us with any feedback.