TeachTown's enCORE Wins Big, Redefining Special Education Tech

WOBURN, Mass. – January 28, 2026 – TeachTown, a company specializing in educational tools for students with disabilities, has received a significant dual honor for its flagship curriculum, enCORE. The K-12 standards-based program was named a winner in both the Primary and Secondary Education categories of the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2025, a prestigious recognition in the education technology sector.

The awards highlight a growing industry focus on specialized, evidence-based solutions that cater to specific student populations. TeachTown's enCORE is designed for students with moderate to severe disabilities, a group that has historically been underserved by mainstream educational software. The company reports that the curriculum is driving a nearly 70% student growth rate between pre- and post-test scores, a figure that has captured the attention of educators and administrators alike.

"To receive two-fold recognition in the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2025 is a profound testament to our work," said Richard Becker, CEO of TeachTown, in a press statement. "Our goal with enCORE has always been to bridge the gap in special education with evidence-based, differentiated instruction that meets each student where they are. We remain relentlessly focused on innovating for our most complex learners, ensuring both students and educators have the tools necessary to drive student success."

This dual win places a spotlight not only on TeachTown but on the critical need for effective, measurable tools in special education, prompting a closer look at the curriculum's impact, the award's significance, and the real-world experiences of those using it in the classroom.

A Mark of Excellence in a Crowded Field

The Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence are more than just a marketing accolade; they serve as a critical vetting mechanism for school districts navigating a saturated EdTech market. According to the award organizers, the judging panel consists of industry experts, district leaders, and experienced educators who evaluate products on criteria including student outcomes, strategic impact, data privacy, and overall value. The goal is to identify products that are "truly going above and beyond to contribute to the education sector."

"The awards brought a huge number of high-quality entries," the Tech & Learning editorial team shared. "Our panel of industry experts judged the winning products to be those that were most impactful in helping schools improve teaching and learning during 2025."

For a product like enCORE, winning in both primary and secondary categories signifies a comprehensive, K-12 approach that has been validated by outside experts. This kind of recognition can significantly influence purchasing decisions, giving administrators confidence that a product has been rigorously assessed for its educational impact and technical quality.

Behind the 70% Growth Claim

At the heart of TeachTown's announcement is the claim of a nearly 70% student growth rate. This figure stems from the company's own research into enCORE's effectiveness. While the full, independently peer-reviewed data behind the specific 70% number is part of the company's internal analysis, TeachTown points to a formal research study on enCORE Elementary conducted during the 2022-2023 school year as evidence of its efficacy.

That study, which reportedly maintained an 84% implementation fidelity, documented significant skill mastery among students. Findings showed 92% mastery of targeted Math skills and 89% mastery of targeted English Language Arts (ELA) skills. The research also indicated that students retained and generalized these skills weeks after instruction ended, a crucial metric for meaningful learning.

TeachTown's approach is rooted in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a well-established methodology in special education. The enCORE curriculum is a blended system, combining hands-on, teacher-led instruction with a technology platform that provides data collection, progress monitoring, and personalized learning paths. This structure is designed to provide students with consistent, evidence-based instruction while giving educators the data they need to track progress toward Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and state standards.

Voices from the Classroom

While awards and company data provide one perspective, the true test of any curriculum happens in the classroom. Educators using enCORE report a wide range of experiences, highlighting both its strengths and potential challenges.

Many teachers praise the curriculum for its comprehensive, ready-to-use nature. "It has saved me LOADS of time prepping for a unit," noted one special education teacher on an online forum. He added that the consistent structure of the lessons helps his students, who "thrive on knowing their routine." Another educator celebrated the real-world impact on learning, stating that her students' reading comprehension had "skyrocketed" thanks to the leveled books and worksheets. This sentiment is echoed by others who see it as a powerful tool for inclusion, helping students access the general education curriculum in a meaningful way.

However, the praise is not universal, and some educators raise important concerns. One kindergarten teacher expressed that the curriculum felt "technology-heavy" and had "very little phonics instruction," focusing instead on whole word recognition. She found it challenging to integrate foundational phonics skills and manage student frustration with the software. Another user on a public forum worried about its effectiveness for all learners, describing a situation where students at the lowest levels showed "no progress after a whole year" on the platform, suggesting it might require supplementation with more hands-on materials for certain students.

These contrasting experiences underscore a fundamental reality of EdTech: no single solution is a perfect fit for every student or classroom. The effectiveness of a tool like enCORE often depends on teacher training, implementation fidelity, and its suitability for the specific needs of the students it serves.

Thriving in a Specialized Niche

TeachTown's success with enCORE is also a story about market strategy. In an EdTech landscape filled with tools aiming for the broadest possible audience, TeachTown has carved out a defensible niche by focusing intently on the needs of students with moderate to severe disabilities. While competitors like Texthelp and Rethink also serve the special education market, TeachTown's differentiation lies in its K-12, standards-first, ABA-based core curriculum.

This focus allows the company to develop deep expertise and create a product that addresses the complex and varied requirements of its target population. The dual award win validates this specialized approach, signaling to the market and potential investors that there is significant value—both social and financial—in creating high-quality solutions for underserved student groups.

As schools and districts move beyond the post-pandemic rush for digital tools, the focus is shifting from quantity to quality. There is a growing understanding that effective technology is not about replacing teachers, but about empowering them with better tools. The future of the industry likely involves a greater emphasis on personalized learning, adaptive technologies powered by artificial intelligence, and robust support for social-emotional learning (SEL). At the same time, the sector faces significant headwinds, including the need for a stronger evidence base for many EdTech products, the critical importance of teacher training, and growing concerns around student data privacy and cybersecurity.

In this evolving landscape, companies like TeachTown, which can demonstrate measurable student outcomes and provide comprehensive, evidence-based support, are well-positioned to lead. The recognition from Tech & Learning is not an endpoint, but rather a milestone that affirms the company is on a path that resonates with the present and future needs of special education.