UW-Madison alumna Angie Eilers has recently launched a software company, UR Turn, that is targeted at education planning for middle and high school students.
Eilers earned her master’s from the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology in 1992, and later received her Ph.D. from the School’s Department Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in 1998.
After 25 years as a researcher in education, Eilers felt it was time to put her research into practice. UR Turn’s software is designed as a goal-setting and progress-tracking tool for students; Eilers refers to it as the “Google maps for education planning.” The program allows students to set a goal and provides guidance and advising to help them along the way.
With support from a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Award and an investment from AT&T’s Aspire Accelerator fund, Eilers and the team behind UR Turn are working to get their software in the hands of students and families who might not otherwise be able to afford or access a private counselor.
With a student-to-counselor ratio of 490 to one, Eilers hopes that their mobile and web-enabled app will bridge that gap and give students a more even playing field — beyond high school and into post-secondary institutions.
Learn more about UR Turn here.