In the first episode of Chalk & Code Season 2, the conversation turns to one of education technology’s biggest promises: using AI to deliver effective, personalized tutoring at scale. The episode explores how Mark Angel, CEO of Amira Learning, has helped turn decades of research in speech, natural language, and reading science into an AI-powered literacy tutor capable of listening to students read and responding in real time.

Mark traces Amira’s roots back to Carnegie Mellon University’s Project LISTEN, an ambitious research effort that began in the 1990s and ultimately produced decades of research into intelligent reading tutoring. He explains why successful edtech has to balance engagement with measurable efficacy, how consistent dosage and alignment with classroom instruction can improve outcomes, and why Amira increasingly measures its impact against the same state assessments districts use to evaluate student progress.