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Quill.org

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Quill.org
FoundersPeter Gault
TypesEducational website
FocusLiteracy tools for grades 4-12
HeadquartersNew York, NY
Websitewww.quill.org 

Quill.org is an open source nonprofit educational technology organization founded by Peter Gault.[1][2][3] Quill.org builds free writing tools and supplemental activities for grades 4-12.[4][5][6]

Background

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Quill.org was founded in 2012 by Peter Gault. Quill’s development intersected with the work of journalist Peg Tyre, whose 2012 article The Writing Revolution[7] in The Atlantic highlighted the importance of writing instruction in addressing literacy gaps.[8]

Features

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Quill.org's curriculum covers proofreading, sentence combining, and grammar conventions such as appositives, conjunctions and complex sentences.[9] Quill.org analyzes student writing using artificial intelligence[10] and gives feedback to support student revision.In 2024, the organization introduced a new tool for text analysis and reading comprehension.[11][12]

Use in Classrooms

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Targeted for grades 4-12, Quill is used by more than 2.8 million students across 35,000 schools in all 50 states.[13][14][15] According to a 2023 Gates Foundation report, Quill is the 4th most widely used nonprofit supplemental resource in high school English Language Arts courses.[16]

Pedagogy

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Quill’s pedagogical approach emphasizes sentence construction as a core element in developing writing proficiency.[17] A 2005 study by Bruce Saddler and Steve Graham reported that fourth-grade students taught through sentence-combining exercises wrote more complex sentences, improved their story writing, and applied these skills during revision, compared to peers taught with traditional grammar instruction.[18] The 2007 Writing Next meta-analysis of writing instruction identified sentence-combining practice as one of the most effective strategies for improving adolescent writing, reporting a consistent positive effect across the studies reviewed.[19]

Research

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In 2023, a randomized control trial by the College Board found that students using Quill Connect improved their sentence construction by 71% in four weeks, compared to no growth in a control group.[20][21]

Partnerships & Funders

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Quill.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[22] and receives philanthropic funding from the Gates Foundation,[23] Google.org,[24] Overdeck Family Foundation,[25][26] Patrick J. McGovern Foundation,[27] the Siegel Family Endowment.[28]

Quill partners with various organizations including aiEDU,[29] and the OER Project.[30] The nonprofit has partnered with researchers from the University of Hong Kong and Stanford University, as well as AT&T.[31]

Awards

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Quill.org was named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Education in 2018.[32]

References

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  1. ^ Farley, Shannon (2017-06-22). "Nonprofits, not Silicon Valley startups, are creating AI apps for the greater good". Vox. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  2. ^ "Peter Gault | Speaker | ASU GSV Summit". www.asugsvsummit.com. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  3. ^ Loewus, Liana (2016-10-06). "Teachers Review 'Promising' Digital Tools for English/Language Arts Instruction". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  4. ^ Esquivel • •, Sandra (2018-07-13). "Free Programs to Prevent Children's 'Summer Slide'". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  5. ^ Gonzalez, Carolina Dalia (2020-04-06). "7 Extremely Helpful Apps for Parents at Home With Their Kids". Vogue. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  6. ^ Ferlazzo, Larry (2015-05-08). "Ideas for E.L.L.s | Celebrating the End of the School Year". The Learning Network. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  7. ^ Tyre, Peg (2012-09-20). "The Writing Revolution". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  8. ^ AtlanticLIVE (2015-06-16). Teaching Digital Natives to Read and Write / Education Summit. Retrieved 2025-09-04 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "Quelling writing problems with Quill". The Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  10. ^ Schiller, Ben (2017-09-07). "This Machine Learning-Powered Software Teaches Kids To Be Better Writers". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2024-04-07. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  11. ^ Klein, Alyson (2023-03-15). "Measuring Reading Comprehension Is Hard. Can AI and Adaptive Tools Help?". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  12. ^ Fitzsimmons, Kelly. "Advancing Equitable AI in the US Social Sector (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  13. ^ Luke Edwards (2023-07-27). "What is Quill and How Can It Be Used for Teaching? Tips & Tricks". Tech & Learning. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  14. ^ "How AI is helping students improve in reading and writing". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  15. ^ Herschander, Sara (2024-05-29). "The Nonprofits Leading the A.I. Revolution". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  16. ^ "To improve literacy Quill is leading the way". usprogram.gatesfoundation.org. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  17. ^ "Why Sentence Combining?". www.quill.org. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  18. ^ "The Effects of Peer-Assisted Sentence-Combining Instruction on the Writing Performance of More and Less Skilled Young Writers". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2025-08-11. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  19. ^ Carnegie Corporation of New York. "Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools | Carnegie Corporation of New York". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Archived from the original on 2025-04-29. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  20. ^ "Research Brief: Early Research Outcomes for Quill Connect". www.quill.org. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  21. ^ "Innovative Schools". Overdeck Family Foundation. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  22. ^ Farley, Shannon (2018-12-05). "Is ethical tech a farce?". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  23. ^ "To improve literacy Quill is leading the way". usprogram.gatesfoundation.org. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  24. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2024-03-28). "Google.org launches $20M generative AI accelerator program". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  25. ^ "Using Technology To Accelerate Student-Centered Learning: An Interview with Nonprofit Leaders". Overdeck Family Foundation. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  26. ^ "Quill.org Named One of the Top Four Nonprofit Literacy Tools for High School Students in the United States - Awarded $2.2m Overdeck Family Foundation Grant to Advance AI-Powered Writing Tools for Low-Income Students". www.quill.org. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  27. ^ "Redefining AI Innovation With Social Purpose: Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Announces $73.5 Million Toward AI for Humanity". Archived from the original on 2025-08-05. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  28. ^ Toppo, Greg (2024-10-16). "Q&A: Katy Knight's Quest to Fund Ed Tech's 'Deeply Unsexy Things'". Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  29. ^ "Quill.org and aiEDU Expand AI Literacy Curricula in K-12 Classrooms, Powered by a $400,000 Grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation | K-12 Dive". www.k12dive.com. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  30. ^ "Free tools to make your students better writers". www.quill.org. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  31. ^ Newcomb, Tim (2017-11-28). "Quill: How One Online Program Is Using Machine Learning to Help Students Become Better Writers — and Learn From Their Mistakes". Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  32. ^ "The World's Most Innovative Companies 2018: Education Honorees | Fast Company". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2025-08-20. Retrieved 2025-09-03.