Subject is an online educational platform established by Michael Vilardo, an alumnus of Community High School District 155, which serves areas of McHenry County.
The platform has been shown to significantly improve student engagement and learning and is currently accessible to D155 schools as well as other public schools in the Chicago area. Subject provides students and educators with concise video content that can be integrated into classroom instruction. According to company reports, classrooms that incorporate Subject experience greater student retention and more effective learning outcomes.
“As a graduate of Chicago area schools, I am proud to bring Subject’s virtual learning platform to the same schools that helped shape me. As a student-athlete and now an entrepreneur, I know firsthand how impactful learning tools like Subject can be. It is an honor to serve Chicago,” Vilardo, CEO and founder of Subject, told Illinois Business Daily.
During a time when millions of kids were stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-founders Felix Ruano and Vilardo developed Subject.com in 2020 to offer virtual learning programs for high school students. The two observed "long-standing issues" within existing educational systems, which sparked their passion to leverage education to create a better life for students. With the help of Subject's team of educators and builders, the two founders built video content used by teachers to accelerate learning and help students succeed.
The Subject curriculum library boasts more than 65 accredited courses that are both highly engaging and visually stunning. Subject courses feature cinematic-quality instruction, comparable to the streaming content students are accustomed to today, to keep them fully engaged. The courses are designed with the three key principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mind and are inclusive of video micro-lessons, assignments, assessments and insights from educators along with data tracking. The course structure is carefully crafted to help students fully comprehend each concept, resulting in a deeper understanding and increased retention of the topic.
Vilardo graduated from Cary Grove High School where he was a successful student athlete, competitively playing both hockey and baseball. He attended U-Penn after graduation, where he played two seasons of Division 1 collegiate baseball before graduating early, and then transferred to Purdue to play out his remaining years of collegiate eligibility, Shaw Local News Network reported. Vilardo went on to receive his MBA at UCLA Anderson with previous operating experience at Uber and Nike, the story said.
Subject Technologies, Inc. is an approved vendor in D155 schools, meaning students in any of the following high schools have access to Subject’s tools and resources: Cary Grove High School, (847) 639-3825; Crystal Lake Central, (815) 459-2505; Crystal Lake South, (815) 455-3860; Haber Oaks, (815) 893-5300 and Prairie Ridge, (815) 479-0404.
The company has gained individual adoption from other Chicago-area schools, including Argo Community High School of District 217, Leyden Community High School of District 212, West Town Academy of the Youth Connections Charter School (YCCS) network, J Sterling Morton West High School of District 201 and Evergreen Academy of the McHenry County Safe Schools Program.