Everway

School districts deploy Everway's Polaris IEP-management suite to document and operationalize accommodations upfront, rather than relying on legacy SIS platforms that omit special-education features.

ENABLE Model location

• Builder-side Interventions → Create Accessible Content
• Builder-side Interventions → Design Accessible Experiences

What it is

Everway, formed from the merger of n2y and Texthelp, is an educational technology company that designs tools for diverse learning needs. Their flagship product, Polaris, is an AI-assisted IEP (Individualized Education Program) management platform that automates and streamlines the special education process. Polaris uses embedded assessments, data integration, and intelligent recommendations to help educators write SMART goals, document accommodations, and monitor student progress -- all within a collaborative platform designed for IEP teams. (Everway Polaris) Rather than forcing special educators to work within generic Student Information Systems (SIS) that omit special education features, Polaris embeds accessibility expertise into the educational content creation and planning process. This represents a builder-side intervention: schools use Polaris to design and document inclusive education before students arrive, making accommodation planning a standard, visible, and resourced part of schooling rather than an afterthought.

Why it matters

Many schools lack systematic infrastructure for including disabled students. Legacy SIS platforms omit special education features; IEP writing is manual, time-consuming, and error-prone; data about disabled students' progress is siloed and inaccessible; teachers lack guidance on evidence-based accommodations. This neglect forces disabled students to navigate exclusion: they show up to classes without documented accommodations, struggle through inaccessible curriculum, and advocate for themselves when teachers don't understand their needs. Polaris embeds disability expertise into the schooling process itself. By automating compliance, centralizing student data, and recommending evidence-based accommodations, Polaris reduces the burden on disabled students and families to "fight for" their rights. Schools that use Polaris can onboard disabled students with documented, accessible curriculum from day one -- shifting the labor of inclusion from navigator-side (disabled students and families advocating) to builder-side (schools planning and documenting).

Real-world example

Fresno Unified School District (California, USA) adopted Polaris and reported dramatic improvements. Teachers reduced IEP writing time from 5–6 hours to 2–3 hours per IEP, because Polaris's AI-assisted features (present-level statements, SMART goal suggestions, accommodation recommendations) eliminated manual work. (Fresno Success Story) The district integrated Polaris with Unique Learning System (ULS), their existing curriculum platform, so that assessment data flowed automatically from lessons into IEP planning. Teachers like Lacey Stone reported: "You don't have to search for data anymore. You can pull it immediately out of the student's daily performance." (Fresno Success Story) Schools that adopted Polaris were able to document disability accommodations systematically, monitor progress in real-time with visual reports, and share that data with families accessibly. The result: disabled students had their accommodations documented, visible, and monitored from the start of the school year, rather than depending on individual teacher advocacy.

What care sounds like (builder-side interventions)

Care at the builder-side phase involves making special education planning systematic, resourced, and evidence-based:

• "We deploy IEP management tools that require teachers to document all accommodations upfront, making access visible and non-negotiable."
• "We allocate time and training so teachers understand evidence-based accommodations for different disabilities, not relying on guesswork or student self-advocacy."
• "We integrate our curriculum, assessment, and IEP systems so that disability data flows through schooling and informs instruction automatically."
• "We audit our special education practices with disability experts to ensure our systems center disabled students' needs, not just compliance checkboxes."

What neglect sounds like (builder-side interventions)

Neglect involves deprioritizing special education and omitting infrastructure:

• "We don't have budget for special education tools; teachers manage IEPs manually with paper files."
• "Most of our students are general education; special education planning is secondary."
• "Teachers are expected to manage accommodations individually; we don't need a centralized system."
• "We'll document accommodations if parents ask, but we don't proactively plan for disabled students."

What compensation sounds like (navigator-side compensations)

Compensation describes the labor disabled students and families undertake navigator-side when schools lack inclusive systems:

• "I had to explain my disability and accommodation needs to every single teacher at the start of the year because the school never documented them centrally."
• "I attended IEP meetings where the teacher hadn't read my file and didn't know I had accommodations, forcing me to advocate again."
• "I spent hours gathering documents about my daughter's progress data to bring to her IEP meeting because the school didn't track or organize it."
• "I hired an advocate to attend my child's IEP meeting because the school district wasn't offering appropriate accommodations, and I needed expert help to negotiate."

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All observations occur within the context of K-12 education, special education management, and school inclusion of disabled students.