# Scientific Learning, a Carnegie Learning Company

> Scientific Learning, now part of Carnegie Learning, builds neuroscience-based reading and language software that rewires how struggling readers process language. Its flagship Fast ForWord program treats reading difficulty at its root - the brain's ability to process sound and sequence information - rather than drilling worksheets. Born from lab research by four scientists in 1996 and acquired by Carnegie Learning in 2020, the company has delivered cognitive-skills and reading interventions to students in more than 40 countries, backed by decades of peer-reviewed research.

- **Founded:** 1996
- **Headquarters:** Oakland, California, United States
- **Founders:** Michael M. Merzenich (Co-founder / Neuroscientist (brain plasticity)), Paula A. Tallal (Co-founder / Neuroscientist (auditory processing & language)), William M. Jenkins (Co-founder / Neuroscientist), Steven L. Miller (Co-founder / Researcher)
- **Team size:** ~180 employees
- **Products:** Fast ForWord, Reading Assistant (ClearFluency), Fast ForWord Foundations & Elements
- **Notable:** Founding research published in the journal Science (mid-1990s), sparking ~17,000 inquiries and CNN coverage., Fast ForWord awarded Research-Based Design Product Certification by Digital Promise (2021)., Co-founder Paula Tallal named Inventor of the Year by the NJ Inventors Hall of Fame.

## Products & services

- **Fast ForWord** — A 2-in-1 reading and cognitive-skills development program that targets the root causes of reading struggle by building memory, attention, processing, and sequencing (Learning MAPS). Delivered as adaptive computer exercises for K-12 struggling readers, special-education students, and English language learners.
- **Reading Assistant (ClearFluency)** — Speech-recognition software that listens as students read aloud and provides real-time corrective feedback to build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
- **Fast ForWord Foundations & Elements** — Product tiers targeting cognitive skills then intensive reading practice, including reading-comprehension components.

## Achievements

- Founding research published in the journal Science (mid-1990s), sparking ~17,000 inquiries and CNN coverage.
- Fast ForWord awarded Research-Based Design Product Certification by Digital Promise (2021).
- Co-founder Paula Tallal named Inventor of the Year by the NJ Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Reach expanded from North America to more than 40 countries.
- Carnegie Learning (its parent) named to the GSV 150 for a third time (2025).

## Latest updates

- **2020-09** — Acquired by Carnegie Learning for $15 million to strengthen its digital literacy offerings.
- **2021-10** — Fast ForWord earned the Research-Based Design Product Certification from Digital Promise.
- **2025-01** — Operating as part of Carnegie Learning, named to the 2025 GSV 150 list of top digital-learning companies for a third time.

## Links

- Website: https://scilearn.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/scientific-learning
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/scilearn
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FastForWordProgram
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scilearn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scientificlearning

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Last updated: 2026-06-20