FEATURE
KUMON ADAPTS TO MODERN EDUCATION DEMANDS WITH TECHNOLOGY IN 2024 By John Collins, Kumon
Adapting to evergrowing demands within the educational franchise industry took center stage for Kumon North America in 2024.
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he 70-year-old brand, grounded in an analog past, made the leap into a digital future with the launch of several new major programs this year. One is Kumon Connect, which moves the everyday work of Kumon students from paper to a tablet, and the other is English as a Foreign Language. These types of innovations have helped the company continue its success. “Adapting to the needs of customers is essential for any organization’s success,” said Mike Shim, Kumon’s senior vice president of field operations. “And that’s especially true for Kumon. As a global company for the last 70 years, we have constantly had to adapt to changing market demands. Our customers are both our students and Instructors, and this year marked a significant step in Kumon’s evolution to address their needs.”
24 FRANCHISING WORLD / November/December 2024
Kumon Connect
Kumon Connect had been years in the making, and testing, when it finally made its U.S. debut in the spring. But making an institutional change that significant didn’t come without some skeptics. “I was completely against using Kumon Connect and bringing this change to my center,” said Stuti Desai, the Instructor and owner of Kumon Center in Carmel, California. “My philosophy aligned with the old-school way of learning and keeping everything paper to pencil. It was only when I learned that I was able to see more, do more and make more time for myself, that I truly began to change my ways and invest into Kumon Connect.” Individualization has always been a key element of the Kumon Program, with every child’s starting point based