Write the World, a global nonprofit providing online writing programs that build literacy and critical thinking skills in teenagers (ages 13-19), fostering their growth as global citizens, is announcing the launch of Clara, a Socratic AI writing assistant created exclusively for teen writers and available for free on the Write the World website. Write the World will also make Clara available to public and independent middle and high schools to serve as an AI writing tool for the classroom.
“Unlike chat-based AI tools that write for students, Clara supports teen writers by bringing out their creativity and unique voice. Clara is a writing companion that asks relevant, personalized questions to promote metacognition, analytical thinking, and creativity. It empowers teens to be authentic, confident, and competent writers,” said Brittany Collins, M.Ed., Director of Education at Write the World. “Our organization was founded to help teens develop the writing and critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in school, career, and life, and Clara’s innovative technology extends the educational impact of that mission.”
Clara’s Socratic pedagogy asks students guiding questions that encourage reflection and preserve their originality, such as, “What specific emotions or themes do you want to evoke with this setting?,” “What specific aspect of the novel intrigues you the most?,” and “How do you plan to support your analysis with examples from the text?” Clara does not write for students, but instead helps them brainstorm, draft, research, and refine their writing through dialogue and individualized feedback. Clara can engage with students’ drafts in real time, allowing them to receive support throughout their creative process. The iterative nature of the tool provides teens the opportunity to improve their writing and gain confidence before sharing work with peer or teacher readers.
The tool assists with various aspects of writing, including topic, approach, structure, audience connection, grammar, tone, style, word choice, rhythm, argumentation, flow, and clarity. With access to large AI language models, Clara assists with writing in any genre and across virtually any topic.
Clara was founded and created by Benjamin Klieger while a student at Stanford University Online High School, gaining feedback from pilot programs in local schools and several students and professors at Stanford University.
“I had an experience where I wrote an essay and had to submit a rough draft followed by a final draft. However, it was only after the final draft was submitted that I received constructive feedback on my rough draft. After exploring, I realized this was a common experience for students, especially in public schools where teachers are often under-resourced and have much larger class sizes. When I looked at the state of existing AI writing tools, they mainly did all the writing for the student, which did not help writers develop their own voice and truly improve,” said Ben. “This led me to create Clara, an AI companion that provides in-the-moment support during the writing process, when students need it the most. Instead of being an infallible source of answers, you can critically engage in a dialogue with Clara and push back on its feedback. I am excited that Write the World acquired Clara and is distributing the technology across its global community of students and educators to reach more young writers.”
Over 200 teenagers around the world pilot tested Clara and shared how it helped them develop as writers. Mahati V of the US said, “I was surprised by how much Clara understood my piece. Clara gave me the kind of specific feedback that truly helps apply a broad idea in a specific place.” "Feels like you are talking to a friend or a teacher that guides you in your writing journey,” added Ivanna of the UK. “By using Clara, I was able to think deeply about my writing and the scene that I was writing. Clara really challenged me to think outside the box,” said Ozi of Brunei.
Clara for Classrooms
Write the World will also make Clara available to public and independent middle and high schools through a subscription model. Clara for Classrooms is compatible with Google Docs for easy integration into classroom writing assignments across subjects, from personal narrative to poetry, journalism, analysis, science reports, and more. Using Clara in the classroom can help teachers differentiate instruction, save grading time, and improve students’ literacy. Its 24/7 real-time, tailored feedback and encouragement augments students’ learning and reinforces teachers’ instruction. Educators and administrators who are interested in bringing Clara to their school or district are encouraged to use the Pilot Interest Form accessible on this page.
“Today, teachers are wrestling with how to integrate AI tools into the classroom as a constructive resource that spurs creativity and authentic ideas—how to fight against the risk of cognitive outsourcing to technology. We believe Clara uniquely returns the thinking and writing process to the lived experiences of students,” said David Weinstein, founder of Write the World. “Clara unlocks the authentic voices of teen writers, helps them become critical thinkers, and promotes ethical values for AI use throughout the learning process.”
About Write the World
Write the World, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded at Harvard University and dedicated to improving the writing and critical thinking skills essential for students to achieve success in school, career, and life. The organization offers free writing programs in a vibrant, 24/7 online community that has served over 120,000 students and educators in more than 125 countries. Beyond the global writing community, the organization offers monthly writing competitions, college essay services, summer writing workshops, and educator resources.
Learn more at: writetheworld.org
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