Hello from Grouper

We build the tool that puts the right students together

Grouper Education is a small team with one job: give every teacher a fast, thoughtful way
to form, place, and manage student groups.

Meet the founders

Two people, one very specific obsession

Matthew Gross
Co-founder & CEO
Matthew has spent 30 years in education policy and practice, entrepreneurship, and product development. Previously, Matthew founded and led Newsela, which has served over 40 million teachers and students. Earlier, as Executive Director of the Regents Research Fund, he co-led the development of EngageNY, one of the most widely used curriculum resources in states adopting Common Core standards. He began his career as a Teach for America corps member, teaching music at C.S. 50 in the South Bronx. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University.
Anton Backer
Co-founder & CTO
Anton is a software engineer with over 16 years of front-end, back-end, and team management experience. Previously, Anton was a technology leader at Newsela through seven years of explosive growth, owning its architecture and building many of its key features and integrations. He helped make Newsela one of the first edtech companies to meet the WCAG 2.0 accessibility standard. Earlier, he was a Senior Software Engineer at Acuity Systems. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Connecticut.

Grouper is a response to how teachers feel today, and to an industry that doesn't always build what they actually need.

Usefulness per second
The unit we optimize is value delivered per second of a teacher's time. Grouper should feel like your weather app, not your tax software: open it, get what you need, close it.
Teach the way you already teach
We don't ask teachers to adopt a new pedagogy to use our software. Grouper takes what you already know about your students and does the tedious part for you.
Engagement is for teachers, too
Student engagement is high on everyone's list. We think teacher prep deserves the same attention. We treat every page and click as a chance to make a teacher smile.
AI should be invisible
We start with the classroom and the 25-ish humans inside it, then look for where AI helps. When we use it, you may never notice. You'll just do the thing you wanted to do.
Fit the tools you already have
Nobody needs another ecosystem, another login, or another tab. Software should work with the tools and data schools already have, not bury teachers and admins in copy-pasting.
Student data is a responsibility
We collect only what grouping requires, encrypt it in transit and at rest, and sign data privacy agreements with the districts we serve. Privacy is embedded in our design process and company culture.

Try Grouper in your own classroom, or talk to us about bringing it
to your school or district.

Hello from Grouper

Grouper Education is a small team with one job: give every teacher a fast, thoughtful way
to form, place, and manage student groups.

Two people, one very specific obsession

Matthew Gross
Co-founder & CEO
Matthew has spent 30 years in education policy and practice, entrepreneurship, and product development. Previously, Matthew founded and led Newsela, which has served over 40 million teachers and students. Earlier, as Executive Director of the Regents Research Fund, he co-led the development of EngageNY, one of the most widely used curriculum resources in states adopting Common Core standards. He began his career as a Teach for America corps member, teaching music at C.S. 50 in the South Bronx. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University.
Anton Backer
Co-founder & CTO
Anton is a software engineer with over 16 years of front-end, back-end, and team management experience. Previously, Anton was a technology leader at Newsela through seven years of explosive growth, owning its architecture and building many of its key features and integrations. He helped make Newsela one of the first edtech companies to meet the WCAG 2.0 accessibility standard. Earlier, he was a Senior Software Engineer at Acuity Systems. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Connecticut.

Grouper is a response to how teachers feel today, and to an industry that doesn't always build what they actually need.

Usefulness per second
The unit we optimize is value delivered per second of a teacher's time. Grouper should feel like your weather app, not your tax software: open it, get what you need, close it.
Teach the way you already teach
We don't ask teachers to adopt a new pedagogy to use our software. Grouper takes what you already know about your students and does the tedious part for you.
Engagement is for teachers, too
Student engagement is high on everyone's list. We think teacher prep deserves the same attention. We treat every page and click as a chance to make a teacher smile.
AI should be invisible
We start with the classroom and the 25-ish humans inside it, then look for where AI helps. When we use it, you may never notice. You'll just do the thing you wanted to do.
Fit the tools you already have
Nobody needs another ecosystem, another login, or another tab. Software should work with the tools and data schools already have, not bury teachers and admins in copy-pasting.
Student data is a responsibility
We collect only what grouping requires, encrypt it in transit and at rest, and sign data privacy agreements with the districts we serve. Privacy is embedded in our design process and company culture.

Try Grouper in your own classroom, or talk to us about bringing it
to your school or district.