Case Study: Cell-Ed achieves 75% course completion and 1M+ teaching minutes with Twilio

Cell-Ed Educates Anywhere With Twilio

Cell-Ed is a literacy and workforce-skills provider that tackles the digital and opportunity divide by teaching adults who lack reading skills and often do not have smartphones or regular internet access. Faced with learners like Lucia—who speaks English but cannot read it and therefore can’t access typical digital outreach—Cell‑Ed needed a way to deliver meaningful, functional literacy instruction that meets people where they are.

Their solution uses phone calls and SMS coaching powered by Twilio to deliver a 44‑hour, asynchronous curriculum with one‑on‑one support, no app or classroom required. Since 2014 Cell‑Ed has logged over 1 million minutes of instruction and 800,000 text exchanges, achieving a 75% course completion rate (versus 20–50% in classroom programs) and enabling learners like Lucia to read schedules, send emails, and gain practical independence.

Cell-Ed

Jessica Rothenberg-Aalami

Co-Founder