Schools are getting more complicated by the year, and not just in the textbook sense. Many teachers say they’re seeing students with anxiety, withdrawal, behavior issues, and learning differences that don’t always come with neat, quick fixes.
A chat tool built for “what do I try next?”
A new platform called Ellis is positioning itself as the trusted colleague educators wish they had on standby.
According to the platform’s creators, Ellis is a free, chat-based tool created by the Children’s Health Council, designed for those moments when something isn’t working and you’re not sure what to try next.
The idea is pretty straightforward: instead of heading to the internet for generic advice, teachers can describe a specific student situation in their own words and get back a small set of practical strategies to try right away.
In the interview, Cindy Lopez, Director of Community Engagement at the Children’s Health Council, said even well-prepared teachers can get stumped by the everyday realities of classrooms.
Ideally, a colleague with deep knowledge would be right next to you to ask the clarifying questions and troubleshoot follow-ups.
Ellis, she argues, aims to close that gap—at least as closely as a platform can.
When educators log in, they’re met with a simple chat interface.
They type in what’s going on with the student, what they’ve already tried, and anything else that feels relevant.
Ellis may then ask follow-up questions to clarify the problem and build a more complete picture.
Importantly, Lopez pointed out that the tool intentionally asks about strengths, as well as the relationship between teacher and student—something that can get buried under frustration when you’re trying to meet a challenge in real time.
In the room, you can almost feel it: that moment when you pause mid-lesson, the whiteboard marker still in hand, and realize you’re not sure what to do next.
Once a response is generated, it includes a few suggested strategies explained briefly.
Teachers can click to learn more or build toward a longer-term plan.
Lopez also emphasized the iterative nature of classroom decisions: teachers can exit and come back later because everything stays saved, and Ellis is built to support the back-and-forth of “I tried this, it didn’t work,” not just one-shot answers.
Curated AI guidance—and privacy plus reporting built in
The most obvious question with any AI tool is always the same: where is the information coming from, and how reliable is it?
In the conversation, Lopez described how Ellis differs from tools that pull from the open web.
Instead of retrieving information broadly, Ellis uses retrieval-augmented generation, drawing on a curated knowledge base built from resources from organizations like CAST, CASEL, Understood, and other partners with a track record of reliable, research-based information on inclusion, social-emotional learning, and mental health.
“So the results are not only trustworthy because of the content we’ve created,” Lopez explains, “they’re also meaningful, actionable, and valuable.” The platform’s approach is framed as both practical and grounded—something teachers can use without feeling like they’re starting from scratch or taking on another heavy training requirement.
Ellis also tackles educator concerns that go beyond pedagogy. On the podcast, Lopez discussed how the platform addresses student privacy and mandatory reporting, which are exactly the kinds of issues teachers worry about when technology enters the picture.
Lopez shared two examples of educators using Ellis.
In one case, a middle school learning specialist worked with a student with ADHD who was consistently falling behind.
Ellis helped the specialist think through breaking assignments into clearer steps and provided language the specialist could share directly with classroom teachers.
Lopez described it as a way to amplify existing expertise—using the specialist’s time well and bringing strategies that felt meaningful.
In the second scenario, a newer high school teacher worked with a student on an IEP who disengaged quickly during reading and writing tasks.
After using Ellis, the teacher found a mix of new strategies and confirmation that some of her instincts were already pointing in the right direction.
Lopez said that combination helped the specialist feel more confident and more calm during challenging moments—like, okay, I responded to this before, I can do it again.
Try it yourself, the CHC says: Ellis has been in beta for less than a year and is continuing to evolve based on user feedback.
Lopez put it simply: “You don’t need any kind of training to use it.
Just start.” At the time of this writing, the platform can be accessed via askellis.org, and it’s inviting educators to test it and send feedback—because as with most classroom tools, the real question is whether it holds up once the day gets messy and you’re back to that moment of not knowing what to try next.
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