Aaron Ferguson is the founder and CEO of Asperix, a California education technology and consulting company that helps school districts keep students learning, and keep the funding they've earned, when life pulls a student out of the classroom.
Asperix's flagship product, Asperix ISST (Independent Study, Short-Term), runs the whole short-term independent study process for California K–12 districts. That includes agreements, weekly work samples, teacher review, administrator sign-off, and a complete audit-ready record for every placement. Students who are out for a few weeks can keep learning, families always know what's expected, and districts keep the attendance funding that incomplete paperwork so often costs them at audit. A companion tool, ISLT (Independent Study, Long-Term), is next. Asperix also offers consulting to help districts strengthen their independent study programs and learning systems.
Ferguson built Asperix on years of work in California public schools, first in the classroom and then in district leadership in distance learning and educational technology. He knows the paperwork behind independent study because he has done it himself.
At the time of his Milken Educator Award in 2017, Ferguson taught at Oxnard's Pacifica High School. There he led the Academy of Business, a "school within a school" where students partnered with local businesses, earned internships, and graduated at a 100% rate. He also taught Earth Science at Pacifica and geology at the local community college, drawing on his earlier career as a geological sciences consultant.
Ferguson holds a bachelor's degree in geology from California Lutheran University (2007) and a master's in geosciences from Mississippi State University (2014). He lives in Camarillo, California.
Press release: Business is booming at Pacifica High School: Aaron Ferguson surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award!
Always happy to connect with fellow Milken Educators, especially anyone working on independent study, attendance, or edtech in their district. aaron@asperix.io
"Receiving the Milken Award has justified the hard work my..." (read more)
