Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/LearningRx (3rd nomination)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Sarahj2107 (talk) 08:56, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

LearningRx
AfDs for this article: 
 * – ( View AfD View log  Stats )

Brian training programmes are a scam, the evidence shows that they have no actual effect. Amazingly, this distinctly promotional article instead notes that the brain is more plastic than previously imagined - which may or may not be true but is of course irrelevant to the fact that these training programmes don't work.

So I tried to make the article more neutral, but as I investigated the sources I found that those cited are churnalism - press releases printed in the newspapers without investigation or commentary - and I found no evidence of anything else that could be used instead. Guy (Help!) 21:19, 30 October 2016 (UTC)

Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources.  See https://books.google.com/books?id=7ZDIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT49 for the chapter titled "LearningRx". The book discusses LearningRx for roughly seven pages. The book notes: "LearningRx turns out to be the most expensive, least supported by published research, and most aggressively marketed of the four leading cognitive training programs. It bears the curious distinction of being the only one set up as a franchise, like McDonald's with independent owners running each of the eighty-three LearningRx centers in twenty countries. And neither the franchise owners nor the trainers who work for them are required to have anything more than a four-year college degree. But hang on. LearningRx also has some unique assets, in particular that its training is offered in person, rather than on a computer, with a trainer encouraging each student to persevere—an important asset for children or adults struggling with issues of attention and focus. ... Moreover, many of the tasks that Learning Rx uses are the same kinds used by other cognitive trainers, except that they have been translated from a computer format to tabletop exercises performed with playing cards and other materials."  The article notes: "On this Wednesday evening at the Upper Montclair, N.J., outlet of LearningRx, a chain of 83 “brain training” franchises across the United States, the goal is to improve cognitive skills. LearningRx is one of a growing number of such commercial services — some online, others offered by psychologists. Unlike traditional tutoring services that seek to help students master a subject, brain training purports to enhance comprehension and the ability to analyze and mentally manipulate concepts, images, sounds and instructions. In a word, it seeks to make students smarter. “We measure every student pre- and post-training with a version of the Woodcock-Johnson general intelligence test,” said Ken Gibson, who began franchising LearningRx centers in 2003, and has data on more than 30,000 of the nearly 50,000 students who have been trained. “The average gain on I.Q. is 15 points after 24 weeks of training, and 20 points in less than 32 weeks.”"  The article notes: "Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the LearningRx Franchise Corp. opened its first office in 2002. Today it has 40 centers across the country, including one that opened in Lake Oswego in early October, and expects to open 50 more within the next year. Clients don't typically arrive by doctor referral. What's being sold is cognitive improvement by coaching. All clients are tested, then assigned to a trainer. Most are children and teens who face challenges with such skills as reading, concentrating and problem solving and who often have low grades, said Linda Conlee, owner of the Lake Oswego franchise."  The article notes: "She decided to enroll her children in LearningRx, a Colorado-based program that works to strengthen the brain's cognitive skills so students can learn more quickly and easily. The program first came to Minnesota two years ago. Since then, four more LearningRx franchises have opened in the state, including the newest center in Eagan. Although the program bills itself as beneficial for anybody, students with cognitive and learning disabilities, such as attention deficit disorder and dyslexia, are flocking to it. Some parents say the benefits are so great that their children can go off their medications. But experts remain skeptical that a program could produce such dramatic results.  Canan Karatekin, associate professor of child development at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development, said research shows it's possible to improve cognitive functions. But she says programs, like LearningRx, should be independently researched."  The article notes: "LearningRx is used for a variety of learners, including students with learning disabilities, K-12 and college students who want to improve their academic skills, adults wanting to improve their job performance and senior citizens who want to stay mentally sharp, as stated in a LearningRx Inc. flier. ... Ken Gibson, founder of LearningRx, discovered through his research that 80 percent of learning problems are cognitive weaknesses, Winchell said. ... The program is designed to strengthen weak underlying processing skills, including attention, working memory, processing speed, logic and reasoning, visual processing, auditory processing and long-term memory. These skills are the foundation of a student's ability to learn and are the basic mental abilities used for thinking, studying and learning, according to LearningRx."  The article notes: "LearningRx, a Colorado Springs company that operates a franchised network of 80 tutoring centers in 25 states, is just beginning to recover after a 1½-year battle with the Federal Trade Commission over whether it could back up its advertising claims with scientific studies and other research. The company settled in May a lawsuit filed in federal court last year by the agency that alleged it 'deceptively claimed their programs were clinically proven to permanently improve serious health conditions like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), autism, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, strokes, and concussions.' The suit said LearningRx also claimed the 'training substantially improved school grades and college admission test scores, career earnings, and job and athletic performance' and that its 'brain training is 10 times more cost-effective than tutoring.' The settlement included a $4 million judgment against Learning Rx, though all but $200,000 was suspended, and bars the company from claiming its programs improve performance on the job or in athletics or increase cognitive function of people with age-related memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD, autism, traumatic brain injury or stroke. ... LearningRx, formally known as LearningRx Franchise Corp., traces its roots back more than 30 years in Florida to Gibson's work as an pediatric optometrist to help his patients more easily learn to read. Gibson, who had difficulty reading as a child as a result of dyslexia, found that reading skills could be improved through 'interval training' similar to what professional athletes use to raise the level of their athletic performance. He began to sell licenses for his research and reading program to other optometrists and later psychologists, numbering 500 by 2000."</li> <li> The article notes: "The company behind the LearningRX “brain training” program has agreed to pay a $200,000 settlement and to stop making claims that its system is clinically proven to treat serious health conditions, or that it can dramatically improves a user’s IQ or income. According to the complaint [PDF] filed with a federal court in LearningRx’s home state of Colorado, the company made numerous unsubstantiated claims in the marketing of its program. Included among the allegedly unsubstantiated statements made by LearningRx are boasts about the program’s ability to boost IQs, and therefore income. ... In settling the complaint, LearningRx denies any wrongdoing, but agrees to pay $200,000 (of a $4 million judgment against the company) and to cease making unsubstantiated claims about the performance, benefits, or efficacy of their programs. LearningRx is also barred from misrepresenting the existence or results of any tests or studies, and from providing others with the means to make the prohibited claims."</li> <li> The article notes: "The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced the developers and marketers of the LearningRx “brain training” programs have settled to pay $200,000 and agreed to stop making allegedly false and unsubstantiated claims. The FTC had said LearningRx Franchise Corp and its CEO, Dr. Ken Gibson, made allegations that their programs were clinically proven to help with conditions like ADHD, autism, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and concussions. The company marketed these allegations through its website and blog, as well as Facebook, Twitter, print and radio ads and direct mail pieces. The FTC believes these claims were inaccurate and therefore deceptive."</li> </ol>There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow LearningRx to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 02:53, 31 October 2016 (UTC) </li></ul> ''LearningRx turns out to be the most expensive, least supported by published research, and most aggressively marketed of the four leading cognitive training programs. It bears the curious distinction of being the only one set up as a franchise, like McDonald's with independent owners running each of the eighty-three LearningRx centers in twenty countries. And neither the franchise owners nor the trainers who work for them are required to have anything more than a four-year college degree....But hang on. LearningRx also has some unique assets, in particular that its training is offered in person, rather than on a computer, with a trainer encouraging each student to persevere''
 * Comment and analysis - This is all literally from the apparent sources above:
 * is an entire sales pitch in that not only is it obviously listed and supplied by the information, but it cares to go to actual specifics about "What the company will make you feel if you use it!" Nobody would care about that but only their own clients and investors (and it is a fact because it advertises its own words), and that's why it was supplied, and there was no actual journalism efforts; the fact it came from a book, that is not guaranteeing safety from company-initiated advertising, because if it's simply a guide, that's exactly what the company involves itself with. See the next one:
 * a chain of 83 “brain training” franchises across the United States, the goal is to improve cognitive skills. LearningRx is one of a growing number of such commercial services — some online, others offered by psychologists. Unlike traditional tutoring services that seek to help students master a subject, brain training purports to enhance comprehension and the ability to analyze and mentally manipulate concepts, images, sounds and instructions. In a word, it seeks to make students smarter. (information is followed by an extensive paragraph quote by the businesswoman giving number specifics about the company itself and what she thinks about it)
 * The next one is followed by:

''Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the LearningRx Franchise Corp. opened its first office in 2002. Today it has 40 centers across the country, including one that opened in Lake Oswego in early October, and expects to open 50 more within the next year.'' (following information is literally about business & clients overall, not the actual company)
 * The next article is literally about how and why people are using the company, followed by the specifics about where you can find the company, how to use it and the specific numbers so far....that's all company advertising because it's simply made by the company's own hands, not actual journalism efforts, hence it's company PR. The next one although about a law case, still cares to go to specifics about the localities and specifics about the company, which of course bear nothing for notability or substance, let alone significance, and the same can be said for the next article. When an "article" cares to mention "the company's goals and plans are...." you know that's not a journalism source talking, it's the own company.
 * Delete - Finally the last link listed here is, once again, about the company's business negotiations because of said law case, and what happened so none of that establishes notability, because not only was it still such a trivial law case, it would be shoehorning PR along with trivial pieces about a law case, something no one would honestly care about, especially if it's not showing any actual substance. When the best all can be offered is (beginning) advertising about how, where and why the company should be used by its clients and literal quotes from its own businesspeople, followed by law case situations, it honestly shows how bare genuine sources are.
 * I'll note that even the last 2 AfDs contained these same exact sources, so that's also saying something that, if after all these years, no one could get better substance, it's because there isn't any....especially not if there are still in fact articles about its own republished advertising. Another thing I'll note is that the current article is literally advertising "company history, "functions ["Company's clients are....") and "reception" where it lists quotes (not from media itself, but simply from named mentions). SwisterTwister   talk  04:07, 31 October 2016 (UTC)
 * is an entire sales pitch in that not only is it obviously listed and supplied by the information – the author called LearningRx the "most expensive, least supported by published research" and said "neither the franchise owners nor the trainers who work for them are required to have anything more than a four-year college degree". This is negative information. If the book were publishing advertising for LearningRx, it would omit this negative information. I'll note that even the last 2 AfDs contained these same exact sources, so that's also saying something that, if after all these years, no one could get better substance – sources 6–8 were published in 2016, which is after Articles for deletion/LearningRx (2nd nomination) was closed 30 May 2015. The sources discuss the federal lawsuit against LearningRx for making "numerous unsubstantiated claims in the marketing of its program". The Consumerist, which focuses on "consumerism and consumers' experiences and issues with companies and corporations" (according to the Wikipedia article), does not "shoehor[n] PR along with trivial pieces about a law case". Cunard (talk) 04:22, 31 October 2016 (UTC)


 * Delete -- an unremarkable franchise company with some dubious claims. Tone of the article is promotional (despite one "negative" paragraph"). Wikipedia is not a platform for promotion by non-notable entities. K.e.coffman (talk) 05:29, 1 November 2016 (UTC)


 * Keep Whatever one's personal opinion about about the company or its product, the company clearly has signficant coverage in reliable sources and passed GNG and CORP. Sources posted above and in the article. The notion that it's promotional makes no sense in light of how many neutral editors have worked on it. Furthermore, simply being on Wikipedia is not promotional, it's the opposite. Studies have shown that corporations with Wikipedia articles has a negative impact on stock price for a number of reasons but mainly due to open access to information. The crusaders trying to delete this article are helping LearningRx - the very thing they claim to be concerned about - by keeping information buried from public view. Regardless of that larger debate, for this article it passes notability as I noted in the first couple sentences. --  Green  C  14:07, 1 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Keep per Cunard and Green Cardamom.--Taeyebar 23:07, 4 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Comment - Advertising is something we should take seriously and the comments of "Why should it matter?" are not applicable because this is exactly what it is as shown by my listed quotes where literally advertised company services are shown; the claims that Wikipedia in fact causes damages for companies because of these articles are not quite so because of the sheer fact they continue using said articles for advertising and any AfD about a blatant advertisement involving a company will show this. Once we start making any excuses about accepting advertising, we're damned.
 * Because of the blatancy of advertising, these are not "significant, notable and acceptable" because that's not acknowledging the advertising and the advertisement of this currently existing article. Also, simply saying "per users above saying Keep" is also not acknowledging the concerns or attempting to counteract them even though the concerns still apply. SwisterTwister   talk  05:18, 5 November 2016 (UTC)

<div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, North America1000 06:46, 7 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Keep. The article may suffer from low quality and PR-activities, but the company is notable. Covered by NYT, by other reasonably reliable media - through usually in a negative fashion (as a likely scam), but this is nonetheless in-depth coverage by a number of sources. There are also academic sources discussing the company's product:, . The latter estabilish notability for the product, which can be discussed in the parent article about company. It's a shame that we are bickering here instead of improving the article. PR people should expand using sources that discuss their side of view, and critics have plenty of reliable criticism to cite. --<sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;">Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here  08:25, 7 November 2016 (UTC)
 * possibly Keep. but only if a responsible editor (such as  ) is prepared to rewrite and maintain the article.  The material in the article in the past does  not honestly describe the subject, and omits important negative material.    Some of the sources in the article or asserted above  are useless PR, like the miranda and AP articles.   Oneof the basic principles of WPis NPOV, and an article that cannot be maintained in an NPOV state should be deleted.  DGG ( talk ) 03:14, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * With all due respect, and also with all of my dislike of spammers, I do not think this is TNTable. Tag it with NPOV, PROMOTIONAL and such templates, cut problematic materials, even gut it to a single lead sentence, but delete - if it is notable - I don't see why we should. --<sub style="border:1px solid #228B22;padding:1px;">Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here 03:47, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Obviously, we have no clear rule on when to use WP:TNT. 5years ago, I was very reluctant to risk losing significant content, but now I see a priority in  removing the half million existing promotional  articles. -- and not adding to them, if we are to remain an encyclopedia. I suggest as a possible compromise, that they only be retained if someone is willign to personally take responsibility,instead of leaving it for the indefinite future.  DGG ( talk ) 06:32, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * The material in the article in the past does not honestly describe the subject, and omits important negative material. – I rewrote the article in October 2015. Your suggestion that my rewrite "does not honestly describe the subject" is unproven, offensive, and in very bad faith. The negative material about the lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission surfaced one year after my rewrite in October 2016. I have updated the article to include this information.  Cunard (talk) 07:47, 10 November 2016 (UTC)
 * <small class="delsort-notice">Note: This debate has been included in the list of Colorado-related deletion discussions. Coolabahapple (talk) 23:55, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * <small class="delsort-notice">Note: This debate has been included in the list of Education-related deletion discussions. Coolabahapple (talk) 23:55, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * <small class="delsort-notice">Note: This debate has been included in the list of Companies-related deletion discussions. Coolabahapple (talk) 23:55, 11 November 2016 (UTC)


 * Keep: Even if it is a scam, it is a notable scam and eligible for inclusion on encyclopedia (sources are cited in the article and provided above in this discussion). Anup   [Talk]  17:40, 12 November 2016 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.