Can my child use Search Coach at home on a personal computer?

Only if they log in using their school-issued Microsoft 365 account where a teacher has enabled Search Coach inside Microsoft Teams. It is an educational tool rather than an open consumer web app for personal accounts.

How does Search Coach filter out inappropriate search results?

It runs on Bing SafeSearch locked in strict mode and automatically strips out advertisements, sponsored links, and commercial tracking, keeping search results focused on educational sources.

What research skills does Search Coach actually teach kids?

It teaches kids how to filter search results by domain extension (.edu, .gov, .org), limit date ranges, target specific file types like PDFs, and evaluate source credibility before citing information.

Is Search Coach free for schools?

Yes. Search Coach is a free built-in feature for educational institutions using Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 for Education.

Search Coach – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Search Coach

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Website

90%

WISE Score

Microsoft's ad-free Teams plugin that turns web research into a game of domain filtering and query tweaking instead of blind Googling.

Search Coach

Website

90%

WISE Score

Microsoft's ad-free Teams plugin that turns web research into a game of domain filtering and query tweaking instead of blind Googling.

Jump to

Screenwise Verdict

Search Coach tackles a massive problem: most kids are terrible at web research because commercial search engines are built for ad revenue, not learning. Integrated directly into Microsoft Teams for Education, it strips out sponsored links, locks on strict SafeSearch, and gives students tools to refine queries by domain, file type, and date range.

If your kid's school uses Microsoft 365, this tool is fantastic. It forces students to stop clicking the first AI summary or SEO-optimized link they see and instead evaluate who wrote the page and why.

Age Fit

Best for upper elementary through high school students (ages 8 to 18) working on research projects and learning media literacy.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Free of commercial clutter, ads, or engagement traps. Designed purely to help students research effectively in an educational setting.

Imaginative

Not a creative sandbox or open-ended game, but encourages curiosity and analytical thinking about where information comes from.

Safe

Runs on strict Bing SafeSearch with zero ads, tracking, or sponsored results. Operates entirely within school-managed Microsoft Teams environments.

Enriching

Directly teaches critical digital literacy skills: domain filtering, source evaluation, query operators, and lateral reading habits.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Teaches actual search operators like domain filters (.gov, .edu) and file types instead of relying on SEO-cluttered search engines.
Zero ads or sponsored links cluttering the results, using strict Bing SafeSearch to keep search results clean.
Built-in credibility prompts that encourage kids to check source origins before trusting a search snippet.

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What to Watch For

Requires Microsoft Teams for Education; this is a classroom tool that kids access through school logins rather than a standalone website you can bookmark at home.
Bing-based index means results draw from Microsoft's search engine, though the search skills themselves transfer to any search tool.

Conversation Starters

"When you search for something online, how do you know if the top result is trustworthy or just paid to be there?"
"What is the difference between getting research from a .gov website versus a .com blog?"
"How do you narrow down your search when a search engine gives you ten million irrelevant pages?"

Deep Dive

Why Search Skills Need an Upgrade

Most kids search the web the exact same way: they type a full conversational question into a box, click the top bold link, and assume it is true. In an era saturated with SEO slop, affiliate marketing, and instant AI summaries, that habit leads straight to misinformation. Search Coach treats query building as a practical skill, teaching students how to restrict searches to specific domains (like .edu or .gov), filter by file type (like PDFs), and check author credentials.

Classroom-First, Home-Second

The main friction point for parents is access. Search Coach isn't a standalone consumer website you pull up in Chrome; it lives inside Microsoft Teams for Education. If your child's school uses Teams, encourage them to use Search Coach for homework projects. The habits it builds—domain verification, query tweaking, and lateral reading—are the foundational skills required to think critically online.

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