COVID-19 Coverage for Education and Technology


The 4 Online Tools That Changed Everything for This Innovative Spanish Teacher

A longtime Spanish teacher and winner of Cypher Learning’s #NEOClearsTheList contest for innovative online learning shares the free browser-based teaching tools that have become indispensable to her instructional practice — even with students back at school in-person.

A graph from the NWEA-Khan Academy research on how MAP Accelerator impacts math gains

NWEA Study: Students Who Used MAP Accelerator 30 Minutes per Week Achieved Big Gains in Math

In a massive study conducted during the 2020–21 school year, education researchers at NWEA found that students using MAP Accelerator personalized math instruction for at least 30 minutes a week achieved surprisingly big gains across all grades and all demographic categories, according to the study results released today.

Varsity Tutors is launching a new Teacher Assigned tutoring platform for fall 2022

Varsity Tutors' New Teacher Assigned Tutoring Platform Puts Educators in Charge, Connects Classroom Challenges to Sessions

Online tutoring provider Varsity Tutors today unveiled a new service that puts teachers in charge, enabling them to “prescribe” sessions to their struggling students, communicate with each tutor, ensure the extra help is focused on the topics students are struggling with in class, and monitor each student’s progress post-session.

Image shows screenshot of one of 8 interim progress assessments for urban schools released by the Council for Great City Schools

Newly Released Interim Guides Designed to Help Urban Districts Assess Progress of ARP Investments

The Council of Great City Schools has released a set of guides tailored to each function of school leadership to help urban school districts evaluate their American Rescue Plan investments and implementations one year in, the nonprofit said in a news release.

Image shows a portion of a graphic with results of a Khan Academy survey of U.S. K-12 teachers

Teachers Favor Mastery Learning Methods in Pandemic Recovery Efforts, Survey Shows

As the nation’s public schools grapple with helping students overcome learning losses exacerbated by pandemic closures, a long-simmering movement toward competency-based education — sometimes called “mastery learning” — appears to be gaining ground among teachers, according to a new survey by Khan Academy and market research firm YouGov.

Logos of Alpine Investors and FEV Tutor

FEV Tutor Acquired by Alpine Investors, Positioning FEV for 'Next Phase of Growth'

K–12 online tutoring platform FEV Tutor has been acquired by San Francisco-based private equity firm Alpine Investors, providing the resources for FEV Tutor to continue growing its product and its reach, according to a news release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Survey Shows Teachers See Play and Choice in Learning Methods As Key to Student Engagement

A recent survey of teachers by Kahoot reveals that educators see playful learning and student choice in learning methods as vital to helping boost student engagement and outcomes, according to a new report from the ed tech company.

A graph shows results of the NCES May 2022 school survey on pandemic impacts

Over 70% of Schools Say Pandemic Effect on Student Behavior, Socio-Emotional Development, Staffing Grew Worse in 2021–22

The National Center for Education Statistics’ May 2022 School Pulse Panel survey of U.S. public K–12 schools shows that the COVID-19 pandemic continued to significantly impair student socio-emotional development and behavioral development during the most recent school year, and over half reported that chronic absenteeism was worse than the year before, according to the results released this week.

New National Partnership for Student Success Aims to Grow Tutoring & Mentoring Programs, Boost Student Recovery

The U.S. Department of Education today launched the National Partnership for Student Success, a coalition with education and service organizations formed to help the nation’s public schools implement and improve high-impact tutoring, mentoring, and similar programs to boost pandemic learning loss recovery efforts and better support student well-being.

How to Reframe MTSS to Help Close the Education Achievement Gap

An educator and researcher explains how a simple shift in how educators understand and implement the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) pyramid can help close the achievement gap in K-12 classrooms, schools, and districts.