K-12 Technology News

Here you'll find the latest news from the education technology world, from the newest hardware and software releases to policy and funding updates to research reports to school and district tech initiatives. Looking for more in-depth coverage of important topics? Be sure to visit our Features page.


K12 Schools See Massive Spike in Malware and CryptoJacking in First Half of 2023

K–12 schools and other education organizations in the United States are experiencing a “massive spike” in malware, encrypted threats, and cryptojacking so far this year, even as ransomware attacks have slowed, according to SonicWall’s 2023 Mid-Year Cyber Threat Report.

44% of Teens Intend to Have AI Do Their Schoolwork This Fall, and 60% Consider This 'Cheating'

In a survey conducted for the Junior Achievement organization in July 2023, of the 1,006 respondents between the ages of 13 and 17 who were polled, nearly half of them said they intend to use AI this fall to do their classwork for them. But most teens consider doing this to be “cheating.”

AVID Partners with Packback to Offer Free AI Writing Coach to Grades 7–10

Student success preparation company AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) has teamed up with digital writing tutor Packback to provide free access to Packback’s AI-enabled platform for AVID middle and high school teachers through the 2023-24 school year.

Life Time Foundation Launches Digital Resource to Help Districts Choose Healthy Foods

The Life Time Foundation, a school nutrition- and movement-focused nonprofit organization, has introduced a free K–12 digital resource called Green Onion. This online software tool helps school districts, purchasing cooperatives, and food distributors nationwide to identify, remove, and replace unhealthy food ingredients and choose sustainable, healthy, and nutritional ingredients for school cafeterias.

AWS, Lincoln Learning Partner to Create 110,000-Asset Content Bank

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Lincoln Learning Solutions have announced their collaborative creation of the Lincoln Learning Content Bank, a preK–12 materials library for the coming 2023-2024 school year. The library boasts 110,000 multi-modal educational assets to help teachers create courses and individual resources for their students.

Governance, Strategy Needed in Enterprise Generative AI Adoption

The current wave of popularity for generative AI is just "scratching the surface." The real impact will be felt in enterprises — including education — which, over the next seven years, will see growth in the hundreds of billions of dollars, according to a new market analysis, "Generative AI Business Outcomes: Identifying Enterprise Commercial Opportunities."

Turnitin AI Detection Rates for 65M Papers Illustrate Pervasiveness in Student Work

Having reviewed over 65 million student papers between the April launch of Turnitin’s AI detection tool through June 30, the company revealed today that over 2 million — or 3.3% of all papers reviewed — were flagged as containing 80% or more text written by AI, according to a news release.

FCC Proposal Would Create Voluntary Cybersecurity Label for Smart Devices

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has introduced a proposal to create a “voluntary cybersecurity labeling program” for smart devices in an effort to boost transparency and protection against cyber threats in the growing Internet of Things market.

Tech Tactics in Education Keynotes Tap Experts from CIS, K12 SIX, SANS Institute for Insights on AI, Infosec, and More

The 2023 Tech Tactics in Education conference has announced an all-star line-up of keynote speakers slated to share their insights on some of the biggest technology issues in K-12 and higher education. In three thought-provoking presentations, education IT leaders will join renowned experts from the Center for Internet Security, K12 Security Information eXchange, and SANS Institute to discuss current challenges in education cybersecurity, the intersection of infosec and artificial intelligence, and what to expect for the future of "cyber."

Minecraft Education Adds Virtual NASA Artemis Mission Worlds to STEM

Created in partnership with NASA, Microsoft’s Minecraft Education has added virtual Artemis Mission Worlds, which will give STEM students a chance to use coding to design a rocket, navigate it to the Moon, and eventually, learn how to keep a Moon base habitat safe. All of this is designed to inspire the next generation of computer and space scientists. NASA’s future goal is to go to Mars.

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