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.
A new report examines how bringing internet connectivity to all results in broader benefits to society, using federal funds, with states and internet providers cooperating.
- By Kate Lucariello
- 12/13/22
Local education agencies can now submit applications for the Energy CLASS Prize, a program that aims to "make energy management a sustainable feature of their communities while positioning them to make meaningful infrastructure improvements that will reduce utility costs, improve indoor air quality, and improve learning environments long-term." Prizes include $3.75 million in cash and an additional $750,000 in technical support.
Applications are now open for a program that will award $80 million in grants to schools for implementing improvements to schools in the areas of energy efficiency, clean air, and renewable energy.
EarlyBird Education and SoapBox Labs have partnered and paired their technology to identify potential dyslexia or other reading problems in young children who have not yet learned to read. The technology was developed at Boston Children’s Hospital, along with faculty at the Florida Center for Reading Research. It is now available for pre-K and first-grade levels, and will be expanding to second- and third-grade levels, EarlyBird reports.
- By Kate Lucariello
- 12/08/22
Reading Horizons, a company whose goal is to help educators eradicate illiteracy, has launched a free online community called the Science of Reading Collective. The community seeks to support teachers with any years of experience or grade level by offering free access to all, whether or not they purchase the company’s materials.
- By Kate Lucariello
- 12/08/22
ReadSpeaker, an integrated text-to-speech (TTS) provider, has announced its audio library now features 245 voices and 68 languages, including some considered threatened and endangered, with new ones continually being developed by on-staff linguists and language experts. The audio library is available to both K–12 and higher education.
- By Kate Lucariello
- 12/08/22
ENA by Zayo, a technology infrastructure provider previously known as as Education Networks of America until Zayo acquired it earlier this year, has launched a new suite of vendor-neutral IT consulting services for K–12 schools dubbed ENA Ally.
- By Kristal Kuykendall
- 12/08/22
Follett School Solutions has acquired Access-It Software, which provides a library management system used in K–12 schools around the world.
Forty-five percent of public schools in the United States had at least one teaching vacancy as of October 2022, with 27% reporting multiple vacancies, according to information released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The shortages disproportionately affect schools in areas of high poverty (57% versus 41% in more affluent areas) and in schools with a student body composed of 75% or more minority students (60% versus 32% of schools with 25% or less minority population).
According to a new survey, "75% of high school graduates are not ready to make college and career decisions. This is despite the fact that the National Center for Education Statistics reported that in the 2018-2019 school year, the graduation rate for high schools was 86%, the highest it had been since 2010."
- By Kate Lucariello
- 12/05/22