Wishes and Worries for 2023: What Ed Tech Leaders Are Thinking About

During the final weeks of 2022, THE Journal asked scores of ed tech leaders about their wishes and worries for 2023. Cybersecurity and teacher resources were the most common topics addressed in the responses — many of which include specific ideas for new policies and practices for K–12 education in the United States.

How A Midwestern State Became a National Leader in K-12 Robotics Teams in 4 Years

One state leads the nation on the number of students participating in robotics competitions, and it’s probably not the state you’d guess. Indiana’s robotics initiative reaches about 20,000 students each year, with higher levels of diversity than STEM fields usually see — and all that on an annual budget of under $200K.

Nearly Half of Public Schools Have Open Teaching Positions

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).

Report: 96% of School Apps Send Kids’ Personal Data to Potentially Harmful Third Parties

In a new K–12 ed tech safety benchmark report, “School Mobile Apps Student Data Sharing Behavior,” Internet Safety Labs finds that 96% of all apps used in schools share children’s personal information with third parties without the knowledge or consent of the users or the schools.

5 Common Ed Tech RFP Mistakes That Make It Less Effective

The request for proposal, or RFP, process can be daunting and can include dozens of pages of documents, as required by law. Two ed tech leaders who have received hundreds of RFPs share best practices and 5 common pitfalls in education RFPs to help K-12 schools and administrators streamline the process, save time, and in some cases, even save money.

Drones as Competitive Flying Robots? How the REC Foundation is Expanding to Prepare Students for the Future Workforce

THEJournal.com editor and podcast host Kristal Kuykendall visits with REC Foundation CEO Dan Mantz, who explains the foundation’s recent adjustments to its mission and vision, the addition of curriculum and competitions for drones and automation, and all the ways that the REC Foundation programs are helping prepare the workforce of tomorrow.

Why Educational Institutions are Prone to Ransomware Attacks (and What They Can Do to Protect Themselves)

Ransomware is the most significant information security threat in the education sector, and K–12 schools and colleges and universities are both targets.

A High School Class on the History of Poison and Murder As a Mini-Case Study for Competency-Based Education

Todd Ryckman of Cypher Learning joins THEJournal.com editor Kristal Kuykendall for a discussion about the competency-based education movement, what it looks like in school districts that have been implementing CBE over the past five years, and how Cypher Learning’s NEO LMS empowers educators and students, regardless of whether their school uses the traditional or “modern” instructional model or more of a CBE approach.

FCC Reconsidering Adding Firewalls, Cybersecurity Services to E-Rate; Seeks Stakeholder Input

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced Wednesday that it is considering expanding the E-Rate eligible services list to include “advanced or next-generation firewalls and services, as well as other network security services,” and is seeking public comment from stakeholders now through Feb. 13, 2023, with reply comments accepted through March 30, 2023.

Report: Federal Broadband Funding, States, and Internet Providers Together Can Close the Digital Divide for the Greater Good

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.

4 Considerations for Tutoring in the Wake of NAEP

How can district leaders best mobilize the tutoring infrastructure they’ve invested in over the last 18 months?

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