Five Keys to Ensuring Student Equity in Online Learning

Online learning can be an important tool for advancing student equity by bringing instructional opportunities to students that didn’t exist for them before. However, as we’ve seen during the pandemic, online instruction can sometimes widen equity gaps if the circumstances aren’t favorable. For online learning to support student equity, here are five critical elements that must be in place.

The Re-Emergence of Competency-Based Education: What It Might Look Like and Why It’s Needed in Today’s Classrooms

The opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills and abilities by any means available during the pandemic shattered the one-size-fits-all model of bubble sheets, rote memorization, and timed exams. Already the backlash to No Child Left Behind had softened the terrain, but figuratively tearing down the classroom walls tossed many educators and students into the deep-end of these educational cousins which are soon to be the hallmarks of 21st century learning.

A Road Map to Helping Young Students with Dyslexia Succeed

At least 40 states have passed legislation mandating how teachers deal with dyslexia in the classroom, yet misconceptions about dyslexia linger even among educators. NWEA research scientist Tiffany Peltier offers a road map for educators to help students with word-level reading difficulties in the early grades, as well as how to help students identified with dyslexia as they progress through school.

Enterprise-Grade Workplace Productivity Tools Can Be Transformative for Educators

Schools can streamline administrative processes and enhance staff collaboration with workplace productivity solutions that have been made popular by some of the world’s largest and most-respected companies. Enterprise-grade technologies to digitize processes as foundational as human resources paperwork, for example, can provide schools some of the same kind of efficiency and data-access gains that businesses have experienced through digital transformation.

6 Ways to Get Families Engaged in Reading Fluency Growth

Research shows that family engagement is vital to improving student outcomes, so here are six ways educators can strengthen the school-to-family connection by helping caregivers emphasize reading fluency — with actionable ideas for families to help their students develop stronger fluency skills at home.

Mental Health Tops Safety Concerns in K–12

In K–12 schools, student mental health has overtaken COVID-19 safety measures as the top concern for the 2022–2023 school year.

Report: Students Used 74 Different Ed Tech Tools in Fall 2021 Semester, Educators Used 86

LearnPlatform today released a mid-year ed tech usage report showing that K–12 students in U.S. school districts used 74 different digital learning tools during the first half of the current school year, and educators used 86.

NWEA: Certain Groups Lose More Ground When School is Out, Illustrating Importance of Summer Programs

An NWEA study of current research examining K–8 student progress during a typical school year and over the summer reveals that historically underserved groups suffer most when school is out for summer break, emphasizing the importance of summer learning programs in overcoming inequitable achievement gaps, the nonprofit said in a news release.

Nearly 1 in 5 Teens Factoring Remote Work into Their University and Career Plans, Survey Shows

Schools going remote during the pandemic may have been seen by adults as a temporary solution, but for many students, it has changed the way they are thinking about and planning for their futures in post-secondary education, careers, and where they will live, according to a survey by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics conducted at the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge competition in February.

Latest Renaissance Study Shows Student Learning Loss Slowing in Fall 2021

Renaissance, a global provider of preK–12 assessment, literacy, and math solutions, has released the 2022 edition of its How Kids Are Performing report, showing that COVID-19 learning losses continued in Fall 2021 but appears to be slowing down, according to a news release.

Over Half of Students Surveyed See Coding Skills as Vital But Over a Third Lack Learning Access

A new survey by KX shows that over half of U.S. students ages 16–23 believe coding skills are as important as foreign language skills for future career prospects, yet more than a third say they lack educational access to coding programs.

YouScience Report: Female Juniors and Seniors Have Far More Aptitude Than Interest in STEM Fields

A new study of YouScience aptitude assessments completed by 116,372 female high school juniors and seniors across the nation shows that female students had 10 times more aptitude than interest in careers in architecture and engineering, and nearly four times more aptitude than interest for careers in computers and mathematics.

Most States' 2020-21 Assessment Scores Added to Assessment HQ Website, Illustrating Pandemic's Impact on Proficiencies

The Collaborative for Student Success has updated its AssessmentHQ.org site with state assessment data from across the United States reflecting proficiency levels during the 2020-2021 school year along with the previous four years, illustrating in one place the impact of pandemic disruptions to student learning nationwide.

Clever Taps Trish Sparks as New CEO to Lead 'Next Phase' of Innovation, Global Expansion

Digital learning platform Clever and its parent company Kahoot announced today that Trish Sparks, a former educator and currently head of Clever's sales and customer success, will take the helm as the new CEO on May 1 as Tyler Bosmeny, who co-founded Clever a decade ago, steps aside but will remain on the board in an advisory role.

Zoom Rolls Out New Features Requested By Educators

Zoom has begun rolling out several new features for education users of its Chat and Meetings functions, fulfilling the most popular requests from teachers and administrators on its platform, the company announced today.

Educators Can Apply Through April 30 for 50 Unsung Heroes Grants of $2K Each

The Voya Unsung Heroes grant program, which awards $2,000 each to 50 educators to fund innovative classroom projects plus three top awards of up to $25,000, is accepting applications through April 30.

Deadline is May 1 for NEA Foundation Learning and Leadership Grants for Individual, Group PD Activities

The NEA Foundation’s Learning & Leadership Grants program is accepting applications through May 1 for the summer 2022 funding period; school support staff, teachers, and specialized instructional support staff are eligible to apply.

Deadline Approaching for PD Grants for Mathematics Teachers

May 1 is the deadline to apply for individual teacher grants of up to $3,000 each from the Mathematics Education Trust of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Pitsco Education Awarding Monthly Grants to Teachers for STEM Materials

Pitsco Education’s Teacher’s Grants award $350 each month to a PreK–college educator in the form of a voucher to use to purchase STEM hands-on instruction materials and kits.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Completes Sale to Veritas Capital

K–12 curriculum publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt today announced that the sale of the company to Veritas Capital has been completed after approximately 57% of HMH shares were tendered at $21 per share, putting the transaction value at $2.8 billion.

Nationwide Tutoring for All Students is Goal of New Nonprofit Accelerate

A new nonprofit called Accelerate launched today, bringing together local, state, and federal education leaders, philanthropists, and researchers in a national effort to bring research-based, high-impact tutoring programs to every student in U.S. K–12 public schools — and to make tutoring a permanent part of the nation’s public education system.

Largest Online Learning Consortium in PA to Use StrongMind for Digital Curriculum

The largest K–12 online learning consortium in Pennsylvania, the Capital Area Online Learning Association, has selected StrongMind to provide standards-aligned digital courses for the 10,000-plus public school students enrolled with CAOLA, StrongMind said in a news release.

iRobot Unveils New Create 3 Educational Robot with ROS 2 and Python Support

Consumer robot maker iRobot Corp. today marked National Robotics Week by debuting its newest educational robot, the Create 3, designed for educators and robotics students and compatible with learning ROS 2, Python 3, and the iRobot Coding app, the company said in a news release.

DreamBox Learning to Launch Analytics Dashboard Showing How Students Progress Through Challenges

K–8 math and reading provider DreamBox Learning today unveiled a new educator data-analytics feature called Lesson Highlights to teachers deep insights into how their students are thinking as they complete math challenges — and where students’ problem-solving processes and critical-thinking skills may reveal a need for extra attention in the classroom, according to a news release.

Wayfinder To Expand SEL and Purpose Learning Curricula into Elementary Market

K–12 social-emotional learning provider Wayfinder said today that after a year of feedback from educators on its pilot programs for elementary students, the company is adding K–5 SEL and “purpose learning” curricula to its existing middle- and high-school offerings, starting this fall.

Vernier to Pilot Online STEM Education Portal for High School Students This Fall

Vernier Software & Technology has a new online STEM learning and exploration platform in the works for high school students, the company announced, and after a pilot program this fall, the subscription-based platform is expected to be available to U.S. high schools in early 2023.

Discovery Education Debuts Mystery Science Edition Specifically Tailored to Texas Standards

Digital learning provider Discovery Education this week debuted a state-specific edition of its Mystery Science solution, tailored to meet Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards for grades K–5, according to a news release.

Renaissance Acquires KeyPhonics Early Literacy Assessment Platform

PreK–12 provider of assessments, reading, and math instruction Renaissance announced this week it has acquired KeyPhonics, expanding Renaissance’s early literacy assessment capabilities using data linked to phonics-based reading instruction, according to a news release.

Boston Museum of Science EiE Offering Computer Science Essentials PD for Elementary Teachers

EiE, the curricula division of the Boston Museum of Science, has launched an online learning program to prepare elementary educators to teach EiE’s Computer Science Essentials curriculum for grades 1–5.

LearnPlatform Launches Certification for Ed Tech Providers Meeting ESSA Evidence and Student Data, Privacy Standards

LearnPlatform has launched a new certification option called IMPACT-Ready for K–12 ed tech providers that have proven their solution or product meets the learning-impact requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act and that they are committed to protecting student data and are willing to efficiently share student data with districts.

Istation Launches New Educator Dashboard Simplifying Student Data with Actionable Insights

Blended learning provider Istation has launched a new educator hub with improved data reporting and advanced customization of student data to help educators better understand student performance and more quickly pivot classroom time to address student needs, the company said in a news release.

Kentucky Initiative Aims to Take Project-Based Learning Program Into a Third of State's Public Schools

Professional development provider PBLWorks has announced a new four-year partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education to provide training and support in project-based learning for educators across the state’s K–12 schools.

AT&T Launches Free Digital Learning Platform Featuring Popular WarnerMedia Characters

AT&T has launched a free digital learning platform for K–12 students called The Achievery, aimed at making distance learning more engaging, inspiring, and entertaining, AT&T said in a news release.

Deadline Extended to May 16 to Enter Discovery Education's 3M Young Scientist Challenge

Middle-schoolers have a few weeks remaining to enter Discovery Education’s annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge, with entry open to students in grades 5–8 until April 26, 2022.

Closegap Launches Insights Tool to Better Track Student Emotional, Physical, and Mental Health

Closegap, a nonprofit whose daily mental health check-in platform is used in over 2,000 K-12 schools across the United States, has rolled out premium add-on features for its free Closegap Essentials platform.

Plagiarism Checker, Speed Radar Features Added to Imagine Learning Edgenuity Platform

Imagine Learning, a provider of digital curriculum solutions serving more than half the nation’s K–12 school districts, recently unveiled new features within its Imagine Edgenuity platform to help maintain academic integrity among students, according to a news release.

Teacher Training and Staffing Firm University Instructors Buys PD Provider PrepForward

University Instructors, a provider of K–12 learning, training, and staffing services, has acquired PrepForward, a Boston-based provider of online K–12 teacher certification prep and professional development, UI said in a news release.

Apple Launches New Learning Coach Program and Features for Educators

Apple today announced the launch of its new Apple Learning Coach professional learning program for educators who coach teachers, to help them get the most out of Apple technology and boost student engagement in the process.

VHS Learning Adds Spanish 1 to its Credit Recovery Course Offerings

VHS Learning has added Spanish 1 to its online course options for high school students needing to make up credit to graduate or move on to the next grade, the education nonprofit announced today.

Kiddom Partners with Core Knowledge Foundation, Will Offer Its 6th Grade Language Arts Curriculum on Kiddom Platform

Kiddom, an all-in-one digital curriculum education platform, today announced a new partnership with Core Knowledge Foundation, a nonprofit publisher of educational books and instructional materials, according to a news release.

NEO LMS Parent Cypher Learning Launches E-Learning Certification Program

Cypher Learning, a provider of learning platforms for schools, universities, and organizations around the world, today launched a new certification program with courses for administrators and teachers on e-learning strategies to help educators maximize effective use of its NEO learning management system and support online teaching, the company said in a news release.

7 Mindsets Acquires Lessons For SEL

Social-emotional learning provider 7 Mindsets has acquired the Lessons for SEL subscription-based streaming platform of video lessons and SEL content, according to a news release.

Google Invites Classroom Users to Join Beta for 'Practice Sets,' with Auto-Grading, Instant Student Feedback, and More

Google for Education today launched the beta sign-up for its new Practice Sets feature in Google Classroom, which gives students hints for solving problems and immediate feedback on their answers — and can turn teaching content into interactive assignments and automatically grade responses, Google said in a blog post.

Savvas Unveils Summer Math and Reading Courses to Help Students Catch Up

Savvas Learning Company, a provider of K–12 learning solutions, today introduced several new digital courses intended to help students overcome pandemic learning loss over their summer break, according to a news release.

Voting Open for $10K School Grant in Money Smart Kids Contest

The 6th annual Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids Contest, which awards $10,000 to a winning school determined by community voting, is now open for voting.

Mississippi to Use COVID Relief Funds for Statewide Access to Digital Learning and Safety Platforms

The Mississippi Department of Education has announced it will spend $49 million in pandemic relief funds on four new statewide initiatives to boost learning and safety, including providing 24-hour access to 1:1 digital tutoring for all students grades 3–12, at no cost to school districts or students.

New Grants Seek Tech Solutions for Reading Instruction for English Learners with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education is now accepting applications for Stepping-Up Technology Implementation grant funds for cooperative projects that use existing technology to improve reading instruction for PreK–12 English Learners with disabilities, through its Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities Program.

ED Invites Applications from States to Support Innovation in Assessment Systems

Department of Education has opened the application period for its Competitive Grants for State Assessments program designed to improve assessment systems to “better reflect the needs and experiences of our nation’s students and communities,” according to the ED website.

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