Closing the U.S. Homework Gap Using Unlicensed Spectrum

Almost 17 million students had no access to the internet in their homes at the start of the pandemic, while many more were impeded by unreliable internet connectivity and slow speeds. This divide wasn’t only restricted to rural locations; it was mirrored in towns and cities too.

Six Steps School Leaders Should Take to Reduce Teacher Turnover

In the wake of the pandemic, with more than half of teachers considering leaving the profession sooner than later, a school administrator from Tennessee shares key steps help reduce teacher turnover.

4 Hands-On STEAM Projects that Also Teach Other Skills

Here are four fun, engaging STEAM projects that help educators and learners make the most of being in the same physical space together — and also reinforce concepts like social-emotional learning, literacy, and the engineering design process.

Survey of Principals Lists Their 'Most Effective Strategies' to Boost Teacher Morale

A survey of 557 K–12 principals across the United States revealed the “most effective strategies” administrators are using to boost teacher morale — putting this week’s National Teacher Appreciation Week theme into focus.

565 Schools, Over 1M Students in NY Impacted by Illuminate Data Breach, NYSED Says; 2nd Colorado District Notifies Parents

The New York State Education Department says 565 schools in the state — including over 1 million current and former students — were among those whose private student data was compromised during a January cyberattack on Illuminate Education’s systems, and officials have opened an investigation, NYSED told THE Journal.

List of Schools in New York Impacted by the Illuminate Education Data Breach

The New York State Department of Education sent the following list of schools "known to have been affected by the Illuminate Education data breach" in response to a Freedom of Information request by THE Journal. NYSED said "not all students at every school had their data compromised," but also noted that at some schools, both current and former students' data was compromised.

How To Build a Computer Science Curriculum with Existing Staff

When Indiana began requiring all public K-12 schools to teach computer science curriculum, a smaller district created a program that meets the mandate and gets teachers and students excited with the equipment and staff they already had, adding instructional guides and educator support from Codelicious.

5 Ways K–12 Educators Can Empower Girls to Consider STEM

Women hold just 28 percent of jobs in STEM fields in the U.S., and the disparity starts long before women get to college. Here are 5 ways that K–12 educators can encourage girls to pursue STEM education and explore STEM career fields before they get to college.

Sal Khan: Test-Optional College Admissions Adds Ambiguity and is Bad for Students

With the final SAT School Day of the 2021-2022 school year taking place today at high schools across the country, THE Journal asked Sal Khan whether SAT exams will remain relevant now that some colleges and universities have made them optional, whether testing makes college admissions more or less equitable, and what additional changes he predicts — and hopes to see — that will make college education even more accessible for young Americans.

What Educators Need to Know About Assistive Tech Tools: Q&A with Texthelp CEO

Texthelp CEO Martin McKay dives into the growing need for assistive technology, explaining what such features schools should look for when choosing learning platforms, and how accessibility tech tools help all learners — not just the one student in five with a language-based disability.

Survey Shows Majority of Students on Futurescape Platform Considering Going into STEM Fields

The American Student Assistance nonprofit, whose mission is to help middle- and high-schoolers explore career and post-secondary options, found in a survey of over 2,000 student members that the most popular careers respondents are considering have a STEM and digital focus, according to a news release.

Applications Now Open for $159M in Education Innovation and Research Grants from ED's OESE

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education has begun accepting applications for $159 million in grants budgeted for the Education Innovation and Research Program, which aims to develop, implement, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and to rigorously evaluate such innovations.

Instructure's Acquisition of Concentric Sky Bringing Some Changes to Canvas LMS Users

Instructure has announced the acquisition of Concentric Sky, maker of the Badgr digital credentialing platform.

CoderZ Unveils New Coding Tournament Kit Called League in a Box

CoderZ Technologies today introduced a new “League in a Box” kit available for purchase that enables educators to easily start and host coding tournaments within a classroom, a school, or a district — and providing a simplified path to getting students involved in CoderZ’s international Virtual Cyber Robotics Competition, the company said.

Imagine Learning, Gale, Discovery Education Top List of New Statewide Ed Tech Expenditures by Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Education’s provision of no-cost subscriptions to digital learning solutions for districts statewide, launched in January, is helping to close learning gaps for students in schools taking advantage of the six opt-in platforms, according to a news release, with a majority of Mississippi districts already using the subscriptions or planning to begin this summer.

InnovateEDU Launches Open-Source Blueprint for Inclusive Research and Development in Education [BIRD-E]

Education nonprofit InnovateEDU today launched the Blueprint for Inclusive Research and Development in Education, dubbed BIRD-E, an open source, universal framework designed to generate actionable, high-quality research that ed tech providers, policymakers, researchers, education leaders, and other K-12 stakeholders can easily access, understand, and apply in the classroom.

Kiddom to Add CenterPoint's Illustrative Mathematics-Certified and EL Education-Aligned Assessments to Its Platform

CenterPoint Education Solutions, a nonprofit provider of assessment and curriculum solutions and professional learning, today announced that its Illustrative Math-Certified interim assessments and EL Education-Aligned interim assessments will be accessible on the Kiddom platform for the 2022-2023 school year.

Presentation Proposals Sought for Aperture 2022 SEL Vision Summit; Deadline is May 13

SEL assessment provider Aperture Education is accepting presentation proposals through May 13 for its 2022 SEL Vision Summit. The virtual event focused on professional development is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2022, themed “Leading a Legacy.”

Maker of Prodigy Math Expands Into Literacy Learning With New Prodigy English Game

Game-based digital learning provider Prodigy Education today launched a new educational game focused on literacy called Prodigy English, building on the popularity of Prodigy Math that is used by 150 million students globally, the company said.

Nearpod Adds More Free Next Gen Personal Finance Lessons To Its Platform

Digital learning platform Nearpod has expanded its partnership with Next Gen Personal Finance in order to provide free access to the nonprofit's personal finance curriculum, according to a news release.

PresenceLearning and Highlights Partner on Therapy Content for Children With Special Needs

Online student therapy provider PresenceLearning announced this week it is expanding its library of content for children with special needs, thanks to a new partnership with kids’ magazine Highlights.

Safety and Wellness Platform Securly Acquires SEL Provider and Check–In App Rhithm

Securly, provider of student safety solutions and online activity monitoring, today announced it has acquired Rhithm, the mental health check-in app that promotes student well-being with social-emotional learning activities and content.

SquadLocker Teams Up With STEM Fuse on Custom Apparel Curriculum

Schools participating in esports through digital curriculum provider STEM Fuse now have access to a program teaching students about custom apparel design, manufacturing, and retail, thanks to a new partnership with SquadLocker, the companies announced today.

Submit Your News About K–12 Admin, Edtech New Hires & Promotions

THE Journal invites submissions about new hires and promotions among ed tech industry management and K–12 school administration in the United States.

Youth Esports Provider Vanta Leagues to Expand into High Schools in the Fall

Youth esports organization Vanta Leagues has announced it will expand its programming to include high school students beginning this fall, raising the maximum player age to 18 from 14, making Vanta’s free esports set-up guide and league organization structure accessible at no cost to high schools nationwide.

Discovery Ed To Launch Sesame Street-Branded Channel for PreK–2 in Fall 2022

Nonprofit media group Sesame Workshop and K–12 digital learning provider Discovery Education today unveiled plans for an early learning channel featuring Sesame Street characters, set to debut this fall.

Upcoming K–12 Grants