Assistive Technology in Education


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.

Civil Rights Investigation: Los Angeles Unified Failed to Meet Needs of Students with Disabilities During Pandemic

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has resolved an investigation of the Los Angeles Unified School District with an agreement requiring it to provide educational services and compensatory services for the 66,000 students with disabilities for whom the district “failed to provide services” for as required by law, according to a news release.

PresenceLearning Ordered to Pay Super Duper $3.25M in Copyright and Trademark Infringement Suit

A federal judge in New York this week approved a judgment ordering PresenceLearning, provider of online special education and therapy services for K–12 schools, to pay competitor Super Duper Inc. $3.25 million plus legal fees in a copyright and trademark infringement and unfair competition lawsuit filed in late 2020.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Deadline is March 31 to Enter MIT Solve Challenge Calling for Tech Solutions to Re-Engage Learners

The submission deadline is March 31, 2022, for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Solve Challenge calling for technology-enabled solutions that help re-engage and meet the holistic needs of underserved learners ages 5 to 18 so they may thrive and succeed.