LAUSD Ransomware Attack: A Wake-Up Call for Policymakers?

Though Los Angeles Unified School District leaders framed last weekend's ransomware attack and response as "unprecedented," cybersecurity research shows the only things "unprecedented" were the immediate federal assistance LAUSD received in mitigating the damage and the international press attention — most districts have to fend for themselves, and experts say it's long past time for federal lawmakers to institute real change.

FBI and CISA Release Ransomware Alert on Vice Society Targeting Education Orgs

A joint Cybersecurity Advisory released today by the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center — as those agencies help investigate the Labor Day weekend ransomware attack on Los Angeles Unified School District — warns that Vice Society threat actors are disproportionately targeting the education sector as recently as this month.

Current School-Year Survey Assesses Teaching and Curriculum Choices in Light of Pandemic

A survey of 1,015 teachers and 343 preK–12 administrators across the U.S. asked how the pandemic had affected their teaching and curriculum choices, especially between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years.

5 Ways to Reduce Teacher Burnout and Increase Retention

With National Education Association research showing that 90% of teachers identify burnout as a serious issue, an education expert offers 5 steps for school administrators to support teachers, reduce burnout and attrition, and pave the way for better learning outcomes.

Putting Data Into Action: 8 Questions for Educators on Effective Use of Assessments

As districts consider their assessment processes and how they will be used to support student learning, asking questions, and determining the goals for an assessment can help. Building and maintaining a balanced assessment system is essential for schools, but the process can be complicated. School district leaders want to make sure they’re using and administering formative, interim, and summative assessments at the right times and in appropriate ways.

Los Angeles Unified, Feds Investigating As Ransomware Attack Cripples IT Systems

A ransomware attack over Labor Day weekend brought to a standstill the online systems of Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest K–12 district in the country with about 640,000 students, LAUSD officials confirmed this morning in a statement on its website.

Apple Launches New Education Community with Expanded Teaching Resources, New Forum for Educators

Apple has launched a new professional learning hub for educators called the Apple Education Community, which expands on the resources previously hosted on the Apple Teacher Learning Center and adds a brand new educator Forum, now live in beta.

Computer Science in 4-H? Google Says Yes, and So Do The Students

A large chunk of Google’s $20 million in new grants for nonprofits expanding access to computer science education will go to a group that, for those not familiar with rural student programs, might seem surprising: the National 4-H Council – but as 4-H CEO Jennifer Sirangelo points out, agriculture technology is poised to change the world, and now 4-H kids can lead the way.

Google Boosts Computer Science Efforts with $20M in New Grants Targeting Rural and Urban Programs

Google and its charitable foundation Google.org today announced new grants totaling $20 million to further efforts in expanding access to computer science education to millions more students in under-resourced communities across the country, particularly rural and urban areas.

Discovery Education Acquires Science Experiment Platform Pivot Interactives

Discovery Education and its parent company Clearlake Capital Group today announced the acquisition of Minneapolis-based Pivot Interactives SBC, whose science experiment videos are used by about 1 million students, according to the companies.

Executive Appointments Announced for Cully, Beck, Economou, Thomas, Hinojosa, Wynne, Porter, and Yang

Ed tech leaders recently appointed to new executive roles include Brian Cully and Justin Beck at Instructure, Randi Economou at Capstone, Trisha Thomas at Reading Horizons, Michael Hinojosa at Engage2learn, Caroline Wynne at MIND Research Institute, Chris Porter at Follett School Solutions, and Jim Yang at ParentSquare.

Frontline Education Being Sold to Roper Technologies

Frontline Education’s parent company, software investment firm Thoma Bravo, today announced an agreement to sell Frontline Education to Roper Technologies in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.725 billion, according to a news release.

HMH Rolls Out Offline Syncing, Integrations, New Student Content, Teacher Pathways

Learning technology company HMH this week introduced a host of enhancements to Ed, its teaching and learning platform, including integrations with Google Classroom and Clever and improvements to its core, supplemental, and intervention solutions and professional learning services, according to a company blog post.

How to Save Teacher Content and Data Before Edmodo Shutters and Deletes Everything on Sept. 23

Edmodo will permanently shutter on Sept. 22, and educators who have used the platform will no longer have access to their accounts, their instructional content, nor their student data, the company announced this week on its website — here's how to export all the teacher and student files and data before the platform shuts down and deletes all accounts and associated files and data.

Inspirit and Meta Team Up to Provide VR Learning to Title I Schools

The online 3D and VR STEM learning platform Inspirit recently announced its partnership with Meta (aka Facebook) Immersive Learning to provide VR Lab Starter Kits to over 100 Title I schools, starting as early as November. Applications for the program opened Sept. 1.

Nationwide Initiative Offers Stipends for Math Teachers' Input to Build Evidence Database on Teaching Tools

A new project by two education nonprofits will pay thousands of teachers to document and share their experiences in selecting and using digital math tools — and that data will be available immediately to help math educators choose the best ed tech tools for their needs and more effectively implement and use those tools.

New Ed Tech Leadership Roles for Skrzypek, Hearn, Osgood, Nakamoto, Smalls, Starr, and Flucker

New leadership roles at ed tech companies were recently announced for Krzysztof "Chris" Skrzypek, Alysha Hearn, Shannon Osgood, Amy Nakamoto, Jackie Smalls, Joshua P. Starr, and Benita Flucker.

New Hampshire Deal Will Provide Unlimited Tutor.com Access to Every Middle- and High-Schooler Statewide

The New Hampshire Department of Education recently tapped Tutor.com to provide 24/7 online tutoring access to every middle and high school student in the state, including those enrolled in public, private, and charter schools, as well as home-schooled students in the Education Freedom Account and Home Education programs.

New Lessons, Reports, Accessibility Features Added to i-Ready Personalized Instruction and Assessment

Curriculum Associates has updated its i-Ready Personalized Instruction and Assessment program with new reports, lessons, accessibility features, and other enhancements designed to help educators support grade-level work, monitor progress, and drive student engagement and motivation, according to a news release.

Newsela's 'Biggest Update' Yet to Paid Solutions Includes Interactive Video, Knowledge Pages, and Novel Studies

Instructional content platform Newsela has unveiled its “biggest updates” since its 2013 launch, with enhancements on each of the company’s paid solutions, Newsela ELA, Newsela Social Studies, Newsela Science, and Newsela SEL, according to a news release.

Presence Launches Interactive Therapy Platform Kanga

Presence has introduced Kanga, a new interactive therapy platform designed for clinicians who serve children in schools and other settings. The company also rolled out a free version of the new platform that clinicians can sign up for immediately.

Report: Top State Education Priorities Lack the Resources They Require

A new report shines a stark light on the state of education technology in the United States. Among the findings: There's inadequate funding for information security and ineffective use of technology tools in schools, at least from the perspective of state education leaders, according to a new report issued today by the State Educational Technology Director's Association (SETDA) in collaboration with Whiteboard Advisors.

Savvas Unveils New Enhancements, UX for Realize LMS Platform

Savvas Learning Company has launched a number of updates to its Savvas Realize learning management system platform with enhancements for educators and students and a new interface for teachers that aim to save time for busy educators, according to a news release.

K–12 Grants & Upcoming Events

Upcoming K–12 Grants