News Update
What You Need to Know Now 2/6/2018

News


  • School Agencies and Districts Do Crummy Job of Protecting Website Visitor Security and Privacy

    A new study has found that most education websites — whether state or local — do a horrible job of protecting users' security and privacy.

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  • FERPA Finding Reminds Schools to Review Terms of Service

    Do parents have to relinquish their students' rights under FERPA when the school signs an agreement with a company whose terms of use don't comply with FERPA?

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  • 1 in 10 Phishing E-mails Fool Users in Education

    In a recent study, 10 percent of simulated phishing e-mails sent to users in education institutions were successful, triggering the recipient to click on a fraudulent link. That's according to the 2018 State of the Phish report from Wombat Security Technologies, in which researchers measured the average click rates on phishing tests across various industries. Education had an average click rate of 10 percent; the industries that performed worst in the tests were telecommunications and retail, with 15 percent and 14 percent average click rates, respectively.

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  • Global Ed Tech Investment Soars to Record $9.5 Billion

    There's never been a better time to seek funding for education technology. According to Metaari, 2017 turned out to generate the most investment dollars ever in the learning technology industry. It topped $9.5 billion globally, up from $7.3 billion in 2016, which was itself 46 percent higher than the $6.5 billion in investments made in 2015. The latest year's funding went to 813 ed tech companies, the highest ever recorded, according to the learning market research company.

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  • Report: Digital Literacy Is 'Hot' but Not Important

    In education there's hot, and then there's important. In the category of K-12 reading and writing, digital literacy may be hot, but it's hardly important. That's just one of the many conclusions shared in this year's "What's Hot in Literacy Report" from the International Literacy Association, which surveyed 2,097 education professionals in 91 countries and territories. The report defined hot topics as "those trending and receiving the most attention among educators, policymakers and the media, whereas important topics are those that are most critical to advancing literacy for all learners."

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  • 'Inventathon' Promotes STEM and Business to Students

    In a recent "inventathon" that took place at the Houston Community College Advanced Manufacturing Center, hundreds of students competed to design and create health-related products. After 20 hours of effort, a team of four middle and high schoolers swept the competition (and won $500) with their invention: the AquaWheel, a 3D-printed device that uses the rolling motion of a wheel to power an internal UV light to purify water. The idea was to help people in developing countries who have to walk many miles to get water for drinking and cooking.

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  • Ed Tech Competition to Identify Effective Technology Use in Schools

    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab North America has launched the Education, Technology and Opportunity Innovation Competition in an effort to identify effective technology use and provide examples of how learning can be improved through innovation. The competition asks school networks, education agencies, nonprofits and post-secondary institutions to evaluate their education programs based on technology, especially those focused on disadvantaged students.

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  • PC Market Sees First Holiday Quarter Growth in 6 Years

    Global shipments of PCs showed a slight year-on-year improvement in the fourth quarter of 2017, up 0.7 percent to 70.6 million sales, according to a new report.

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  • Video Showcase Highlights STEM Research Projects

    The Stem for All Video Showcase is inviting those engaged in federally funded projects that are focused on improving science, technology, engineering, math and computer science to submit short videos profiling their projects and then hang out online, discussing their projects with others, including teachers and the general public.

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    Upcoming K–12 Grants

    • Networks for School Improvement

      Sponsor: Gates Foundation
      Award: Two categories: $500,000 to $4 million
      Number of Awards: Three to five "type 1" grants ($1 million to $4 million per year for up to three years); 10 to 15 "type 2" grants (up to $500,000 total for one to two years)
      Application Deadline: Feb. 21
    • Innovative Practices in K–12 Education

      Sponsor: Braitmayer Foundation
      Award: Two categories: Up to $35,000
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: March 15
    • America's Farmers Grow Rural Education

      Sponsor: Monsanto
      Award: Up to $25,000
      Number of Awards: Varies ($2.3 million available)
      Application Deadline: Nominations due April 2; grant proposals due April 15
    • ACS-Hach High School Chemistry Classroom Grant

      Sponsor: American Chemical Society
      Award: Up to $1,500
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: April 14 (grant opens Feb. 1)
    • Academic Enrichment Grants

      Sponsor: McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation
      Award: $30,000 maximum ($10,000 over three years)
      Number of Awards: Not specified (five awarded last year)
      Application Deadline: April 15 (submissions open Jan. 15)
    • Teacher Development Grants

      Sponsor: McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation
      Award: $30,000 maximum ($10,000 over three years)
      Number of Awards: Not specified (two awarded last year)
      Application Deadline: April 15 (submissions open Jan. 15)
    • Young Scientist Challenge

      Sponsor: Discovery Education and 3M
      Award: $25,000 grand prize; other prizes vary
      Number of Awards: 71 (61 for students, 10 for educators)
      Application Deadline: April 19
    • Siemens STEM Day

      Sponsor: Discovery Education and Siemens
      Award: $10,000
      Number of Awards: 1
      Application Deadline: April 27
    • American Honda Foundation STEM Grants

      Sponsor: American Honda Foundation
      Award: $20,000 to $75,000
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: Feb. 1 and Aug. 1 for new organizations; May 1 for returning organizations
    • ESA Foundation STEM Grant

      Sponsor: Entertainment Software Association Foundation
      Award: Not specified, but suggested upper limit for first-time applicants is $50,000
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: Letters of inquiry due May 15 (submission period opens April 14)
    • NEA Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants

      Sponsor: National Education Association Foundation
      Award: $2,000 or $5,000
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: Feb. 1, June 1 and Oct. 15 of each year
    • NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants

      Sponsor: National Education Association Foundation
      Award: $2,000 or $5,000
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: Feb. 1, June 1 and Oct. 15 of each year
    • SparkFun Community Partner Program

      Sponsor: SparkFun
      Award: STEM/STEAM-related prize packages, event and team sponsorships and other types of support
      Number of Awards: Varies
      Application Deadline: Ongoing: third Thursday of each month; awards announced on the last business day of each month
    • Adopt a Classroom

      Deadline: Ongoing
    • Brinker International Grants

      Deadline: Ongoing
    • Brown Rudnick Community Grants

      Deadline: Ongoing
    • Corning Foundation Grants

      Deadline: Ongoing
    • DonorsChoose.org

      Deadline: Ongoing
    • Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants


      Deadline: Ongoing
      Award: No more than 10 percent of an organization's annual operating expenses or 25 percent of the total budget for the project being funded; awards have ranged from the hundreds to the millions of dollars.
      Number of Awards: Varies
      Qualification: Project should "directly serve or impact children living in urban poverty, particularly in the areas of education, family economic stability (including microfinance) and childhood health."
    • Naiku Innovative Teacher Grant

      Deadline: Ongoing (approx. 10 awards per month)
    • Sony Grants for Education

      Deadline: Ongoing (grants awarded on a rolling basis)
    • TAF Project-Based Learning Grants for Grades 6–12

      Sponsor: Toshiba America Foundation
      Award: Two categories: Up to $5,000 and more than $5,000
      Number of Awards: Not specified
      Application Deadline: Up to $5,000 awarded on a rolling basis; Feb. 1 deadline for applications for more than $5,000

    Call for Papers & Proposals

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