Tutor.com’s On-Demand Tutoring Meets ESSA II Standards, Demonstrating Positive Impacts on Student Grades and Attendance

NEW YORK —  Tutor.com, one of the world’s largest and most innovative online tutoring organizations, announced that it satisfies Level II requirements (Moderate Evidence) of the  Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for its on-demand tutoring services. 

The findings come from an  effectiveness study independently designed and conducted by LearnPlatform by Instructure, a third-party edtech research company. The study results show four statistically significant favorable outcomes for  El Monte Union High School District students who used Tutor.com, as compared to demographically similar non-users. Highlights include:

–       Students who used Tutor.com had higher GPAs. Students who used Tutor.com had higher spring-semester GPAs as compared to non-users (3.02 vs. 2.87), and the difference was statistically significant. …Read More

Controversy on whether growth mindset works will strengthen the theory

Key points:

This article originally appeared on the Christensen Institute’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

All too often, education research falls short of giving educators on-the-ground actionable advice. However, a recent controversy around Carol Dweck’s well-known growth mindset gives me hope that we can move forward with research that can better inform and support practitioners and students.…Read More

Beyond simple search: The benefits of topic browsing in library databases

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Library databases, packed with rich and reliable content, are more than simply resources for students to reference when a research paper is due. They are also valuable teaching tools.

Databases are essential for helping middle and high school students understand the value of research, appreciate the importance of validating sources, and make connections between different topics — all of which are necessary for building information literacy skills. Databases provide full-text access to a wide range of content, including books, magazines, primary sources, images, charts, and peer-reviewed articles by credible authors representing diverse perspectives. They serve as trustworthy alternatives to internet searches, where the information surfaced can be unreliable, untrue, and unsafe. While traditional single-search functions are efficient, databases with topic browsing capabilities offer additional benefits for novice researchers and educators alike.…Read More

PBL isn’t used enough–let’s change that

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As teaching–especially in the lower elementary grades–becomes increasingly
challenging with having to manage difficult behaviors, widely varied learning needs,
and skill deficits still lingering from the pandemic, project-based learning (PBL) may
arguably be the most underutilized resource to accommodate these needs.

PBL is not a new concept; in fact, education research articles refer to the idea, though in a much broader sense, beginning in the 1970s. The pedagogical method has since evolved into just that–its own pedagogical approach to bringing learning to life for students through hands-on engagement that lends itself to both differentiation and personalization.…Read More

CASEL Announces 2023 Social and Emotional Learning Leaders of the Year (SELLY) Awards

CHICAGO – CASEL announced the recipients of the 2023 SELLY Awards, honoring outstanding achievements of seven “Social and Emotional Learning Leaders of the Year” in the categories of research, practice, and public policy. The annual awards recognize individuals whose body of work and commitment to social and emotional learning (SEL) have advanced the field and paved the way for others.

“The social and emotional learning movement is built by people who have spent their time, energy, and passion working together to create optimal outcomes for students. These awards pay tribute to pioneering SEL leaders and honor today’s education innovators dedicated to enhancing the lives of youth across the nation,” said CASEL President and CEO, Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel. 

This year, CASEL recognizes seven individuals: …Read More

New research paints an alarming picture of crises facing rural students

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Many rural communities are still facing multiple crises in educational loss, economic outcomes, unemployment, and mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Why Rural Matters 2023 report.

The report examines the needs and inequities affecting 9.5 million students attending public schools in rural areas – more than one in five students nationally. The report critically examines how educational supports and resources for rural student well-being are distributed.…Read More

Helping students navigate college majors

Key points:

  • Choosing a college major is one of the biggest decisions for most students
  • Future earnings and career satisfaction should be carefully balanced
  • See related article: A smarter way to think about college
  • For more news on college readiness, see eSN’s Innovative Teaching page

Deciding on a college major is a tricky decision for even the most dedicated of students. Before enrolling, students have to consider their own skills, their career prospects, and their ability to thrive within the department at large.

As a parent, guidance counselor, or teacher, you can help students navigate college majors by doing a little research of your own. Focus on learning more about the student’s goals and motivations, and look into potential professors before the semester starts. This will help you guide students toward a major that is both enjoyable and financially rewarding. …Read More

ParentPowered PBC Appoints new Chairman of the Board: Luis Duarte, Partner at Imaginable Futures, as Company Ushers in the Next Phase of Growth

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – ParentPowered PBC, an education technology company that provides Ready4K research-based digital family engagement programs, today announced the appointment of Luis Duarte as the Company’s Chairman of the Board. A Director on ParentPowered’s Board since 2020, Duarte’s appointment to Chairman recognizes his entrepreneurial and impact investing experience, significant Company contributions, and commitment to the continued growth of ParentPowered.

“I feel very privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for the Company. ParentPowered is uniquely addressing the needs of PK-12 school districts and supporting parents and caregivers at a time when deeper family engagement is having an indelible impact on improving educational outcomes. ParentPowered is innovating the family engagement experience in thoughtful, evidence-based ways which will benefit all ParentPowered stakeholders for years to come,” said Duarte.

Duarte, who grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico, has guided his life’s work towards social impact. He is a serial entrepreneur, has been a long-time impact investor, and is currently a partner at Imaginable Futures, a philanthropic investment firm. Prior, Duarte served as the Chief Philanthropy Officer of ZOMALAB and as Investments Director at Gary Community Ventures (GCV), where he led the areas of innovation and impact investing. Together, Duarte’s current and past experiences will play a crucial role in elevating ParentPowered’s voice in education.…Read More

Leading AI Company Launches Classroom Assistant Built on First Large Language Model Designed Uniquely for Education

NEW YORK PRNewswire/ — Today, Merlyn Mind, an AI company focused on building domain-specific AI platforms and solutions for improving human productivity, announced the launch of its AI-powered classroom solution, Merlyn Origin. Built on an education-specific large language model (LLM) developed in-house by a team of researchers from top AI labs, including IBM Research, Amazon Alexa, and Google Brain, Origin helps educators eliminate tech friction and focus on creating powerful learning moments in the classroom.

Built for the unique workflow of the classroom, Origin enables teachers to use their voice from anywhere in the classroom to control their learning applications, computer, and front-of-class display. With Origin, teachers can access classroom lessons, generate quick quizzes, and help students find answers on the spot – all with the confidence that they’re pulling content from an LLM specifically trained on vetted, educational content and resources, not from the entirety of the internet.

In the future, Origin will allow schools and districts to integrate their own content and curriculum into the platform as part of a walled-garden approach that allows both teachers and students to harness the capabilities of generative AI safely to encourage curiosity and promote higher-order thinking during class, which, in turn, enhances the learning experience.…Read More

Evidence-Based Phonemic Awareness Program for Young Learners Unveiled by 95 Percent Group

Lincolnshire, IL– 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for proven literacy solutions, unveiled 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite™, a comprehensive program for developing awareness of speech sounds for students grades K-1. Aligned with the latest research on phonemic awareness and part of the One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™, the new suite includes core and intervention lessons, intervention tools, assessments and teacher professional learning. 

Building phonemic awareness means developing the understanding that spoken words are made up of specific sounds, called phonemes. The focus of phonemic awareness is on those sounds, but recent research reports that good phonemic awareness instruction makes the critical connection to the grapheme—letters or groups of letters—that represents the sound. The 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is a prime example of this research brought to life in the classroom.

“Building a foundation in the ways that written words connect to spoken words begins with phonemic awareness.  Phonemic awareness is essential for developing literacy skills and a strong predictor of reading success,” said Laura Stewart, Chief Academic Officer, 95 Percent Group. “Our new 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is grounded in the current research on phonemic awareness, providing teachers with an evidence-based, comprehensive program that will help young learners develop a foundation for becoming proficient readers.”…Read More

5 models that prioritize learner-centered education

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School models are, for the most part, outdated–and very overdue for replacement. When students reach high school, research shows that close to 66 percent of students are disengaged. But even students who do successfully navigate their schooling emerge with only a specific (and often narrow) skillset that may or may not match their strengths or interests.

Conventional schooling often leaves students disillusioned, questioning their intelligence and value as it is framed by a system that needs an overhaul.…Read More