EmpowerU Honors Exemplary School Partners for Outstanding Impact on Student Mental Health 

MINNEAPOLIS   EmpowerU, a leading national provider of mental health skills and support for schools, recently recognized five school districts for their longstanding commitment to improving student resilience and mental health. The districts, based in Minnesota where EmpowerU was founded in 2018, each worked with EmpowerU for more than five years to deliver vital support to students, leading to a marked improvement in student well-being. 

“EmpowerU was launched as an effective way to deliver mental health services to young people,” said Katie Dorn, co-founder of EmpowerU. “I am beyond proud of the work we are accomplishing with our district partners who leverage their Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to positively impact students who are struggling with non-academic barriers to their success. We congratulate these five districts that are shining hometown examples of the potential of what we do.” 

The recognized districts were: …Read More

How data empowers our district to align teaching with student needs

Key points:

Everyone had that favorite teacher; the one who inspired your confidence to succeed or fostered love of a certain subject. For me it was Ms. Pierre, my high school English teacher who embodied social-emotional mastery before there was such a thing. Her balanced approach of rigor and care created a nurturing environment where I felt supported. She tapped into my untapped potential, fostering a profound sense of self-belief and cultivating my passion for learning.

I often think about how our students’ futures would be different if more teachers were able to have such a connection with individual students, like I had with Ms. Pierre. Now I can make this a reality as district administrator for social emotional learning (SEL) for the Windsor Public Schools. Windsor puts a premium on SEL, hiring dedicated resources to support students and teachers, and transforming the educational experience with data.…Read More

Elementary-level STEM education fosters our future innovators

Key points:

In today’s fast-paced world, STEM education has become imperative for global progress. Traditionally, the spotlight on STEM education appears to occur in high school and late middle school grade-levels. However, recognizing the pivotal role elementary schools play in shaping a child’s educational journey is essential–early exposure to STEM concepts not only cultivates a passion for these subjects but also lays the groundwork for future academic and professional pursuits.

Elementary school years mark a critical phase in a child’s cognitive development. It is during this period that introducing STEM education thus becomes paramount so as to establish a solid foundation of fundamental concepts and problem-solving skills. These foundational years offer a unique opportunity to spark curiosity and creativity, thereby providing the basis for more advanced learning in later grades and beyond.…Read More

Addressing the root causes of chronic K-12 absenteeism

Key points:

More children than ever are skipping school. The latest data shows that the number of public school students who miss at least 10 percent of their school days–whether excused or unexcused–has nearly doubled.

The White House Council of Economic Advisors found that chronic absenteeism significantly contributed to drops in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, accounting for 16 to 27 percent of NAEP score declines in math and 36–45 percent in reading.  …Read More

Leveraging student data to improve IEPs

Key points:

Educators generate and collect student Individualized Education Program (IEP) data daily. Because of the number of stakeholders involved in the IEP development and implementation, student data sets may exist in case files, spreadsheets or several software programs.

Some school leaders are fortunate enough to house their data in systems where IEP information can be ingested, disaggregated, and managed in a way that paints a clear picture. But more often than not, leaders need more time, better processes, and the appropriate tool to manage data in a way that reveals critical insights.…Read More

Lightspeed Launches Networked Instructional Audio Platform, Cascadia, Enabling Teacher-Centric Communication for School Success and Safety

TUALATIN, Ore./PRNewswire-PRWeb/ —  Lightspeed, the leading provider of instructional audio solutions that create equal access to learning, announces the launch of Cascadia. Cascadia, a networked instructional audio platform, effortlessly projects the teacher’s voice within the classroom while also empowering teachers to call for help and communicate outside of the classroom directly from their lanyard microphone.

Cascadia delivers all the benefits of instructional audio and integrates with existing life-safety and building communication systems, providing the ability to initiate mobile, silent emergency alerts and make two-way calls to the office from anywhere in the building.

“The need for teachers to communicate with resources outside of the classroom continues to grow, whether in an emergency or simply when help is needed,” said Shaun Fagan, Senior Vice President of Product and Lightspeed. “With Cascadia, schools can now meet this need by providing teachers with a communication tool that offers mobility, simplicity, and immediacy.”…Read More

5 strategies for turning boredom into brilliance

Key points:

As someone who began teaching in middle school, I’ve had plenty of firsthand experience dealing with boredom in the classroom. Most educators will recognize the signs: students sleeping during class, students watching the clock, students daydreaming when they should be paying attention. If, like me, you work with younger students, you might have even seen one or two get up and start wandering the classroom. Needless to say, these things can be highly disruptive and undermine our ability to manage the class.

Despite these problems, I’ve learned over time that boredom itself is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, when approached correctly, boredom can become a powerful force for good in the classroom.  …Read More

#FETC2024 Wrap Up—eSchool News Exclusive Coverage


FETC Coverage:


Scenes from the show floor and more at #FETC24


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Wyoming Catholic School Partners with Global Edtech Leader to Enhance Instruction in Science and All Other Disciplines 

Charlotte, NC — Wyoming’s Holy Name Catholic School (HNCS) today announced a new multi-year partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education. Thanks to this new collaboration, teachers across HNCS will soon have access to a suite of award-winning digital products that nurture curiosity and support their goal of implementing the first comprehensive STREAM program in a Wyoming Catholic school during the 2024-2025 school year. 

HNCS is in Sheridan, Wyoming, at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. HNCS’s dedicated staff views the world through the lens of faith and with curiosity, integrity, and courage. Seeking to educate the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—and prepare PK-5 students for the world beyond the classroom, HNCS’s team sought to enhance science instruction by integrating a comprehensive STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, Math) curriculum. Discovery Education will help HNCS achieve this challenge by providing engaging STEM learning opportunities throughout the curriculum. 

To accomplish this, HNCS sought a suite of flexible, standards-aligned digital learning resources that were easy to integrate into instruction and had a proven record of quickly engaging students in science, STEM, and all other subjects. Following a careful review of available resources, HNCS selected the following products for use in the school’s PK-5 classrooms: …Read More

How to prepare for the future of technology in education

Key points:

Raise your hand if your school is one hundred percent ready for whatever technology inventions and adoptions will come over the next three to five years. This means you know exactly what technology will best benefit your students and teachers, you know exactly what it will cost to upgrade, and you know exactly how to update your technology without any interoperability or other issues.

If we were in a room right now, some people would actually have their hands raised. Are you one of the few, or do you need to know what they know? If the latter, let’s take a look at how to prepare for emerging trends in education and the future of technology in education.…Read More

Majority of districts now meet FCC’s school internet connectivity goal

Key points:

Seventy-four percent of districts (9,573) across the country now have school internet connectivity at speeds that are sufficient to support digital learning in their classrooms every day–impacting 27.1 million students, an increase of over 5 million students since 2022.

Do all students have access to the internet?

The latest statistics come from Connected Nation’s (CN) Connect K-12 Program’s 2023 Report on School Connectivity, released in collaboration with Funds For Learning (FFL). …Read More