Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Gale Receives Platinum and Gold in 2023 Modern Library Awards from LibraryWorks for the Second Consecutive

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Gale, part of Cengage Group, is pleased to announce that it has received five platinum awards, one gold and an honorable mention award in LibraryWorks’ ninth annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs). The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry in a truly unbiased format. This is the second consecutive year Gale has been recognized by the MLAs for product excellence.

Products and services were submitted in the fall of 2022 and sent to more than 80,000 librarians at public, K-12, academic, and special libraries. Only customers with experience with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge the products/services, resulting in a truly unbiased score. 

Each judge scored the product on a numeric basis from 1-10 on a series of questions regarding functionality, value, customer service experience and overall satisfaction.…Read More

MackinVIA Receives Its 7th Consecutive Modern Library Award From LibraryWorks, Winning The Distinctive Platinum Award

Burnsville, MN – Mackin, a leading provider of print and digital fiction and nonfiction books for PK-12, is pleased to announce it is a multiyear honoree, winning another Platinum Award in LibraryWorks’ ninth annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs). The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry.

Products and services were submitted in the fall using a simple application, and then were posted on a private site with an enhanced description and attendant materials. These products were batched into small groups and sent to the LibraryWorks database of more than 80,000 librarians in public, K-12, academic, and special libraries. Only customers with experience with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge the products/services, resulting in a truly unbiased score.

Each judge scored the product from 1-10 on a series of questions regarding functionality, value, customer service, etc. MackinVIA received a remarkable score of 8.84, resulting in their seventh Platinum Award from this prestigious organization. “Since its inception over a decade ago, MackinVIA has made great progress becoming the preferred digital content management system in schools around the world and has continued its technological growth to remain one of the world’s top choices. As a company, Mackin has always been known for their ingenuity and superior customer service. It’s no surprise that these motivating forces helped MackinVIA to be recognized and validated again,” remarked Troy Mikell, Director of
Marketing and Communications at Mackin.…Read More

STEM learning makes this educator shine

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on innovative ways to engage students, digital resources, and online and hybrid learning strategies related to post-pandemic teaching. This year’s 7th most-read story focuses on a Hero Awards winner dedicated to STEM education.

One of three eSN K-12 Hero Awards winners and nominated by Bluum, Kim Leblanc was selected for the innovative STEM learning initiatives she champions in her district and for her students.

Conventional wisdom would say that economically disadvantaged schools across the country would need to think twice before making a major investment in technology. However, not all districts in that predicament have a technology director like Kim Leblanc.…Read More

ParentSquare Named Excellence in Equity Award Winner

Santa Barbara, CA — ParentSquare, provider of the premier leading unified school-home communications platform for K-12 education, announced their selection as a winner in the inaugural Excellence in Equity Awards program presented by the American Consortium for Equity in Education. The award was presented in the Special Contributions to Equity category.

This competitive awards program honoring schools, educators, and industry received more than 160 total nominations from across the U.S., plus a number of submissions from abroad. Last week, 64 finalists were announced in the 16 industry categories, with 30 winners selected. There were also 21 winners selected in 10 categories dedicated to educators and schools.

ParentSquare is the only fully unified product that engages every family with school communications and communications-based services—all the way from the district office to the classroom teacher, and all in one place. Schools know who’s not being reached and have the reports and tools to improve contactability and communications equity while maintaining privacy and security.…Read More

Riverside Insights Wins Excellence in Equity Award for Accessibility Features

ITASCA, Ill. – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today announced that it won Best Accessibility Solution in the inaugural Excellence in Equity Awards program presented by the American Consortium for Equity in Education. The Riverside Insights’ solutions were selected because they are designed to serve learners of all ability levels – from those with physical or cognitive difficulties to gifted students seeking to challenge themselves . All of the Riverside Insights products are designed to maximize accessibility for all learners, including assessments with the options of large print, audio directions and braille, as well as creating versions to accommodate English learners.

“Equity is foundational to our mission of elevating the potential of all learners,” said Dr. Sarah Holman, a former special education administrator and bilingual evaluator who now serves as a marketing director for Riverside Insights. “We live out our commitment through our people, our processes, our products and our professional development to ensure each learner has the chance to lean into their strengths.” 

“This category is particularly meaningful to us. Across our portfolio, accessibility, translation, adaptation, as well as local, regional and national norming, are core tenants of our product development roadmap as we seek to ensure that teachers, learners, families and communities are not left behind,” said Anna Houseman, former elementary school teacher and assessment director, who now serves as a product director for Riverside Insights. …Read More

Dedication to STEM learning makes this eSN Hero Awards winner a standout leader

One of three eSN K-12 Hero Awards winners and nominated by Bluum, Kim Leblanc was selected for the innovative STEM learning initiatives she champions in her district and for her students.

Conventional wisdom would say that economically disadvantaged schools across the country would need to think twice before making a major investment in technology. However, not all districts in that predicament have a technology director like Kim Leblanc.

Calcasieu Parish School Board is the fifth-largest school district in Louisiana, resting in the southwest part of the state. In total, the district serves 29,500 students across 60 elementary, middle, and high schools. It is a 100 percent CEP district, which means that every student is eligible for free lunch based on the economic poverty data submitted to the federal government.…Read More

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Scribbles Software Selected as a Finalist for the 2022 NC TECH Awards

Pineville, NC – Scribbles Software, a leading provider of K-12 records and enrollment software located in Pineville, NC, was selected as a finalist for the NC TECH Awards, presented by the NC TECH (North Carolina Technology Association).  The program is North Carolina’s only statewide technology awards program recognizing innovation, growth and leadership in the tech sector. Scribbles is a finalist in the NC HQ Tech Company category, which recognizes North Carolina-based technology companies that have outstanding performance in revenue, market penetration, sales growth, and employment expansion. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 29th.

“For over 20 years, NC TECH has celebrated companies, organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement at the NC TECH Awards. As a finalist this year, Scribbles Software has distinguished itself as one of the state’s innovative and emergent leaders,” stated Brooks Raiford, NC TECH’s President and CEO.

Scribbles Software helps K-12 districts and schools across the country serve students and families through accessible, cloud-based records management and enrollment solutions. Throughout North Carolina, Scribbles serves more than 100 districts, private schools, and charter schools, including Wake County Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Guilford County Schools, and Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools. Nationwide, Scribbles serves more than half of the top 50 largest districts.…Read More

The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Announces Recipients of its 2022-2023 Leadership Awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) announces the winners of its 2022-2023 Leadership Awards. The awards program honored 17 individuals for their extraordinary education advocacy and leadership. The recipients were announced during a special awards gala following the 19th Annual National ALAS Education Summit held recently in Puerto Rico.

The 2022-2023 honorees are:

ALAS Awards…Read More

Secure network access led to successful learning initiatives for this eSN Hero Awards winner

One of three eSN K-12 Hero Awards winners, Daniel Olivas was nominated by Identity Automation and was selected as a winner for his strategic thinking and leadership in critical district IT and IT security initiatives.

The pandemic has accelerated the transition to remote and hybrid learning, and it made school districts the number one target for cyberattacks. As the fifth largest school district in Texas, Austin Independent School District was no exception. Guided by the motto “AISD Anywhere,” the district used the pandemic as an opportunity to provide over 100,000 students, teachers, staff, parents, and other users with secure access to classroom tools from any Wi-Fi network.

As Network Analyst at Austin ISD, Daniel Olivas led the implementation of an identity-centric zero trust security strategy that ensured this access was not only user-friendly, but secure. Unlike traditional, perimeter-focused approaches to security, Austin ISD’s zero-trust approach assumes all network traffic is untrusted until an identity has been verified–a critical step to securing a digital ecosystem that can be accessed from anywhere.…Read More

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