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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.

Students desperately need to see relevance in their learning

Many students see no relevance between their education and the real world, and say they are struggling to find meaning in their education or find a career direction, according to a new survey from YouScience, a student engagement platform.

The paper, “Solving Education’s Relevance Gap,” is a call to action for educational institutions, businesses, families, students, and community leaders to analyze the state of student engagement and work together to shift educational approaches to better meet student’s needs.

If communities take advantage of opportunities to close the relevance gap, students can move from disengaged to motivated, with a deeper understanding of their own natural talents and their potential for fulfilling, long-term, in-demand careers, according to the paper.…Read More

FEV Tutor Announces Strategic Acquisition by Alpine Investors

WOBURN, MA & SAN FRANCISCO – JULY 20, 2022 – FEV Tutor (“FEV”), the K-12 market leading research and evidence-based online tutoring platform, today announced its partnership with Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a people-driven private equity firm that is a Certified B Corporation committed to building enduring businesses. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Alpine’s partnership will help further FEV Tutor’s mission to develop high-quality, online learning solutions that drive change by positively impacting learning outcomes for students from all backgrounds. As part of the transaction, Jim Tormey of Alpine will be the new Chief Executive Officer at FEV Tutor, with Co-Founders Anirudh Baheti and Ryan Patenaude continuing in leadership roles.

For more than a decade, FEV Tutor has transformed the lives of K-12 disadvantaged and at-risk students through its high impact virtual tutoring model and expansive suite of district services. FEV partners with schools and districts to provide high-quality, structured 1:1 online tutoring solutions, delivered by an extensive 24/7 network of highly trained tutors. FEV provides high-touch client support, tailored program design, data analytics, and ongoing formative assessments for its K-12 customer base. FEV Tutor’s products meet the Level Two Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the national education law that helps ensure success for students and schools.…Read More

Kajeet Awards $550,000 To 22 Organizations for Purchasing Connectivity Solutions That Drive Digital Inclusion in Education

MCLEAN, VA. (PRWEB) JUNE 23, 2022 — Kajeet®, a leading provider of wireless connectivity, software and hardware solutions that deliver secure, reliable and managed IoT solutions to over 3,000 businesses, schools and districts, and state and local governments, today announced the 22 recipients of its 2022 Homework Gap Grant. To further the mission of closing the Digital Divide for students across the United States, each grant recipient will receive up to $25,000, which they may use for any combination of Kajeet Education Broadband solutions, including WiFi hotspots, school bus WiFi, LTE-embedded Chromebooks and routers.

“With many students returning to in-person learning after a two-year hiatus, we cannot lose momentum in working to close the Homework Gap, which still plagues millions of American students,” said Daniel J.W. Neal, chairman, CEO and founder of Kajeet. “The Homework Gap existed long before the pandemic and continues to perpetuate inequities and cause enormous, missed opportunities. As a community, we must make every effort possible to connect students outside the classroom to the plethora of educational resources and opportunities that are only available to them via the Internet. The Kajeet Homework Gap Grant program is but one example among many of what we can do together to create complete digital equity – and maximize opportunities for success – for all of our students.”

The 22 grant winners are:…Read More

Kyocera’s TASKalfa Pro 15000c is Making a Bold Impression on the Production Print Inkjet Market

Fairfield, New Jersey, March 29, 2022 – Kyocera is reimagining market opportunities in the production print space with the TASKalfa Pro 15000c. Since its launch, the device has exceeded sales expectations with over 100 devices placed in the U.S. alone. To build on this initial progress, Kyocera is taking bold steps to position the Pro 15000c Sheet-fed Inkjet in this segment of the industry and bring it to an even more comprehensive range of businesses.  

The Blueprint for Success 

Designed with a focus on transactional, trans-promotional, book publishing and CRD environments, the Pro 15000c is a fresh alternative to other inkjet and laser-based machines, giving customers exceptional reliability with a low cost of ownership. It is also quickly proving its flexibility with different kinds of media. It does exceptionally well with a broad range of applications, including direct mail, catalogues, and brochures. “Kyocera has a reputation for building rugged, reliable equipment,” says Product Marketing Director Michael Poulin. “We’re seeing run rates that exceed our targets along with higher uptime and a broader range of applications.”…Read More

Kajeet Private 5G™ Platform Launched, Enabling Private Wireless Networks For All

MCLEAN, VA. (PRWEB) MARCH 14, 2022 — Kajeet®, a leading provider of wireless connectivity, software and hardware solutions that deliver secure, reliable and managed IoT solutions to over 3,000 businesses, schools and districts, and state and local governments, today announced the launch of Kajeet Private 5GTM, a next-generation, cloud-based private 5G and LTE platform designed to simplify private wireless with an end-to-end turnkey managed service that allows customers to design, install and manage their own private wireless networks.

Deploying a private wireless network provides substantial benefits to organizations, especially when using 5G technology. Private networks built on 5G technology deliver high bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and carrier-class security. It is estimated that nearly $208B will be spent on private 5G and LTE networks in 2025, according to  Harbor Research. Kajeet Private 5G is designed to meet this demand and support organizations with increased speed to market.

Kajeet Private 5G Platform
The Kajeet Private 5G Platform consists of the following components:…Read More

Osmo From BYJU’s Appoints Jonathan Naseath Chief Operating Officer To Lead Next Phase of Growth

Palo Alto, CA–Feb 23, 2022–Award-winning STEAM brand, Osmo from BYJU’S, announces Jonathan Naseath’s appointment as Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. With extensive experience in finance and operations, Naseath, CPA, CFE and CISA, will further Osmo’s global growth, creating operational excellence across the company and scaling the company’s vision of making a broader impact to education. 

“Jon is an energetic and passionate executive who will help take Osmo and Powered by Osmo businesses to the next level by solving complex issues of large scale organization management such as supply chain, logistics, finance, and creating centers of excellence,” says Cherian Thomas, Senior Vice President of International Business at Osmo from BYJU’S. “Furthermore, Jon will be instrumental in setting up our multidisciplinary teams for success in carrying out Osmo’s vision for the future.”

Naseath arrives at Osmo from Google Cloud, where he served as Cloud Value Advisor Senior Principal, and assisted the office of Google Cloud CFO to define the financial opportunity of cloud digital transformation. Between 2018 and 2020, Naseath was Chief Financial Officer and Transformation Leader at PCH International, which provides supply chain distribution and software as a service (SaaS) platforms to leading global brands. He advised on matters ranging from developing and implementing cash strategies, to overseeing global accounting, financial reporting, tax, compliance and regulatory teams. …Read More

3 ways classroom ecosystems are changing

One of the definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ecosystem as “something (such as a network of businesses) considered to resemble an ecological ecosystem especially because of its complex interdependent parts.”

When you take a look at a classroom, there are several interdependent parts working together to create a successfully functioning classroom. The students, teachers, technology, curriculum, physical space, and furniture all play a role in creating a successful learning environment–and as we saw with the pandemic, a disruption to this ecosystem can have dire effects.

According to a report by Rand Corporation, teachers’ stress levels are at an all-time high and threaten the teacher pipeline. At the same time, according to a McKinsey Report, the pandemic has caused students to fall months behind in learning math and reading and has caused older students to disengage from their education.…Read More

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3 wireless technology trends to track in 2022

2021 was a year of tremendous challenges, but there were also incredible strides made in the world of wireless technology that have changed the way we live, work, and play–all for the better.

As technology evolves, there’s always plenty to be excited about. Today, over 300 million people have access to a 5G wireless network, so it’s hard to believe this innovation became available only three years ago. 5G has been described as a transformative technology, but most transformations happen steadily – they become “trends” that happen over time.

To that end, here are three trends I predict for 2022 that can have a lasting impact on families and businesses across the country.…Read More

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Texthelp Names Christine Mullin as Chief Operating Officer

WOBURN, Mass., Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —  Texthelp, a global leader in literacy and accessibility technology, announced that it has named Christine Mullin as its Chief Operating Officer. Mullin will be the first chief operating officer in the twenty-five-year history of Texthelp.

Christine brings to Texthelp more than two decades of experience in growing and developing technology businesses across multiple roles, including strategy, business development, finance, and customer operations. Most recently, she served as COO/CFO and a Board Director of Dext, a UK-based global SaaS business that provides productivity software solutions for accountants and was successfully sold to Hg Capital earlier this year. Prior to Dext, Christine was the COO/CFO of MetaPack Limited, an e-commerce delivery mgt SaaS business that was sold to Stamps.com in August 2018.

Previous roles include being the COO of Microsoft UK’s Advertising and Online division and the Finance Director of AOL UK. Christine started her career at Arthur Andersen in London where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and has a BA (Hons) in Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin. She currently resides in London, England.…Read More

Renaissance Announces Significant Growth Investment from Blackstone

NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. November 9, 2021 – Renaissance® (“Renaissance” or the “Company”), a global leader in pre-K–12 educational technology, today announced its entry into a definitive agreement for private equity funds managed by Blackstone (NYSE:BX; “Blackstone”) to make a significant equity investment in the Company alongside existing investors including Francisco Partners and TPG’s The Rise Fund. Francisco Partners, a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology businesses, acquired the Company in 2018 and will remain a major shareholder. Blackstone’s investment will be made through its flagship private equity vehicle. 

Founded in 1986, Renaissance combines decades of experience in assessments with personalized instruction and analytics solutions delivering teachers and administrators the tools to plan, lessons to teach, and the resources to motivate students to learn. Renaissance is one of the most recognized and trusted brands in K-12 education serving more than 40% of US schools and more than 16 million students worldwide. The Company’s assessment-driven, integrated instructional ecosystem enables schools and districts to benchmark student progress; teach, plan, and respond to students’ needs in real-time with personalized instruction; and offer supplemental student literacy and math learning software solutions. 

The new investment from Blackstone will enable the Company to further accelerate organic growth initiatives and innovation across its product suite. Building on the platform’s growth under Francisco Partners, the investment will also enable the Company to continue executing on its targeted acquisition strategy following its recent acquisitions earlier this year of Lalilo, a research-based foundational literacy program; and Nearpod, a leader in teacher-facilitated instructional delivery. …Read More