Case Study: In this case study, see how a California High School launches advanced programs that prepare students for film and media with Panasonic LUMIX cameras. “Our goal is to get cameras in the hands of students immediately,” said the program director..
…Read MorePodcast 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.
Alum Rock Union School District
Alum Rock Union School District (ARUSD) operates 22 elementary and middle schools in the greater San Jose, California region. With nearly 8,000 students and almost 500 teachers and faculty, demand for technical tools and resources was at an all-time high even before the COVID-19 pandemic leveled unprecedented pressure. A small but dedicated IT team was responsible for transforming ARUSD’s aging technical infrastructure into a modern network capable of meeting the future needs of students and staff—in the classroom, remotely, or in hybrid environments.
…Read MoreOutdoor learning helps our district’s students see sustainability in action
Key points:
- Sustainability initiatives are increasingly important to school districts, students, and their communities
- One school district is combining sustainability initiatives with STEM learning to empower students in their learning
- See related article: How outdoor learning spaces lead to STEM engagement
Modesto City Schools is located in Northern California, and we receive more than 260 days of sunlight annually. While the sunshine typically provides ideal climate conditions, it can also be a double-edged sword. For several years, California residents have been affected by drought and have gained a thorough understanding of the need for water frugality and sustainable lifestyles.
Modesto City Schools has prioritized sustainability initiatives designed to address climate change, reduce our carbon footprint, combat air pollution, and educate the next generation of students about a sustainable lifestyle—and that includes renewable energy.…Read More
Schools and Districts in Eight States Make Big Investments in Lexia Aspire Professional Learning
BOSTON – Months after the launch of Lexia Aspire™ Professional Learning, schools and districts in California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin have invested in licenses to make the self-paced digital solution available to teachers. Offered by Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group company, Lexia Aspire Professional Learning is a new flexible, professional learning solution that is grounded in the science of reading and helps educators accelerate literacy skills in all learning among students in grades 4-8. Equipping educators with the knowledge and skills they need to apply science-based strategies in a classroom that supports varying levels of literacy competencies is central to the design of Lexia Aspire Professional Learning.
Eight new schools and districts have invested in their professional learning opportunities for teachers including:
● Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma…Read More
Are substitutes the answer to the teacher shortage?
Key points:
- Substitute teachers are already critical to the school environment
- Could funds be allocated to help substitutes find a long-term path to teaching?
California is investing $350 million in teacher residencies, recognizing the need for effective teachers, which too many of our classrooms are missing. But this big bet isn’t working. Why? Too many people can’t afford to take on the financial liability to train for the position.
If we know the approach isn’t working, we need to look toward another solution: Substitute teachers. …Read More
TutorMe Partners With Snowline Joint Unified School District to Provide One-on-One Tutoring Support
LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) — TutorMe, an online tutoring solution creating access and opportunity for all students, announces a partnership with Snowline Joint Unified School District (JUSD). This partnership provides high school students in the rural community with accessible tutoring support to meet graduation requirements.
The state of California provided the district with an A-G Completion Improvement Grant, which allows districts to purchase resources students need to improve their knowledge. The district used the funding to acquire TutorMe for students to increase their subject knowledge for the A-G requirements, which they must pass to apply to a four-year university.
Through the partnership with TutorMe, students can work one-on-one with high-quality tutors 24/7 when it works best for them, whether before school, after school, or even on weekends. TutorMe enables meaningful connections that students need to learn and thrive, creating better learning outcomes for the entire school community.…Read More
Council of the Great City Schools Selects Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore as the 2023 Recipient of the Dr. Michael Casserly Legacy Award for Educational Courage and Justice
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) has named Dr. Lily Wong Fillmore as the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Michael Casserly Legacy Award for Educational Courage and Justice. The annual award, which is sponsored by Curriculum Associates and named after the Council’s former executive director, recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in the field of Grades K–12 urban education by taking courageous and passionate stances on the issues of educational justice and equity.
Fillmore, who received her Ph.D. in linguistics from Stanford University, was a faculty member of the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Education from 1974 to 2004. During this time, she focused much of her research, teaching, and writing on issues related to the education of multilingual learners. She specifically focused on social and cognitive processes in language learning, cultural differences in language learning behavior, sources of variation in learning, and primary language retention and loss.
In her research, Fillmore has conducted studies of second language learners in school settings of Latino, Asian, American Indian, and Alaskan Native children and has held steadfast in calling for high expectations for such children. Before her research work, she was instrumental in establishing a volunteer corps to teach in farm labor camps in California from 1954 to 1964.…Read More
IXL Learning Acquires Teachers Pay Teachers, the World’s Largest Platform for Educator-Created Content
SAN MATEO, California and NEW YORK, New York — IXL Learning, developer of personalized learning products used by millions of people globally, announced that it has acquired TPT (otherwise known as Teachers Pay Teachers), which offers the world’s largest catalog of educator-created content and tools for digital instruction. More than 7 million educators, including 85 percent of PK-12 teachers in the U.S., use the platform to find teacher-created resources that help them support students and benefit from the expertise of fellow educators.
Teachers Pay Teachers is the newest member of the IXL Learning family of world-renowned brands, which include Rosetta Stone, IXL, Vocabulary.com, SpanishDictionary.com, inglés.com, ABCya, Education.com, Wyzant and Emmersion.
Tapping into the collective wisdom of educators…Read More
Education Arm of The Buck Institute – PBLWorks – Receives a $2.9 Million Grant from the Bezos Family Foundation
Novato, California – The Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks) was awarded a $2.9 million grant from the Bezos Family Foundation to design an innovative social studies and civics curriculum that uses a Project Based Learning (PBL) model. The new PBL units are being designed for teachers of grades 4-12 and will be available free as Open Educational Resources (OER).
The curriculum units are being designed with teachers in Colorado and California, in collaboration with experts in culturally-responsive teaching, and with a curriculum design team at the Buck Institute for Education (BIE).
The project draws on recent studies published and supported by Lucas Education Research (LER), a subdivision of the George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF), which underscore the impact that PBL, professional development, and high-quality instructional materials can have on student outcomes across grade levels, racial/ethnic groups, and socioeconomic groups.…Read More
Hemet Unified School District Adopts LETRS for New Two-Year Professional Learning Program
BOSTON (April 21, 2022) – Hemet Unified School District in Riverside County, California, has adopted LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional learning programs for its teachers and administrators. Offered by Lexia® Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, LETRS provides educators with the deep knowledge required to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading.
Developed by Dr. Louisa Moats and leaders in the field of literacy, the LETRS Suite provides practical support with tools that are available 24/7—online and in print. It also offers professional learning sessions led by national LETRS experts. These sessions provide classroom application examples of the learning and refine and extend participants’ understanding of the content. Hemet USD began rolling out LETRS in March 2022 as a two-year, cohort-based program. The district has implemented two professional learning programs:
· LETRS for Educators…Read More