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.

New Program Gives High School Students Training and Job Placement in an Allied Healthcare Career

LIVONIA, Mich. –  After a comprehensive and successful two-year pilot with more than 900 students,  MedCerts has launched a training program for high school students to earn a nationally recognized credential in Allied Healthcare and Health IT careers. When the student successfully completes the online didactic training and has graduated, they are able to funnel directly into open jobs with partner employers or if they choose, take advantage of the  MedCerts Prior Learning Assessment Credit Transfer Ecosystem and gain college credit at a reputable college.

The new program combines online training and, if needed as part of the certification, a residential experience in a healthcare setting, guided by healthcare professionals that lead directly to jobs. These residential training experiences provide on-the-job experience, which can be supplied through MedCerts employer partners or through the school’s existing partners. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most allied healthcare jobs are in high demand.  The projected growth change in employment for Medical Assistants from 2022 to 2032 is projected at 14 percent, which is well above the average growth rate.

“MedCerts in partnerships with schools and local healthcare employers is building an early talent pipeline directly from high school into well-paying, entry-level healthcare jobs,” said Jen Kolb, National Director of Workforce Development at MedCerts, “Students in high school can get their training and clinical experience completed in their senior year so that they graduate from high school and can go immediately into a skilled career.”…Read More

BIOZONE’s High School Biology for Texas achieves Top Marks

COLORADO, Parker – BIOZONE has just officially received the awesome news that their inaugural High School Biology for Texas has received “High Quality” status by scoring 100% TEKS and 100% ELPS after an extensive review by the Texas Education Agency’s State Review Panel

The goal of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is for all students in Texas to have access to rigorous, high-quality educational materials. The review process was created by and for Texas educators to provide  rigorous reviews of instructional materials that are independent, objective, comprehensive, and Texas focused. These detailed reviews allow school districts to easily compare instructional materials and choose the best in order to deliver a robust educational program for students.

BIOZONE’s new program: Biology for Texas has fully met expectations and was rated 100% for both TEKS and  ELPS by the educator-reviewers at TEA.…Read More

Advocating for student mental health starts here

Key points:

  • It is imperative for school leaders to understand the dire need for student mental health support
  • Partnering with a care coordination service can help bridge mental health support gaps
  • See related article: Why student and teacher wellness comes first

For the last 17 years, I have devoted my career to advocating for comprehensive school counseling programs. This is my passion and the focus of my efforts every day. But I did not choose this career path because I had an amazing school counselor in middle school. In fact, it’s the opposite. I did not have access to a school counselor at all. I was in the academic middle and did not need school counseling. Right? WRONG! I was desperate for guidance about my future and was overlooked due to the high student to counselor ratio.  

I do not want what happened to me to happen to other students. School counselors play a vital role in a school’s ecosystem–and it is absolutely paramount to ensure every student has access to the support they need–especially today. …Read More

5 ISTELive 23 sessions you won’t want to miss

ISTELive 23 lands in Philadelphia on June 25, and the annual conference promises to be packed with content for administrators, curriculum directors, classroom teachers, and everyone in between.

This year’s conference theme, “Discover Your Next,” celebrates the ideas, partnerships, teaching strategies, and edtech tools that can take learning to its next iteration. Register here, for in-person or virtual access.

With more than 900 sessions, it’s hard to choose a handful to highlight—but here are five sessions that caught our eye:…Read More

Survey highlights troubling teacher morale issues

Key points:

  • Most teachers would not choose a teaching career again
  • Nearly half of teachers say poor mental health is impacting their work

Only 46 percent of current public K-12 educators would be “fairly” or “very likely” to advise their younger selves to choose teaching again, according to a new survey that shines a spotlight on a pressing crisis facing U.S. education.

More than one-third (35 percent) of educators are considering leaving the profession altogether. This is according to the 2023 Merrimack College Teacher Survey, which was conducted by the Winston School of Education and Social Policy at Merrimack College.…Read More

Does 4 equal 5? Research on impacts of 4-day school weeks

Four-day weeks are becoming more common in school districts, particularly in rural areas of the U.S. Many districts are finding students and families like the shorter school weeks. In fact, in a survey of schools with four-day week policies, 85 percent of parents and 95 percent of students said they would choose to remain on the schedule rather than switch back to a five-day week. While these shorter weeks are popular with stakeholders, might there be unintended consequences of four-day school weeks? Are there certain ways to implement the schedule that lead to better outcomes for students?

Most of what is known about these questions has come from research conducted in the last five years. My colleagues and I have studied the four-day week using quantitative and qualitative data from state departments of education, school districts, and the NWEA MAP Growth research database. These projects and other recent research on four-day weeks have shed some light on questions about the implementation and outcomes of four-day school weeks. The research analyzes qualitative and quantitative data to compare students’ experiences and outcomes on four-day and five-day school weeks. We find that there are both benefits and drawbacks to the shorter school week, and these tradeoffs can vary based on the characteristics of the school district and how they implement the four-day week in practice.

Benefits: What Supporters of the Four-Day School Week Are Saying…Read More

5 ways to prep students for online learning success

Students who attend online school today range from homeschoolers, to those seeking an alternative to in-person public schools, to learners who want to mix virtual schooling with in-person learning. Also, some districts have decided to keep an online option open for students who choose that method.

And while numerous parents and students have chosen to make online learning part of their education, the transition can be challenging. As someone who’s been involved with online schools for more than eight years, here are five common areas of concern and tips for how teachers and parents can navigate these challenges successfully.

Organization and Scheduling are Vital…Read More

Building a Successful Certification Program at Your Institution

In a world where competition for jobs, pay increases, and academic success continues to increase, certifications offer hope to candidates and educators.

Certification helps to build a skilled workforce that meets the needs of local employers and government tech initiatives. Certification strikes the right balance of academic excellence and real-world skills, giving students the confidence and motivation they need to succeed both in school and in a profitable career.

“According to Pearson VUE’s 2021 Value of Certification study, 69% of IT managers believe certification significantly increases an employee’s productivity,” said Ray Murray, of Vice President and General Manager, Certiport. “Certifications are a great way to help candidates get their foot in the door and be more productive in their future careers.”

Defining certification

A certification is any credential that an individual can earn or achieve that validates a level of knowledge or a skillset related to a specific subject or discipline. Certifications are credentials that stand in addition to, in support of, or independently from degrees and diplomas.…Read More

Education’s Great Resignation

Just outside of Des Moines, Iowa, an opening for a sixth-grade teaching job sits vacant… with zero applicants.

An hour northwest of Chicago, a shortage of bus drivers, special education teachers, counselors, and paraprofessionals is forcing teachers to reexamine their workload and look outside of the profession.

Public concerns around books, curricula, and learning platforms, combined with debate over masks and vaccines, have compelled college students who intended to major in education to choose a different career path.…Read More