data Archives

Future-proof your district’s network: Smarter, faster, and more secure classroom connectivity

November 5, 2025October 21, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Innovative districts are modernizing and future-proofing district networks to power learning, safeguard data, and maximize E-rate funding.

As digital learning continues to evolve, K-12 districts are under pressure to deliver connectivity that’s as fast, secure, and flexible as the learning it supports.

K-12 Cybersecurity

K-12 districts are fighting ransomware, but IT teams pay the price

October 10, 2025 by ESchool Media Contributors

Recovery times are improving, and ransomware payments are falling, but K-12 IT staff burnout and stress are on the rise.

The education sector is making measurable progress in defending against ransomware, with fewer ransom payments, dramatically reduced costs, and faster recovery rates.

Curriculum & Assessment

Why critical data literacy belongs in every K–12 classroom

October 2, 2025 by Evan Shieh, Young Data Scientists League

Critical data literacy is essential to help students navigate cultural nuance, question assumptions, and collaborate across disciplines.

An unexpected group of presenters--11th graders from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago--made a splash at this year’s ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT).

Reaching New Heights: Students Share How AI-Powered Math Tools Drive their Progress and Build Confidence

September 22, 2025 by Jeff Festa

Individualized edtech tools are transforming the way students approach math, opening new pathways for deeper understanding, confidence, and achievement. These ... Read more

K-12 Cybersecurity

Districts eye proactive cyber threat protection as risks increase

September 22, 2025 by ESchool Media Contributors

CoSN recommendations help schools and district align cybersecurity priorities with areas of need to protect students and information.

Cybersecurity threats to K-12 schools are growing in frequency, sophistication, and cost, yet many school districts remain under-resourced and underprepared, according to the CoSN 2025 State of EdTech District…

AI in Education

In training educators to use AI, we must not outsource the foundational work of teaching

August 26, 2025 by Timothy Cook, Chalkbeat

The problem is not AI or technology; it’s that educators and systems continue prioritizing finished products over messy learning processes.

I was conferencing with a group of students when I heard the excitement building across my third grade classroom. A boy at the back table had been working…

Internet Connectivity

Optical LAN: The silent hero of modern learning

August 20, 2025 by Ana Pesovic, Nokia

The minimum learning requirement today is maximal connectivity--and this is where Optical LAN becomes a game changer.

From immersive AR/VR learning in science labs to hybrid classrooms, real-time collaboration platforms, and remote learning at scale, how students learn and educators teach is changing rapidly.

2025 AI in Education – A Microsoft Special Report

September 17, 2025August 16, 2025 by Jeff Festa

To better understand the state of AI in education, Microsoft Education has conducted numerous studies and surveys and collaborated with ... Read more

AI in Education

Data, privacy, and cybersecurity in schools: A 2025 wake-up call

July 30, 2025 by Rishi Raj Gera, Magic Edtech

In the rush to embrace AI, schools must not lose sight of their responsibility to protect students' data and privacy from shadow AI tools.

In 2025, schools are sitting on more data than ever before. Student records, attendance, health information, behavioral logs, and digital footprints generated by edtech tools have turned K-12…

Edtech Trends

Districts are more selective about edtech tools as they face a budget crisis

July 9, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

A new report offers a comprehensive view of how districts are navigating the crowded and complex landscape of edtech tools.

As districts grapple with mounting financial pressures, a new report notes a noticeable shift in edtech strategy as leaders prioritize impact over volume, demanding stronger alignment with institutional…

District Management

How our district turned a sea of data into a compass for change

July 7, 2025 by Dr. Adrienne Usher, Bullitt County Public Schools

Consolidating data in a single system helped a district more effectively meet the varied needs of its 13,000 students.

Before Bullitt County Public Schools implemented a comprehensive data system, we often found ourselves looking at multiple different data sources for each individual child.

Live @ ISTE 2025

Showfloor News: West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional SD focuses on student data, achievement

June 30, 2025 by Laura Ascione

In a first of its kind agreement, New Jersey’s West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District (WWP) announced a new partnership with Otus, the leading ... Read more

Newsline

Otus Awarded Practitioner-Informed Design Product Certification from Digital Promise

June 25, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Chicago (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, has been awarded the Practitioner-Informed Design product ... Read more

School Management

Reversing the absent trend: A school’s community-powered comeback

June 25, 2025 by Dr. Jason Hall, New Brighton Elementary School

Family engagement is key to counteracting chronic absenteeism, attendance challenges, and boosting academic success.

Since the global pandemic shut down schools and forced students to learn remotely, chronic absenteeism has more than doubled in schools nationwide. Our elementary school is no exception.

Live @ ISTE 2025

Showfloor News: Breaking Down Language Barriers

June 23, 2025June 23, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

Encore Data Products is set to showcase its latest educational technology at the ISTE 2025 conference. One of the most ... Read more

Innovation Insights

89% of Parents Want Schools to Lead on Phone-Free Policies

June 12, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

To promote adaptive repetitive thinking, educators can address unpleasant emotions that students may experience with content on digital media

Yondr, the pioneer of phone-free spaces, today released a groundbreaking new report capturing the sentiment of over 1,000 parents nationwide ... Read more

Teacher Well-Being

Teacher stress levels have surpassed pandemic-era highs

June 6, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Student behavior challenges, low compensation, and administrative demands are driving teacher stress, burnout, and turnover.

America’s K-12 educators are more stressed than ever, with many considering leaving the profession altogether, according to new survey data from Prodigy Education.

K-12 Cybersecurity

Phishing attacks are evolving, but schools can fight back

June 5, 2025 by Adam Ford, Zscaler

When everyone understands the threat of phishing attacks and knows how to respond, institutions can create a culture of cyber resilience.

The education sector has become an increasingly lucrative target for threat actors, not only because of the valuable data schools hold--student records, login credentials, Social Security numbers, and…

Newsline

Birmingham City Schools Leads Groundbreaking Research on Student Motivation and Math Achievement

June 3, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. /PRNewswire/ — Birmingham City Schools (BCS) is spearheading an innovative research initiative to explore the critical link between student motivation and ... Read more

COVID in Schools

Did the pandemic reopen gender-based math gaps?

June 2, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Educators should ensure pandemic learning recovery efforts don’t inadvertently reinforce old math gaps--or allow new ones to take hold.

STEM gaps in achievement between boys and girls that took more than a decade to close were reopened in just four years, according to a new study from…

Microsoft and FFA help students use smart sensors and AI to learn about the future of farming and technology

May 30, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

Microsoft Corp. and the National FFA Organization on Tuesday announced the national expansion of FarmBeats for Students, a cutting-edge educational program ... Read more

Digital Reading Among Students Hits Another Milestone

May 29, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

Sora recently announced the release of its second annual digital reading report for the 2023-2024 year, “The State of K-12 Digital Reading.” The report reveals ... Read more

Newsline

Ohio District Awarded CoSN Trusted Learning Environment Mini Seal for Student Data Privacy Practices

May 16, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Washington, D.C. – CoSN today awarded Delaware Area Career Center in Delaware, Ohio, the Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Mini Seal ... Read more

District Management

The business (and busy-ness) of education

November 7, 2025May 15, 2025 by Sean Slade, BTS Spark, America & Ken Simon, Institute for Educational Leadership

Every employee in a people-first culture--schools or business--should feel respected and feel that the company cares for them individually.

We often hear we should run our schools more like a business. It is intended to mean that we become more efficient and that we streamline our efforts…

Newsline

Otus Launches AI Advisory Board to Bring Voices of K-12 Leaders to the Forefront of Innovation

May 14, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

CHICAGO, IL (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, the leading K-12 assessment, data, and insights solution, today announced the formation of the ... Read more

Classroom Management

Beyond grades: Helping families support students academically

May 14, 2025 by Jacob Bruno, NWEA

Families can help students recover academically if they understand how their child is doing and how they can support academic success.

Five years ago, the COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic, and we quickly retreated into our homes, shuttered schools, and socially isolated. The lasting effects of this isolation…

A Vision for Personalized Learning

May 13, 2025May 10, 2025 by Jeff Festa

PowerSchool’s AI-driven support works across these tools to offer a whole-student data snapshot. This helps educators personalize learning for each ... Read more

Newsline

Otus Wins Gold Stevie® Award for Customer Service Department of the Year

May 1, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

CHICAGO, IL (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Otus, a leading provider of K-12 student data and assessment solutions, has been awarded a ... Read more

AI in Education

More districts eye AI training for teachers

April 30, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Teachers are integrating AI into instruction, but little is known about how districts are supporting them during the rollout of AI in schools

Roughly half of districts in a nationally representative survey reported that they have provided training to their teachers about generative AI-powered tools as of fall 2024, according to…

Innovation Insights

New Survey Reveals Teachers’ Concerns About College and Career Readiness Among Students

April 29, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

The future of edtech success in schools and classrooms depends on edtech evangelists to buoy edtech initiatives and successes.

Teachers are not very optimistic about their students’ preparedness for the future, regardless of whether their students are going to ... Read more

Teaching Trends

Beyond digital literacy: Why K-12 educators must prioritize data literacy

April 23, 2025 by Dr. Steve Baule & Dr. Joel J. Traver, Winona State University

Using digital tools does not mean students or educators possess data literacy or understand the quality, context, or implications of data.

While digital literacy has become an aspirational cornerstone of modern education, the exponential growth of data-driven decision-making across industries reveals critical gaps that demand a stronger focus on…

Innovation in Education

Cybersecurity in K-12 Education

April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

School systems experience nearly daily security incidents with increasing sophistication, resulting in data breaches, financial losses, and operational disruptions. Recent ... Read more

AI in Education

Philly teacher embraces AI but treads carefully amid data privacy and bias concerns

April 21, 2025 by Carly Sitrin, Chalkbeat

Educators say they want students to learn how to use AI and machines as a tool to help them locate their humanity within their own writing.

When Adrienne Staten’s fellow teachers first started talking about using artificial intelligence tools in their classrooms, Staten was not on board.

AI in Education

Data shows growing GenAI adoption in K-12

April 18, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Educators and administrators remain optimistic about GenAI's potential and the positive impact it can have on K-12 learning.

Almost 3 in 5 K-12 educators (55 percent) have positive perceptions about GenAI, despite concerns and perceived risks in its adoption, according to updated data from Cengage Group's…

Integrating AI Can Supercharge Operational Efficiency in Educational Facilities

June 11, 2025April 15, 2025 by Jeff Festa

Embrace a fresh strategy to boost operational efficiency and sustainability within your educational facility. By integrating AI, schools can ... Read more

Student Data Security

Leadership is key to protecting student data privacy in 2025

April 14, 2025 by Linnette Attai, CoSN

For many school districts, successful implementation of a student data privacy program may require some form of organizational change.

In the year 2025, no one should have to be convinced that protecting data privacy matters. For education institutions, it’s really that simple of a priority--and that complicated.

Innovation Insights

What the End of DoED Means for the EdTech Industry

April 17, 2025April 3, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

The Fed’s influence over school districts had implications beyond just funding and data. Eliminating The Office of Education Technology (OET) ... Read more

Profiles in Innovation

Fighting chronic absenteeism with data-driven insights–and a little fun, too

November 7, 2025March 26, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Chronic absenteeism remains a widespread challenge in schools across the country, but in Wisconsin, Racine Unified School District’s Julian Thomas Elementary and Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School are demonstrating that…

Student Data Security

Is your district safeguarding student data?

March 25, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

District edtech leaders offer an unprecedented look at gaps and opportunities in student data privacy across the nation.

Protecting student data is critical for school district IT leaders, but many cite leadership and training gaps, along with time and manpower, as obstacles in that pursuit, according…

K-12 Cybersecurity

K-12 cyberattacks threaten data–and students

March 20, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Through proactive cybersecurity strategies and collaboration, K-12 schools can improve cyber defenses against evolving cyberattacks.

The long-term impacts of K-12 cyberattacks, including lost learning time and disruptions to school operations, are just as damaging as stolen data, according to a new report from…

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