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.

Districts brace for fiscal cliff as COVID relief funding nears an end

Key points:

  • COVID relief funding must be spent in the next year, but administrators are grappling with inflation and high costs that have shifted priorities
  • One-third of superintendents believe all students will be impacted equally by the discontinuation of ARP-funded instructional programs
  • See related article: Federal COVID relief funding will dry up soon. Are districts ready?

With one year remaining to spend close to $200 billion in federal COVID relief funds, more than half of school district leaders are shifting their American Rescue Plan (ARP) spending decisions due to higher-than-expected costs and inflation, according to a survey administered by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

Educator feedback and the need to further direct resources toward the social and emotional needs of students were cited by nearly half of district leaders as the source for realigning spending priorities and decisions.…Read More

Solving school transportation troubles with Title I funds

Key points:

  • Schools often overlook funding sources that can help with bus challenges
  • Solving school transportation issues is another way to ensure all students have equitable access to educational opportunities
  • See related article: 4 best practices to support and retain school leaders

More than half of students in the U.S. attend high-poverty public schools–and in some states, that percentage is much higher. In Mississippi, for example, approximately 92 percent of students attend high-poverty schools.

These students are often subjected to daunting challenges, but getting a ride to school shouldn’t be one of them. Federally funded resources are available that can be used to help schools and districts address student transportation needs. But here’s the thing: too few districts are taking advantage of those resources. And as a result, too many students are struggling to get to their classrooms safely, consistently, and on time.…Read More

Navigate360’s Suite360 Social-Emotional Learning Solution Satisfies Tier IV ESSA Requirements

RICHFIELD, Ohio /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ —  Navigate360, the nation’s leader in K–12 school safety and student wellness solutions, proudly announces the official validation and endorsement of their  Suite360 social-emotional learning solution by LearnPlatform. This achievement underscores Suite360’s effectiveness in meeting the stringent criteria set by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Tier IV, thus fulfilling the evidence-based intervention prerequisites necessary for educational districts to procure the solution using allocated ESSA funds.

Amid a nationwide situation where students are grappling with various challenges, a recent study conducted by Navigate360 unveils a concerning reality—educators are encountering difficulties in adequately addressing the well-being of their students. Additionally, a staggering 84% of educators express that their students are lagging in self-regulation and interpersonal skills compared to the pre-COVID-19 era. At the same time, the landscape of swiftly advancing education technology coupled with the ever-evolving landscape of social-emotional curricula making it harder than ever for educational leaders to determine what truly makes a difference in schools and districts. Nevertheless, the convergence of appropriate technology and comprehensive social-emotional curricula has the potential to wield a substantial influence on the teaching and learning processes.

“Suite360 stands as a beacon of transformative change, offering educational leaders an empowering tool to cultivate essential social-emotional learning skills in their students. With a meticulously curated collection of 1,800 research-backed lessons, Suite360 aligns with the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), enabling students to develop vital proficiencies such as self-awareness, social awareness and responsible decision-making. This endorsement by LearnPlatform reaffirms Suite360’s pivotal role in reshaping education, equipping educators to create a positive learning environment where students’ well-being thrives alongside their academic success,” said JP Guilbault, CEO at Navigate360.…Read More

3 reasons to spend ESSER funds on school-home communications

Key points:

  • School-home communication is critical in boosting attendance and decreasing absenteeism
  • A thoughtful school communication plan is as important to good schooling as a great teacher
  • See related article: 5 ways video improves school-home communication

When you think about Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, do you think “HVAC?”

While ESSER funds were vital for making schools safer during the pandemic, they cover more than infrastructure. The true goal of ESSER funding is learning recovery, and the heart of learning recovery is attendance.…Read More

Connecticut State Department of Education Selects FEV Tutor for State’s New High-Dosage Tutoring Program

WOBURN, Mass. – The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has selected FEV Tutor as an approved tutoring service in the state’s new Connecticut High-Dosage Tutoring (HDT) Program. The HDT program is a new state initiative that aims to accelerate mathematics recovery for priority students in grades six through nine during the 2023-24 academic year. School districts that successfully apply to the program will receive a brief list of vetted and approved tutor providers, including FEV Tutor, as well as grant funds for implementing tutoring services.

The HDT program’s classification of “priority students” includes:

– Students with disabilities…Read More

Swing Education Raises $38 Million in Series C Funding

SAN FRANCISCO  – Swing Education, an online marketplace that connects schools and substitute teachers, announced today $38 million in Series C funding. The funding round was led by funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”), a leading global private equity advisory firm, and by edtech investment firm Reach Capital. The funding enables Swing Education to invest in its growth and better address the nation-wide substitute teacher shortage.

This financing follows a 2018 Series B funding co-led by GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Owl Ventures and a seed round from a consortium that included Social Capital, Kapor Capital, Moment Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Red House Education, and Edovate Capital.

Swing believes that every classroom deserves a teacher, and every student deserves to learn without disruption. Since its founding in 2015, Swing has worked to improve the experience of being a substitute teacher and made it easier for K-12 schools to grow and manage their substitute teacher pools. Swing currently works with over 2,800 school partners and in the 2022-23 school year has supported these schools in filling over one million instructional hours with substitute teachers. …Read More

Preparing for ransomware attacks begins with education

Key points:

  • Ransomware attacks can be devastating to a school or district, with costly ransoms and leaked sensitive information
  • The most effective security is layered; humans are only part of the equation

The biggest threat to K-12 schools’ cybersecurity is, ironically, education. It’s an expensive deficit. But there are funds and tools to help.

Ransomware – where hackers encrypt and lock victims’ data and try to sell the decryption key back to the victim for a ransom – delays education and hurts already-stretched budgets: A GAO report says a ransomware attack can cause K-12 students learning loss up to three weeks and cost from $50,000 to $1 million in expenses.…Read More

As ESSER spending increases, digital learning is a priority

After a slow start in allocating federal ESSER funds, most states have found ways to spend their COVID relief dollars. In Montana, the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is directing its ESSER money to digital learning resources.

OPI Superintendent Elsie Arntzen announced a new partnership with Discovery Education, a provider of state-of-the-art digital resources that support instruction wherever it takes place. Through this multi-year partnership, OPI is providing all 496 public school districts statewide access to a curated collection of high-quality, grade level appropriate, digital content aligned to Montana’s rigorous K-12 Content Standards.

The partnership–which is funded through ESSER–supports core instruction across Montana. In addition, the collaboration supports the state’s workforce readiness, rural education, Native American tribal history and culture, and parent and family engagement initiatives. Montana School Superintendents can activate their school district’s Discovery Education account by visiting this website.…Read More

Paycom Donated Nearly $300,000 To Local Public School Districts

OKLAHOMA CITY – Paycom Software Inc. (NYSE:PAYC), a leading provider of HR software, celebrates the end of the 2023 school year by awarding grants to four local public school foundations. These two-year commitments will provide Edmond, Millwood, Oklahoma City and Putnam City with funds needed to support ongoing and new educational programming specific to each district.

“Partnering with the public schools in the area is an important way Paycom supports our communities,” said Tiffany Gamblin, director of human resources business services at Paycom. “We know the power these programs can have on children and young adults. We’re grateful to play a part in helping tomorrow’s leaders shine.”

Each school district has a unique plan for the donations they received from Paycom.…Read More