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.

SchooLinks Celebrates Second Consecutive Year on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Austin, TX (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SchooLinks, the cutting-edge college and career readiness platform, is proud to announce its second consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000 list. This is a testament to the company’s remarkable growth and commitment to revolutionizing college and career readiness across the country.

The Inc. 5000 list is a prestigious ranking that showcases the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. It recognizes organizations that have demonstrated exceptional adoption growth rates. SchooLinks has achieved this distinction for the second year in a row, underscoring its continuous expansion and industry leadership.

SchooLinks was founded with a mission to redefine the way students prepare for their future. The platform offers innovative solutions that prioritize the unique needs of students while providing educators with powerful tools to enhance their workflows and improve student outcomes. SchooLinks’ commitment to delivering value to students and educators has been instrumental in its rapid ascent on the Inc. 5000 list.…Read More

Technology as a bridge–not a shortcut–to student relationships

Key points:

The research is clear: Connections are game changers in helping young people from low-income households achieve upward economic mobility later in life.

The critical role that relationships play in the opportunity equation was well-documented in political scientist Robert Putnam’s 2015 book, Our Kids. Putnam’s argument was further confirmed in recent, large-scale research by Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his team at Opportunity Insights, who mined 21 billion data points from de-identified Facebook data to discover that cross-class connections were a leading predictor of upward mobility in adulthood. The analysis also offered school-level data charting “economic connectedness”–or lack thereof–within individual high schools and colleges across the country.…Read More

Coming out of the AI closet: A scholar’s embrace of ChatGPT-4

Key points:

  • Instead of running from AI advancements, scholars should leverage its capabilities
  • ChatGPT-4 has ushered in a new era of brainstorming, structuring, and academic possibility
  • See related article: How to redefine learning in the digital age

For the past 12 years, I’ve navigated the rigorous waters of academia – from my MBA journey to obtaining a Ph.D. in business, and now diving into a Doctorate in education. It has been an odyssey of intellectual growth and endurance. However, an unexpected ally emerged in the last six months: ChatGPT-4. In this brief period, this AI tool has intensified my research prowess, sharpened my analytical acumen, and enhanced my productivity.

Today, with conviction and defiance against naysayers, I am stepping out from the shadows, declaring loud and proud: I harness the power of AI in my academic work, and no, it is not cheating. The era of AI-enhanced academia is dawning, and I stand at its vanguard, ready to redefine what is possible.…Read More

Hadley Introduces Social 529 App Transforming The Way Americans Save For College And Career Training

LOS ANGELES, CA — Hadley, a new app seeking to make it easy and social to save for school and career training costs, announced today its official launch after a successful beta period. The app, named after Founder and CEO Yosh Miller’s niece, simplifies finding and funding 529 savings accounts, helping others plan for future education and career training expenses without any advisory or monthly subscription fees.

Hadley breaks down systemic barriers that blocked people from starting 529 accounts sooner. Traditionally, parents are the main contributors to their 529 plans and wait on average until their children are seven years old before setting up an account due to the reality that many families face immediate financial needs like daycare and doctor visits that make long-term saving for education more difficult. Now, families can open and link their 529 accounts to Hadley for free, even before their child is born, so others can contribute to it – allowing families to take full advantage of the power of tax-free compounded growth. In turn, Hadley helps families to start saving more, sooner.

Miller, a former Deloitte Strategy and Operations consultant for government agencies and strategy executive for MRC Entertainment, created Hadley to address families’ challenges when planning and saving for education. One of Hadley’s most impactful features allows family members and friends to contribute to a 529 plan, even if they don’t directly own the account. App users can quickly link their new or existing 529 plans to their Hadley account, making it easy for others to contribute to a child’s or adult’s education. App users can make one-time gifts or set up recurring contributions to their own or others’ accounts. Hadley works with all 529 Plans, 529 Advisor Plans, and 529 ABLE Plans.…Read More

The future of AI in education points to holistic learning environments

Key points:

  • Artificial intelligence won’t replace educators–but it can enhance their abilities
  • AI in education has the potential to streamline tasks across the board to improve workflows
  • See related article: Embracing AI for limitless learning potential

In the past year, AI has become the shiny new technology across industry sectors. In fact, in education specifically, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way teachers can support students and their individual journeys. But the problem with AI today is the misunderstanding of its potential–especially when it comes to AI in education. 

AI in education isn’t about replacing human educators, and it certainly doesn’t mean that students are off the hook with AI-written essays and assignments. Educators and administrators need to understand the power of AI and how it can–and will–open once-closed doors not only for students, but also for school staff in supporting their students’ journeys and their futures.…Read More

Transhumanism and AI in education: Revolutionary leap or ethical abyss?

Key points:

  • Transhumanism promotes human advancement via emerging technologies
  • But as technologies like AI expand, many tools are not universally accessible, which could exacerbate educational disparities
  • See related article: Why AI’s flaws won’t slow its adoption

We collectively stand in the beginning stages of academic and technological innovation. Universities and labs across the globe are stirring a revolution. Transhumanism, a philosophy advocating for human augmentation through emerging technologies like AI, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology, is shaping a new educational frontier. The genesis was Chat GPT, an AI developed by OpenAI that exhibits human-like text generation, but that was just the start of this profound transformation. Those who attempted an outright ban early in 2023 now seem out of step with the future.

Transhumanism aims to transcend human limitations, a concept no longer purely theoretical. In the realm of sports, for instance, we see strength-enhancing “powered clothing” by Seismic and performance-boosting drugs like EPO, repurposed by athletes from its original use for severe anemia. …Read More

55 back-to-school tips and insights for a great year

It’s back-to-school season across the country, and while this is met with mixed emotions, like it or not, classroom doors are open and welcoming students.

Here are some back-to-school tips, advice, and valuable insights from educators, stakeholders, and industry experts.

We need to prioritize discussions on how to effectively support multilingual students. Our country is home to a wide range of diverse and vibrant cultures, and it’s important that we acknowledge and value the languages these students already bring with them when they enter U.S. schools. Unfortunately, our education system often struggles to provide adequate support for these students if they don’t know English. However, I am hopeful that this year we will witness a renewed commitment towards providing resources, policies, and initiatives that cater to English Language Learners and promote multilingualism in schools. School and district leaders will be actively seeking innovative approaches, leveraging data, and collaborating with advocacy organizations and policymakers to bring about meaningful changes in how we educate English Language Learners.
–Dr. Maria Armstrong, Executive Director, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS)…Read More

Teachers are surprise AI champions

Key points:

  • While some reports have teachers wary of AI in the classroom, a new survey reveals that approximately half of teachers are excited about its potential
  • Teachers say they can use AI for research, lesson plans, generating classroom materials, and more
  • See related article: Is generative AI a new secret weapon, or just another gadget?

Roughly half of teachers say they are excited about AI’s potential in the classroom and say they believe it increases learning equity, according to a new survey from study platform Quizlet. 

The first-ever State of AI in Education Report polled students and teachers in the U.S. on how they are using AI in the classroom and how these technologies are shaping the future of education.…Read More