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.

Illustrative Mathematics Announces IM® 360 for K-12 Educators and Students

TUCSON, Ariz. /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Illustrative Mathematics (IM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics, announced today the upcoming release of IM® 360, its innovative new curriculum for grades K–12.

Guided and inspired by educators doing extraordinary things since its inception in 2011, IM is continually improving curriculum support for its problem-based instructional model based on feedback from school leaders, teachers, and students. IM 360 is the organization’s largest-scale curriculum upgrade to date, designed in response to the expressed needs of educators and learners in the K–12 math community.

“IM greatly values the dynamic relationships we have with school leaders and teachers across the country, which serve as the guiding compass for IM’s trajectory,” said Gail Hartman, IM’s Senior Vice President of Product Strategy and Development. “This ongoing partnership and the feedback it generates about our products enable the IM team to identify areas for improvement, refine accordingly, and foster innovative solutions that are genuinely transformative for K–12 math classrooms.”…Read More

3 strategies to streamline K-12 data management

Key points:

  • K-12 educators have hundreds of data sources, but that data is siloed
  • Learning to manage a sea of data can help support your district’s strategic mission
  • See related article: Reaching data readiness: 10 steps to take

Think about all the data points available at your average school district.

Standardized test scores. Behavioral assessments. Attendance. And grades, of course. Not to mention, most districts are assessing grit, emotional wellness, and individual personal growth plans as well.…Read More

Tutor.com Announces Launch of Round-the-Clock Online Tutoring for South Orange and Maplewood Students

NEW YORK —  Tutor.com, one of the world’s largest and most innovative online tutoring organizations, announced today that it has been selected by the  South Orange & Maplewood School District to provide round-the-clock online tutoring for students in grades 3 through 12 at no cost to them. Through the partnership, expert tutors are available 24/7, and 1-to-1 tutoring for each student is unlimited.

We applaud SOMSD for their commitment to providing equitable, individualized tutoring for students districtwide, said Sandi White, Chief Institutional Officer at Tutor.com and The Princeton Review. We have seen the impact that on-demand support has on student achievement, and we are dedicated to providing expert help—anytime, anywhere—that gives students agency to achieve their educational goals.

“One of the most effective ways to enhance instruction and student achievement is through tutoring. This partnership is making tutoring more available than ever, and that is completely aligned with our efforts to build greater equity among our students and their ability to achieve academic success,” said Dr. Ronald Taylor, Superintendent of the Schools of South Orange and Maplewood. “This would not be possible without the efforts of our Information Technology Department successfully providing all of our students with Chromebooks and internet access during the pandemic shutdown. I want to thank them, Assistant Superintendent Ann Bodnar, and our Curriculum and Instruction Team for their efforts in making this resource available to so many of our students.”

The program features include:…Read More

KinderLab Robotics Debuts AI Curriculum for Young Learners

Waltham, MA – KinderLab Robotics, a leader in educational STEAM robotics for grades pre-K–5, has launched Thinking with KIBO: Introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Early Grades, a free curriculum designed to help students understand how AI tools work and think critically about how these tools can improve lives in their communities.

Designed for students in grades 1–3, each of the lessons allow students to explore fundamental ideas about AI through activities with the hands-on and screen-free KIBO robot. Thinking with KIBO engages with computer science concepts in K–5, alongside evolving content standards in artificial intelligence. The curriculum is ideal for a 5–6 week unit in computer science or technology/media classes, as well as afterschool programs, enrichment centers, libraries, makerspaces, and more.

“We can make advanced and abstract ideas like AI accessible to young kids when we stick with what works in early childhood: hands-on experience with physical manipulatives and playful opportunities for self-directed knowledge construction,” said Jason Innes, director of curriculum, training, and product management at KinderLab Robotics. “KIBO provides a research-proven method to explore computer science, engineering, and now AI concepts in early childhood STEM education.” …Read More

More students are seeking an AI-powered school year

Key points:

  • Two out of three students seek outside homework and studying help
  • When used thoughtfully and in conjunction with teacher expertise, AI can be a powerful tool to enhance learning outcomes for students
  • See related article: 5 ways AI can help teachers in the classroom

Students are gearing up for the 2023 school year, and new research from Brainly reveals the vital role of AI in education and its place as an integral element in middle and high school students’ academic life – even as educators debate and worry whether the revolutionary technology belongs in the classroom.

Brainly’s Back-to-School survey highlights a growing trend–66.5 percent of students in grades 6-12 actively seek external support for their homework and study needs. With 57 percent expressing concerns about excessive homework, it is evident that students are keen on finding additional resources to aid their academic progress. Forty-five percent of these students spend more than two hours daily on homework. …Read More

HMH Introduces Generative AI Teacher Supports in its Connected Literacy Solution to Empower Educators

BOSTON – As part of its human-centered approach to AI in K-12 education, learning technology company  HMH today announced new OpenAI-powered integrations within  Writable, its award-winning writing practice and assessment solution for grades 3-12. Within HMH’s connected literacy solution, Writable’s new GenAI capabilities increase the impact teachers can have by engaging more students with targeted feedback and motivating better writing in the moment. This approach to AI is teacher-guided, allowing teachers to incorporate AI-suggested feedback and scores into their instruction. This saves valuable time teachers can use to invest in student connections.

“At HMH, we believe technology should be applied with purpose to deepen the human connections that accelerate learning outcomes,” says Jack Lynch, CEO at HMH. “Today’s announcement represents a thoughtful step forward in the transformative journey of using generative AI to enhance student learning and give teachers time back to do what only they can do, which is really connect with their students on a human level.”

Providing comprehensive and skill-aligned feedback on student essays is time-consuming, and educators often wish they could offer more support during a student’s writing process. To address this challenge, Writable’s new generative AI-powered tools include AI-generated prompts and assignments, AI-suggested feedback and scores on any writing assignment, as well as tools to guard against plagiarism and detect AI writing in student submissions.…Read More

First AI-powered School Year Begins, Ushering in a New Era in Education

NEW YORK –  Students are gearing up for the 2023 school year, and new research from  Brainly reveals that AI is an integral element in middle and high school students’ academic life – even as educators debate and worry whether the revolutionary technology belongs in the classroom.

In its Back-to-School survey,  Brainly, the leading learning platform for all school subjects and grades, highlights a growing trend – a remarkable 66.5% of students in grades 6-12 actively seek external support for their homework and study needs. With 57% expressing concerns about excessive homework, it is evident that students are keen on finding additional resources to aid their academic progress. Forty-five percent of these students spend more than two hours daily on homework. 

Where are students going for help? To their AI tools. Brainly’s research shows that 67% of middle and high school students are using AI to help with their schoolwork.…Read More

Aperture Education Launches Two New Solutions to Cultivate Students’ Social and Emotional Competence 

Charlotte N.C. – Aperture Education, the leading provider of research-based social and emotional learning assessments for K-12 schools, has added two new solutions to its product suite. Aperture’s student-facing portal offers a new DESSA Middle School Student Self-Report to capture student voice regarding their social and emotional skills and deliver gamified activities to build student’s competence, guiding them through self-paced key growth areas designed specifically for grades 6-8. Also debuting is the SEL Strategies and Interventions Package, which supports busy teachers with recommendations for universal and targeted instructional practices that are directly aligned with students’ DESSA assessment results. 

These new offerings further Aperture’s commitment to build resilient school communities using a proactive, strength-based approach that fosters positive student and educator mindsets in order to accelerate learning.

“As schools continue to grapple with the disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic, investing in social and emotional learning is critical if we want to help students build a strong foundation for success in the classroom and beyond,” said Evelyn Johnson, vice president, Research and Development at Aperture Education. “With our research-based foundation and accurate and actionable data, Aperture empowers both students and teachers with the appropriate steps for nurturing social and emotional competencies. Our new offerings – Middle School Student Self-Report and SEL Strategies and Interventions Package – are important components for changing the trajectory of learning with a focus on students’ strengths, while driving positive classroom environments and optimal learning outcomes.” …Read More

Tutor.com Announces Partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools to Provide Unlimited Tutoring for K–12 Students

NEW YORK —  Tutor.com, one of the world’s largest and most innovative online tutoring organizations, announced that it has been selected by Pittsburgh Public School District, the largest of 43 districts in Allegheny County and the second-largest district in Pennsylvania, to provide 24/7 online tutoring for all students in grades K–12.

Through the partnership, which launches today, nearly 19,000 students across 54 Pittsburgh public schools can access one-to-one expert tutoring, test prep, concept review, and homework help across 218 subject areas, including IB™ and AP® subjects as well as many topics in Spanish. Providing this service advances the District’s mission “to prepare all children to achieve academic excellence and strength of character so that they have the opportunity to succeed in all aspects of life.”

“We believe that all children can learn at high levels,” said Dr. Wayne N. Walters, Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools. “By making individualized academic support available on an unlimited basis for every district student, we aim to meet learners’ needs and support their achievement. By partnering with Tutor.com, we are ensuring that every student can get help—whenever they need it, as frequently as they need it, in whatever they’re studying.”…Read More

4 engaging assessment ideas for middle and high school

Key points:

  • When students have different ways to demonstrate learning, educators can collect more accurate data
  • Middle and high school students benefit from choice, and different assessment options can lead to better engagement
  • See related article: 3 new trends in student assessment

As an educator and leader who grades holistically, it becomes important to consider how to create well rounded assessments that offer students myriad different opportunities to demonstrate their learning.

Providing students with authentic and varied assessment opportunities helps educators gather datapoints on a student holistically. What is equally important is that we provide varied assessment opportunities so students can demonstrate understanding in different ways. This article offers ideas that are outside traditional essay writing and test taking mediums.…Read More