4 things we need to realize about digital equity

As COVID made quite painfully clear, student access to reliable high-speed internet and engaging digital tools is essential. But many students don’t have access to these resources at school, at home, or both, leading to larger questions about the role of digital equity and student success during–and after–the pandemic.

A new CoSN study, supported by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, gives educators and policymakers a detailed view of students’ at-home learning experiences during the pandemic.

“Digital equity is not a new topic for CoSN. Since our founding, we have focused on addressing the digital divide and ensuring that fast connectivity, devices and equitable use happen in all classrooms. But since March 2020, the imperative of this outside-of-school challenge has become readily apparent to all. The Homework Gap was a chasm for millions of students and educators as the shift to remote learning occurred,” write Keith Krueger, CoSN’s CEO, and Steve Langford, chair of CoSN’s Board of Directors and the CIO of Oregon’s Beaverton School District, in the report’s introduction.…Read More

CITGO and Discovery Education Announce 2021 Fueling Education Challenge Winners

Silver Spring, Md. (Thursday, June 10, 2021) – CITGO Petroleum Corporation and Discovery Education today announced the winners of the 2021 Fueling Education Challenge. Building upon the CITGO Fueling Education initiative with Discovery Education, students in grades 5-8 were asked to identify a community problem and share a solution aligned to one of the four following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: safety and well-being, quality education, sustainable cities and communities, and life on land.

The winning 2021 Fueling Education Challenge winners are:

First Place: Camellia S., an 8th grader from Henrico County Public Schools in Henrico, VA, for their project using artificial intelligence to detect skin cancer.…Read More

5 tips for creating a successful math intervention initiative

Early studies are showing significant learning loss in math due to the pandemic. Because of this, teachers need to be prepared to identify and fix any gaps when all students return to in-person learning.

Over a decade ago, Vail School District overhauled our math curriculum and intervention plan and have continued to make updates as our students’ needs have evolved. In this article, I’ll share my top five “must haves” for any math intervention initiative.

Tip #1: Monitor progress throughout the year…Read More

Mesa Public Schools and S.A.V.E. Consortium Name CoderZ as Approved Vendor

DERRY, N.H. – May 11, 2021 – CoderZ, creators of innovative educational solutions using virtual robotics to bring core subject areas like math and science to life through real-world applications, today announced that it has been selected as an approved STEM curriculum resource for enrichment by Mesa Public Schools and the Strategic Alliance for Volume Expenditures (S.A.V.E.) consortium.

“We are extremely honored to be selected as a preferred provider,” said CoderZ CEO, Ido Yerushalmi. “With this vetting initiative complete, Mesa Public Schools along with S.A.V.E. members, can implement our well-structured and inclusive curriculum with the knowledge that the program meets and exceeds the requirements to become an integral component of a school’s STEM implementation.”

The requests for proposals covered the following areas:…Read More

Nebraska public school districts begin unified effort to prioritize principal leadership, launch Tri-City ASCEND Academy

A collective commitment to principal leadership is underway in Central Nebraska, with a trio of school districts — Grand Island Public Schools (GIPS), Hastings Public Schools (HPS) and Kearney Public Schools (KPS) — announcing the launch of the Tri-City ASCEND Academy. This organic principal initiative was grown out of the districts’ need to focus on systematic improvements to the preparation, hiring, support and management of school leaders.

“We’ve long known that strong principal leadership is a key lever to improved student achievement,” said Nebraska Education Commissioner Dr. Matthew L. Blomstedt.  “The efforts of the Tri-City Alliance demonstrate partnerships to build a lasting legacy of strong leadership and are the type of models we need to build and sustain educational improvement across the state.”

Also referred to as ASCEND, the Tri-City Alliance is a principal pipeline that offers a range of talent management activities for which the districts themselves are responsible. These include: …Read More

Evoca Leverages its Unique Architecture to Help Create New Type of Educational Resource, “Evoca Learn”

Evoca, a revolutionary next-generation television service, today announced a new initiative, Evoca Learn. In addition to its lineup of 60+ traditional entertainment, news, and sports channels, Evoca Learn will curate 24-hour educational programming and is committed to contextualizing classroom learning, deepening understanding, helping students identify and connect with career paths, and fostering a lifelong dedication to learning.

The first program to launch under the Evoca Learn umbrella is the Field Trip Channel, which will broadcast live experiences and additional content to classrooms and family rooms in each Evoca market. Kids and families will soon be able to experience live educational events, competitions, and festivals, while exploring new environments and meeting experts from a variety of fields and industries. 

The Field Trip Channel will be offered free in markets where Evoca operates and is part of a new educational initiative involving partnerships with educational providers, cultural institutions, community organizations, governments, and employers. As Evoca grows across the country, the Field Trip Channel will partner with local institutions and organizations for custom programming. For more information about Evoca Learn, visit evoca.tv/learn.

“Field trips are critical for learning, but funding has been on the decline and some schools have eliminated them entirely,“ said Evoca President and CEO, Todd Achilles. “Virtual and hybrid experiences are increasingly common, and we saw an opportunity to expand the reach for this educational content for kids as well as adult continuing education, upskilling, English language learning, and more. We see some gaps in this type of education across the US and are working with partners to create channels that meet these needs within our communities.”

Evoca harnesses the power of ATSC 3.0 – America’s newest broadcast TV standard – to provide subscribers unmatched audio and video clarity and a variety of quality, must-watch TV programming. The service includes a growing lineup of high-quality, high-definition programming via proprietary receiver (called “Scout”) to access live local sports, news, weather channels, as well as some of  the most popular video-on-demand programming. An early access program launched in Boise in 2020, with additional markets to follow in 2021.…Read More

Pivot to Remote Learning Allows TCS’ Ignite My Future in School Program to Reach 1 Million U.S. K-12 Students

Tata Consultancy Services’ Pioneering Computational Thinking Initiative Accelerates Adoption by 350+ U.S. School Districts Across all 50 U.S. States and Expands to 70+ Countries

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced that its Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) STEM/computer science education program — which was created in partnership with Discovery Education, the global leader in K-12 digital resources and professional learning — surpassed its five year goal of reaching one million U.S. K-12 students, a full year ahead of schedule. The pioneering program empowers educators to teach computational thinking, which are the critical skills that help students solve real-life problems and challenges by expressing them in a way that computers can solve.

In the wake of COVID-19, TCS moved the IMFIS program to a 100 percent virtual format, helping improve equity and access to high-quality digital content for educators and students, specifically those from under resourced communities. TCS will continue growing its investment to bring IMFIS to every student and educator in the U.S. and abroad, while focusing on supporting disconnected and marginalized student populations and empowering girls in STEM. Beyond the U.S., the virtual program is now enabled to be rapidly adopted by educators in more than 70 countries in response to the growing global interest in computational thinking resources to engage students.…Read More

Future of School Announces Microsoft as the Newest Resilient Schools Project Partner

Future of School (FoS) today announced that Microsoft has joined as a partner in the Resilient Schools Project (RSP) to provide access to valuable training sessions from Microsoft Store aimed to support educators with remote and hybrid learning. The RSP, a partnership between FoS and the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC), is an initiative designed

to help schools and districts respond to instruction disruptions during the 2020-21 school year and beyond.

“Addressing immediate school district challenges is only the beginning of the Resilient Schools Project,” said Amy Valentine, CEO and Education Evangelist of Future of School. “Now is the time to think big and pursue ambitious goals related to flexibility, accessibility, equity and achievement. It’s clear that Microsoft’s commitment to the transformative potential of technology, and to giving educators and students tools that empower them, makes it an ideal partner to work with us in pursuit of the RSP’s objective.”…Read More

Nova Launches National Youth Science Communication Initiative: Nova Science Studio

Today, the award-winning science series NOVA, produced for PBS by GBH Boston, announced the launch of NOVA Science Studio, a new national program to teach and engage young people through an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on science communication, digital media literacy, and video production. With a goal to empower youth with the skills to tell engaging stories about science through short-form videos and create a platform to amplify the voices of young people who have been traditionally underrepresented in science communication, NOVA Science Studio will give students exposure to a wide range of careers in journalism, media production, and STEM. The program will run now through June 2021. A video trailer for the new initiative can be found  here.

The program will include 30 middle- and high-school students representing five regions around the country: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West Coast. The program, NOVA’s first focused effort to create educational resources to teach science communication to teens, grew out of a pilot program during the 2018-2019 academic year in the Boston area that worked with nearly 30 students. Each new region will be led by a NOVA Science Studio Site Coordinator who brings an expertise in science communication and video production; the group includes science communicators, producers, and teachers who have a strong track record of covering science through multi-platform storytelling. Names and bios for the site coordinators can be found here.

NOVA Science Studio will also draw on NOVA’s own talent, with participation by members of the editorial, broadcast, and digital teams.…Read More

The STEM Careers Coalition Celebrates Black Leaders in STEM with Dynamic Digital Careers Content and Exclusive Virtual Events

The  STEM Careers Coalition – the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate leaders and anchored in schools by Discovery Education – invites educators, students, and communities to celebrate Black leaders in STEM year-round with the launch of dynamic careers content and a series of virtual educator events. The array of new on-demand resources leverages the power of digital content to connect all learners to their innate curiosity by bringing real-world STEM to life in the classroom. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms worldwide.

Connecting the dots between classrooms and careers, the STEM Careers Coalition presents a robust array of career profiles introducing students to leaders in dynamic industries and job roles – like Boeing aircraft maintenance technician Brandon James, engineering project manager Antoine Sande from American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Microsoft program manager Wadood Daoud, drilling engineer Jesica Holley at Chevron, and senior policy advisor Uni Blake from American Petroleum Institute – and shows how students can use their STEM skills to make a difference in the world. Each career profile video is accompanied by fun activities that help students gain a deeper understanding of the world of work, helping them see themselves as the next generation of STEM leaders. Learn more  here.

Discovery Education is supporting the launch of this new content with two exclusive virtual events spotlighting the importance and value of diversity in STEM:…Read More

TEA Announce Free Access To Supplemental Math Computer Program for Texas

Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) today announced that a supplemental K-5 math computer program will be made available to school systems through TEA’s Texas Home Learning 3.0 (THL 3.0) initiative. Like other THL 3.0 offerings, these instructional materials are optional and aligned to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)—the state standards for what grade-level knowledge and skills students should possess.

“ST Math is an effective and engaging program that will help students stay on track whether they are in a classroom or learning virtually,” said Governor Abbott. “The State of Texas will continue to expand the THL 3.0 program and ensure access to dynamic learning opportunities for students across the state.”

“We’re excited that  ST Math’s adaptive online product for grades K-5 will be made available to all Texas school systems and families at no cost to them. ST Math’s unique approach provides students with equitable access to learning through challenging puzzles, non-routine problem solving, and informative feedback,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “Each curricular offering through THL 3.0 is dynamic and innovative; these new instructional materials for math will not only be fun for kids, but will also help the lessons to really stick.”…Read More

Learning through gaming

When students are so deeply engaged in a task that they can’t wait to dive in — and at the same time, they’re learning fundamental skills that are critical for their success — it’s a magical combination.

That’s what a lucky group of 20 students at Horace Mann UCLA Community School are about to experience as they take part in an innovative afterschool program. The students will practice and reflect on 21st century skills such as problem solving, communication, and teamwork as they compete against each other in the popular online video game League of Legends.

A partnership between UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Mann is a public school serving students in grades 6-12. As director of the UCLA Community Schools Initiative, Dr. Christine Shen serves as a liaison between the school and the university. Her typical day consists of interacting with others and solving problems, and so she knows firsthand the value of these skills.…Read More