IT Archives

What schools need to know about accessibility compliance as ADA deadline looms

April 13, 2026April 13, 2026 by Christina Adams, Siteimprove

Accessibility compliance ensures students, parents, and community members with disabilities can properly and effectively access content.

Recent updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act means digital accessibility for public educational institutions can not be ignored. It will become a legal mandate.

Curriculum & Assessment

It’s time to rewrite math standards for the future–and to stop expecting AI to do it for us

April 12, 2026April 9, 2026 by Jill Diniz & James Tanton, SmartWithIt

$As we look ahead and begin to redefine math education, one thing is abundantly clear: AI won’t fix bad pedagogy.$

While nearly every industry is racing to integrate artificial intelligence, most schools are still teaching high school math the way it’s been done for decades--rooted in instructional material…

School Management

5 secrets to stronger high school connections

March 31, 2026 by Tracey Widmann, McDowell High School

A comprehensive school communication system often means the difference between parents knowing they’re true partners and feeling left out.

I’ve been a principal for 14 years, during which time I served as the leader of an alternative school, an early college, and a large middle school. Through…

Teaching Trends

The next wave of K-12 innovation: How educators are shaping the future of edtech

March 30, 2026 by Dr. Matthew X. Joseph, New Bedford Public Schools

Edtech innovation can come from teachers who remove learning guardrails and show students the joy and excitement in trying something new.

Every school year brings an influx of IT solutions designed to reinvent K-12 education. Schools are primed to jump on the latest technologies to address the issues most…

K-12 Cybersecurity

Why digital resilience is critical for U.S. K-12 schools

March 23, 2026 by James Griffin, CyberSentriq

Education depends on stability--in a digital-first environment, that stability increasingly rests on cyber resilience.

While prevention remains essential, 2025 has reinforced a hard lesson for district leaders: it’s not a question of if a cyber incident will occur, but how prepared a…

STEM & STEAM Trends

Boosting student engagement on World Math Day

March 20, 2026 by Sheila Robitaille, Educator and Administrator

$World Math Day builds lesson practice in a gaming environment and is very effective in helping students build a love for learning.$

If you’re feeling a bit sluggish (rightly so), most likely your students are. It may not feel like they are the prime audience for learning about multiplication, division,…

School Data Management

Data intelligence in education: Building the right foundation for better decisions

March 19, 2026 by Rishi Raj Gera, Magic EdTech

Education needs systems that make trusted data usable--that is where real transformation in data intelligence and data management begins.

Data has become one of the most important strategic assets in education. Yet across institutions, publishers, and edtech companies, it often remains fragmented, inconsistently governed, and difficult to…

AI in Education

The layer every AI roundup is missing: Why methodology matters more than content

March 18, 2026 by Adriana Perusin, Flip Education

The AI tools that will actually shift outcomes for students are the ones built on pedagogical foundations.

Last year, a third-grade teacher in São Paulo told me she had "finally found the perfect AI tool." It generated colorful worksheets in seconds. Vocabulary lists, reading comprehension…

District Management

A superintendent’s view: Engagement, not enforcement, is the answer to absenteeism

March 17, 2026 by Dr. Luvelle Brown, Superintendent, Ithaca City School District

Chronic absenteeism rarely begins with a student deciding to break a rule--more often, it reflects a gradual erosion of engagement.

Chronic student absenteeism has reached troubling new heights in the post-pandemic K-12 landscape, with one in four students in many systems now missing significant class time.

AI in Education

The AI-resistant classroom is a myth: Designing assessments that assume AI is present

March 12, 2026 by Steven M. Baule, Ed.D., Ph.D.

The goal is not to eliminate AI from the classroom; the goal is to ensure that human thinking remains central.

Artificial intelligence is no longer approaching the classroom--it is already embedded in it. Students are using generative tools to brainstorm, summarize, translate, draft, and revise.

District Management

Key tips to help district leaders use data to improve attendance

March 11, 2026 by Dr. Kara Stern, SchoolStatus

Chronic absenteeism is predictable and preventable--if district leaders respond quickly enough to change the pattern.

Chronic absenteeism has become one of the most pressing challenges facing K-12 education today. According to the American Enterprise Institute, chronic absenteeism rates are leveling out at 23.5…

Digital Learning Tools

As classrooms go digital, are educators ready?

March 9, 2026 by Emma B. Kassan, Sy Doan, and Julia H. Kaufman, RAND

Educators can develop best practices that ensure digital learning fulfills its promise rather than amplifies its problems.

Today, about 80 percent of K–12 students use computers or tablets at school--up from about 50 percent before the pandemic. Even as parents worry about too much “screen…

District Management

When it comes to student attendance, are districts measuring the wrong thing?

March 6, 2026 by George Philhower, Ed.D., Eastern Hancock Schools

As the pressure to improve student attendance mounts, it’s silencing the alarm that kids are still struggling once they return to classrooms.

Across the country, schools are raising alarms about chronic absenteeism. News stories highlight rising numbers of missed days, legislators are demanding answers from districts, and educators are feeling…

District Management

In districts, reaching readiness, retention, and success

March 5, 2026 by Laura Ascione

Using data to drive decisions through every district process helps you retain teachers who give their best to students. teacher retention

It's critical that schools create an environment where students thrive and teachers and staff feel supported and empowered.

AI in Education

Nearly half of high school students now use AI in college search

March 4, 2026 by ESchool News Staff

A new survey of high school students finds AI has growing influence on whether students go to college, where they apply, and what they study.

AI is transforming the way students discover, evaluate, and choose colleges, according to a national survey of more than 5,000 high school students conducted by education company EAB.

AI in Education

AI didn’t break homework: It exposed what was already broken

February 23, 2026 by Nesreen El-Baz, Bloomsbury Education Author & School Governor

In an AI era where homework can be generated instantly, the most valuable evidence of learning is human reasoning behind the finished product

Who among us has never copied a homework answer in a hurry? Borrowed a friend’s paragraph? Accepted a parent’s “small correction” that eventually became a full rewrite?

Personalized Learning

Tips and tools to effectively differentiate learning for student engagement

February 17, 2026 by Emily Skinner, Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District

When we use differentiation to meet students at their level and celebrate their progress, we help them discover their love for learning.

As a paraprofessional for over 3 years and going on my 5th year as a certified special education resource teacher, I’ve learned that no two learners are ever…

Literacy

What’s in and out in literacy instruction for 2026

February 11, 2026 by Stacy Hurst, Reading Horizons

Solving the literacy crisis requires commitment to implementation and letting go of familiar approaches that aren't serving students.

The conversation around literacy instruction has reached a turning point. After decades of debate, we're finally seeing a broad consensus around evidence-based practices--but the challenge now is moving…

Students with Special Needs

Mis-identifying “504-only” students

February 6, 2026 by Perry A. Zirkel, Retired Professor of Education Law

At a time of teacher shortage, high percentages of students with 504 plans contributes to current recruitment and attrition problems.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination against students and other individuals with disabilities, is far less visible than the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)…

Student Well-Being

How early cognitive training leads to lifelong brain strength

February 4, 2026 by Dominick Fedele, Mastermind

Cognitive training can help improve student engagement and performance, while building a foundation for robust brain health in the future.

As we continue to make strides in understanding the brain--its strengths and weaknesses, how it develops, and its incredible potential--one idea has continued to strike conversation: the profound…

AI in Education

The digital divide redux: Why AI is the new broadband

February 3, 2026 by Dr. Mark Taormino, College of Southern Nevada

AI models should ensure every instructor, student, and creator has a viable economic access path--ads are a roadblock.

Remember the early 2000s, back when high-speed internet felt like a luxury reserved for the tech elite and the lucky few with deep pockets? We called it the…

AI in Education

2026 prediction: AI may unleash the most entrepreneurial generation we’ve ever seen

January 27, 2026 by Thomas Arnett, Clayton Christensen Institute

Today's students are future innovators in a landscape where powerful new tools of creation--AI--are sitting right in front of them.

Picture someone sitting at a kitchen table after the kids are finally in bed, laptop open, half-drunk mug of herbal tea nearby. For years, she has had a…

Digital Learning Tools

On your mark, get set, print: The 3 learning advantages of 3D printing

January 21, 2026 by Jon Oosterman, Van Andel Institute for Education

When used with purpose, 3D printing transforms from a common classroom tool into a launchpad for student discovery and learning.

It’s truly incredible how much new technology has made its way into the classroom. Where once teaching consisted primarily of whiteboards and textbooks, you can now find tablets,…

District Management

Beyond the dashboard: Why K-12 educators need data literacy, not just data

January 20, 2026 by Dr. Curt Merlau, Resultant

The power of any data dashboard isn't in the dashboard itself--it's in the conversations that happen around it. Data literacy is critical.

Walk into any data meeting at a K-12 school today, and you'll likely see a familiar scene: educators huddled around printed reports, highlighters in hand, trying to make…

Teacher Professional Development

We built evaluation for accountability–now it’s time to build it for growth

January 8, 2026 by Jena Draper, RefynED

Real leadership means moving past outdated educator evaluation processes and redesigning it around evidence, clarity, and authentic feedback.

Teacher evaluations have been the subject of debate for decades. Breakthroughs have been attempted but rarely sustained. Researchers have learned that context, transparency, and autonomy matter.

AI in Education

25 predictions about AI and edtech

December 30, 2025 by Laura Ascione

As generative AI tools mature, AI predictions contend that K-12 education will leverage AI in new ways to transform teaching and learning.

As generative AI technologies evolve, educators are moving away from fears about AI-enabled cheating and are embracing the idea that AI can open new doors for teaching and…

School Management

Being a principal just got harder–and here’s why

December 29, 2025 by Chris DeRemer, Chalkbeat

A principal should create an environment so safe and accepting that students and staff never feel like they must look over their shoulder.

There is a squeaky old merry-go-round in my neighborhood that my own children play on from time to time. Years of kids riding on it have loosened its…

K-12 Cybersecurity

AI vs. identity fraud: 3 threats putting student safety at risk

December 17, 2025 by Ashwin Sugavanam, Jumio Corporation

As digital learning becomes the norm and AI accelerates, identity fraud will only get more sophisticated and schools must protect students.

In today’s schools, whether K-12 or higher education, AI is powering smarter classrooms. There’s more personalized learning and faster administrative tasks. And students themselves are engaging with AI…

Teacher Professional Development

How AI can fix PD for teachers

December 10, 2025 by Andy Szeto, Ed.D, Professor and District Administrator

Too many PD sessions remain generic, compliance-driven, or disconnected from day-to-day teaching realities--but AI can help.

Many teachers have experienced PD sessions that are disorganized, disconnected from practice, or delivered by outsiders who misunderstand the local context.

Students with Special Needs

Modernizing the special education workforce is a national imperative

December 9, 2025 by Kevin Eberly, FillerB

Teaching vacancies are most acute in special education due to attrition, burnout, and early retirements--workforce support is critical.

America’s special education system is facing a slow-motion collapse. Nearly 8 million students now receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but the number of qualified teachers…

Literacy

Solving the staffing crisis is key to the Science of Reading movement

December 5, 2025 by Laura Stewart, 95 Percent Group

As someone who’s dedicated my career to advancing the Science of Reading movement, I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to help every child become a strong, fluent reader.

Literacy

From momentum to endurance: Scaling structured literacy with implementation science

December 1, 2025 by Kimberly Stockton, Ed.D.

When it comes to structured literacy, implementation science is a roadmap for translating the science of reading into instructional routines.

When districts adopt evidence-based practices like Structured Literacy, it’s often with a surge of excitement and momentum. Yet the real challenge lies not in the initial adoption, but…

Digital Learning Tools

3 reasons to switch to virtual set design

November 26, 2025 by Jared Cole, Churchill High School, Livonia Public Schools

Virtual set design offers more than just impressive shows--it provides a cost-effective, flexible, and innovative approach to storytelling.

If you’ve attended a professional show or musical recently, chances are you’ve seen virtual set design in action. This approach to stage production has gained so much traction…

K-12 Cybersecurity

Resilient learning begins with Zero Trust and cyber preparedness

November 25, 2025 by Gary Barlet, Illumio

Even in districts with limited staff and funding, schools can take important steps toward stronger security with Zero Trust and cybersecurity

The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently warned of a surge in cyberattacks from “insider threats”--student hackers motivated by dares and challenges--leading to breaches across schools.

Leveraging E-Rate to Transform Learning

December 1, 2025November 21, 2025 by Vcarlson

Digital learning allows for more personalized, engaging and student-centered instruction. It empowers students to take control of their education, leading ... Read more

District Management

From silos to systems: The digital advantage in schools

November 20, 2025 by Sara Douglas, Campbell County Schools

Going digital for critical student services helps education leaders centralize data and ensure seamless support across campuses.

When I first stepped into my role overseeing student data for the Campbell County School District, it was clear we were working against a system that no longer…

AI in Education

Preserving critical thinking amid AI adoption

November 17, 2025November 14, 2025 by Dipesh Jain, MagicEdTech

Small but intentional practices keep humans at the center of the critical thinking process and turn AI into a gym for the mind.

AI is now at the center of almost every conversation in education technology. It is reshaping how we create content, build assessments, and support learners. The opportunities are…

How CTE inspires long and fulfilling careers

November 12, 2025 by Dr. Richard McPherson, Ed.D.

CTE offers something few other learning pathways can match: a direct skills-based progression from classroom learning to readiness in careers

One of the most transformative aspects of Career and Technical Education is how it connects learning to real life. When students understand that what they’re learning is preparing…

K-12 Cybersecurity

10 reasons to upgrade to Windows 11 ASAP

November 11, 2025November 11, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Upgrading to Windows 11 isn’t just a fix--it protects students, strengthens IT resilience, and equips classrooms for an AI-powered future

K-12 IT leaders are under pressure from all sides--rising cyberattacks, the end of Windows 10 support, and the need for powerful new learning tools.

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