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.

American Student Assistance Announces Strategic Alliance with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

BOSTON – American Student Assistance ® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success, today announced that the organization has entered into a 10-year, $25 million affiliation agreement with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), the nation’s leading entrepreneurship education organization.

Through this strategic alliance, NFTE and ASA will expand access to high-quality entrepreneurship education programs, services, and opportunities for middle and high schoolers from rural, marginalized, and economically disadvantaged communities—both in-person and digitally—through school district partnerships, curriculum development and collaborative programming, and business plan competitions. 

The agreement between ASA and NFTE consists of an immediate $5 million unrestricted grant and annual matching grants of up to $2 million for the next 10 years. ASA’s support will help NFTE move from a school-by-school approach to a more systemwide strategy to work with states and school districts to more effectively and efficiently expand the number of schools, teachers, and students that the organization works with each school year. NFTE currently serves 50,000+ students annually across 30 U.S. states. ASA’s support will allow NFTE to expand its position as one of the nation’s largest entrepreneurship education nonprofits.…Read More

As teens rethink college and career options, counselors are trying to adapt

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

When students come into Danielle Insel’s college and career advising office with their sights set on higher education, she has a checklist of next steps ready. For years, around nine out of 10 kids fell into that camp, she estimates.

But recently, a growing number of seniors–upwards of 30 percent, she guesses–have told her they have no intention of going to college. And more kids than ever are considering ways to make money without a college degree, Insel said–driven in part by people and jobs they’ve encountered on social media. For those students, there’s no equivalent checklist.…Read More

Purposeful play helps kids learn–here’s how to integrate it

Key points:

  • Teachers agree that learning through play is a more effective way for students to learn compared to more traditional approaches
  • Students say their favorite times in the classroom are when they get to do hands-on activities and believe that play helps them learn
  • See related article: How to integrate a computer science curriculum into K-5 classrooms
  • For more news on teaching trends and curriculum, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching page

A new survey of K-8 teachers and students from LEGO Education found that nearly all (98 percent) of students say purposeful play helps them learn and the majority (96 percent) of teachers believe it’s more effective than traditional methods like lectures or textbooks. On top of that, almost 80 percent of students want more playful learning experiences in the classroom.

Despite these benefits, 40 percent of teachers are incorporating play only once a week or less, and nearly half (47 percent) think they spend too much time on it.…Read More

5 positive ways students can use AI

Key points:

You’ve heard all the news about kids using ChatGPT to cheat, but there’s another side to this story. Just as the internet revolutionized education, AI will be the next game-changer. While the fears of cheating have definitely been legitimate, have you actually tried writing an essay using just AI? Hate to say it, but the outcomes aren’t instant gratification.

Using AI still requires work, and in fact, it often leads to a deeper understanding of the subject matter because you are the one who has to teach AI what to do and say. Just like the internet, AI isn’t going anywhere–so let’s teach our kids to work with AI, not against it. …Read More

Schools are key to solving mental health equity gaps

Key points:

Kids are facing a crisis unlike anything the U.S. has ever seen as young people face staggering rates of anxiety, depression and suicide. While there isn’t one clear cause as to why this is the case—there has been a lot of unrest over the past several years—it’s essential that our systemic approach to mental health support shifts with these unprecedented times.

Equity gaps often prevent youths from accessing the care they need. It’s been reported that even before COVID-19, 1 in 5 children had a treatable mental health diagnosis but only about 20 percent received care from a provider. For many young people, living without addressing these underlying mental health challenges transcends into other areas of their lives—including academics and social behavior. These critical services must be accessible where kids spend the majority of their time: school. …Read More

Roylco Secures “Best STEM Building Toy” in Best Building Toys for Kids, According to Experts

ANDERSON, S.C. ––  Roylco, a leading innovator in manufacturing educational kids’ toys, proudly announces its recent accolade as “Best STEM Building Toy” in Good Housekeeping’s expert-rating “16 Best Building Toys for Kids, According to Experts.”

Good Housekeeping, a coveted source for all parents seeking quality children’s products, has turned to its in-house panel of experts to test and review hundreds of building toys over the course of the year. Roylco’s determination and commitment to bringing high quality and performing toys is a testament to its core beliefs of promoting cognitive and motor skill development through the course of play.

“We put so much thought and care into each of our toys,” says Darby Smith, Director of Business Development at Roylco, “We are deeply committed and passionate about fostering hands-on educational growth in children through play, and this recognition is extremely meaningful.”…Read More

I work with struggling readers–here’s what’s standing in their way

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.”

I learned to love reading as a kid, spellbound by wizarding worlds and ghost stories. I wanted to share this love, so I became an intervention teacher, working with struggling readers and special education students. 

Kids love reading. I don’t care what think pieces say about screen addiction, children still gravitate towards books. If they can’t read, they like looking at the pictures in “Dogman” or listening to Junie B.’s antics. …Read More

How my 5th graders are taking a stand against bullying

Unseen and often silent, the shadows of bullying loom within the walls of schools, casting a dark cloud over the lives of countless students. The PACER Center’s National Bullying Prevention Center engages and empowers kids to combat bullying in all its forms. Through the Students with Solutions contest, my 5th grade students worked together to raise awareness about bullying and encourage children to actively participate in addressing this issue. This challenge amplified their voices and empowered them to inspire and support one another, creating a united front against bullying.

The winning entry within the “Student with Solutions” national anti-bullying competition this year is a video by my two 5th grade classes within the Birmingham City Schools System. The students wrote, filmed, and edited the video. It inspires unity and support, drawing from the students’ experiences, with the main message being that bullying hurts and everyone matters.

Students enjoy technology, so being able to integrate technology in an academic setting is highly advantageous. In this instance, we were able to combine social-emotional learning and technology, which are both important in this day and age.…Read More