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.

How to reimagine teacher leadership

Key points:

  • Teacher-leaders are an integral–but under-utilized–part of a school
  • School leaders can secure teacher buy-in around new initiatives through teacher-leaders

The typical leadership structure in a school is quite rigid, with administrators and teachers filling their roles separately. In this model, teacher skills are only utilized inside of the classroom, leaving teacher leadership potential on the table.

Because this is true in almost any school building, it is time for administrators to reimagine teacher leader roles and leverage teacher leadership, specifically at the grade level or in content teams. Many schools have positions such as “Lead Teacher” or “Content Team Leader,” which is a great starting point. The next step is transforming these established positions, or creating similar models, and implementing them across your school. This should lead to actionable steps taken by these teacher-leaders, and the loosening of the reins by administrators.…Read More

1 2

Carnegie Learning Announces New Chief Revenue Officer

Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Learning, a leader in AI-driven technology, curriculum, and professional learning solutions for K-12 education, today announced that Chris Hedrick is joining the company as Chief Revenue Officer. Chris will sit on the new Carnegie Learning Executive Leadership Team reporting to CEO Barry Malkin.

Chris joins Carnegie Learning from Scholastic, where he served as the Senior Vice President of Sales. He brings nearly thirty years of experience in sales and revenue management in K-12 education, working with some of the most respected companies in the field. 

Prior to his tenure at Scholastic, Chris worked with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Cambium Learning, where he held various sales leadership roles and contributed significantly to the growth and success of those organizations. With this experience, Chris brings a deep understanding of the needs and challenges of educators and school districts.…Read More

Edthena Announces Winner of the 2023 Teacher Leader Impact Award 

SAN FRANCISCO – To kick off Teacher Appreciation Week, Edthena is announced Megan Schlagel of St. Vrain Valley Schools in Longmont, Colo. as the winner of its 2023 Teacher Leader Impact Award which recognizes standout teachers nationwide. Schlagel, a high school math teacher at Niwot High School, was nominated by an administrator at her school for having an impact in her classroom and beyond through her dedication to lifelong learning and the continuous improvement of her teaching practices. 

“Megan truly exemplifies what it means to be a teacher leader,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “In addition to the impact she has with her students, Megan is passionate about supporting her fellow high school teachers and continuing her own professional learning. We are proud to recognize her hard work and dedication.”

As part of the award’s nomination process, school-level administrators were asked to detail how a nominee continually improves as well as the positive impacts of the nominee’s teaching and lifelong learning. …Read More

Navigate360 Ushers in Growth with Key Additions: Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Product Officer and Vice President of Threat Detection & Prevention Program Development

RICHFIELD, OHIO (PRWEB) — Navigate360, the nation’s leader in K–12 school safety and student wellness solutions, announces the appointment of Julia Goebel as chief marketing officer, Jami Timmons Klotz as chief product officer, and Dr. Joe McKenna as vice president of threat detection and prevention program development. All are passionate, innovative and experienced leaders poised to drive a new wave of meaningful impact in school safety and student wellness for the more than 50 million students in the United States.

“We are pleased to welcome these accomplished executives in SaaS technology and K–12 leadership to the Navigate360 team,” said JP Guilbault, chief executive officer of Navigate360. “Julia, Jami and Joe bring a wealth of valuable knowledge and experience which supports our mission of zero incidents of violence and harm.”

Year to date, the  Expert Insights data from Navigate360 show alerts related to self-harm are up 51 percent year-over-year and alerts related to weapons and harm to others are up 25 percent year-over-year. On average, the Navigate360 report also found more than 4,000 anonymous tips per week come into school tip lines powered by Navigate360 P3 School Tip Line solution, with the most common tips related to self-harm and weapons.…Read More

KidWind and Toyota Join Forces to Bring Renewable Energy Education to West Virginia

Saint Paul, Minn. — The KidWind Project, an international leader in clean energy education, has joined forces with Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (Toyota) to increase renewable energy education in West Virginia. Toyota has committed $50,000 for 2023 to expand renewable energy curriculum, specifically in Grant and Mineral counties in West Virginia.

“We are thrilled to work with Toyota and Clearway Energy Group to help bring more awareness about renewable energy to students and future wind energy employees in West Virginia,” said Michael Arquin, founder of KidWind. “This effort will support educators as they learn to incorporate renewable energy activities in their classrooms.”

Educators in West Virginia will have opportunities to participate in local professional development workshops. The workshops will include background on renewable energy and experience with curriculum and activities educators can use in the classroom to engage students in dynamic, hands-on learning. Educators will also have access to free materials through the program.…Read More

Carnegie Learning Adds Multilingual Math and Literacy Tutors in Gadsden ISD

Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Learning, a leader in K-12 education innovation, high-quality products and services, and AI, announced today that the company has added new multilingual and bilingual certified math and literacy instructors to the high-dosage tutoring team in Gadsden County, New Mexico, to meet the needs of students in the state’s fourth-largest school district.

“It’s gratifying to see improvements in student proficiency and attendance as well as increasing parent participation in the Gadsden Independent School District (ISD),” said Courtney Lewis, Vice President of Tutoring Services at Carnegie Learning. “The results are impressive. We have been able to fulfill 100% of the requests from students and families in Gadsden ISD who requested a bilingual tutor. We’ve also appointed a bilingual tutor as a liaison to answer questions from families in their native language. Families have a direct dial number to call the liaison directly for support.” 

Lewis recently presented a webinar on how to partner with a high-dosage tutoring provider to launch an effective summer school program.…Read More

Ripple Effects’ Complete Suite of PreK-12 Social Emotional Learning Programs Earns Finalist Honors in Prestigious EdTech Awards 2023

SEATTLE –   Ripple Effects, a leader in digital social emotional learning and behavior and mental health supports, today announced that its suite of PreK-12 programs, which includes Bouncy’s Ready to Learn Resilience, Ripple Effects for Kids and Ripple Effects for Teens, earned finalist honors in the  EdTech Awards 2023, which recognizes and celebrates the best and brightest in education technology.

The EdTech Awards were established in 2010 to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the innovators, leaders, and trendsetters in education technology. The annual program shines a spotlight on cool tools, inspiring leaders and innovative trendsetters across the K-12, higher education and skills and workforce sectors. Ripple Effects earned recognition in the category of general product or service.

“It is an incredible honor to receive this recognition for our entire PreK-12 suite of digital   programs,” said John Ray-Keil, CEO, Ripple Effects. “At Ripple Effects, we immerse ourselves in developing and delivering a comprehensive, yet dynamic set of tools designed to support learners to help them thrive in school and in life, today and tomorrow. We appreciate the acknowledgement of our work.”…Read More

Renaissance’s All New Visual Identity Champions a Teacher-Led Ecosystem, Empowering Educators to “See Every Student”

BLOOMINGTON, MINN. (PRWEB) — Renaissance, a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, announces a rebrand and new visual identity reflecting the company’s transformational teacher-led learning ecosystem and demonstrating how the right technology can help educators truly see every student. The new brand identity embraces the company’s almost 40-year history as a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, while taking a fresh and forward-looking approach to the future of Renaissance.

“Our business has changed dramatically over the past few years,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Chief Marketing Officer at Renaissance. “The rebranding marks a new Renaissance, demonstrating how we help every student succeed by providing teachers and administrators with the digital tools they need to unlock personalized teaching.”

Nationwide, schools and districts face unprecedented challenges from teacher burnout, teaching vacancies, and the pressure to deliver results like never before. In addition, supporting students’ academic learning is a source of job-related stress for almost half of teachers, according to a  RAND Corporation survey. To address these issues, solutions that cater to the unique needs of each student are crucial. Together, Renaissance’s assessments, instruction, and insights provide a complete, comprehensive solution—while keeping educators at the forefront of classroom decisions and instruction.…Read More

Codelicious Renames Itself Ellipsis Education to Reflect Curricula Beyond Coding

CARMEL, Ind. – Codelicious, a leader in computer science curriculum for K-12 education, has changed its name to Ellipsis Education in an effort to better represent the wide scope of its computer science offerings beyond coding.

“We’re excited to adopt a new name that more accurately reflects the breadth of computer science education,” said Dr. Whitney Dove, Vice President of Product at Ellipsis Education. “We chose Ellipsis because it evokes something in progress, something with momentum behind it, yet incomplete, just like computer science. It’s a field that’s ever-changing, and we’re proud to offer curricula that are also constantly evolving to reflect the industry and keep teachers abreast of the trends to ensure their students are prepared for a world that is also always in flux.”

Ellipsis Education’s mission is to remove barriers to teaching computer science. Regardless of their level of subject-matter experience, educators can use Ellipsis to effectively teach computer science. Ellipsis Education offers 13 full-year courses with detailed lesson plans, pacing guides, and standard maps. Every course includes four lesson types: unplugged, coding, digital citizenship, and STEM careers. Ellipsis also offers professional development workshops to encourage continuous learning.…Read More