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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.

6 findings to inform your state’s principal preparation

As state leaders continue to weigh the best use of federal funding to improve education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a major new research report by the Learning Policy Institute and The Wallace Foundation underscores the importance of federal, state, and district policies that foster the availability and quality of principal preparation and professional development programs.

The research finds that the preparation and professional development a school principal receives not only shapes their efficacy as a leader, but are also associated with positive outcomes for teachers and students. 

Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters?, conducted by LPI, synthesizes peer-reviewed scholarship from 2000 to 2021 that addresses principal preparation and development programs. It also examines survey results and statewide policies to understand the extent to which principals have access to high-quality learning opportunities and the role of policies in increasing access. The study’s authors are Linda Darling-Hammond, Marjorie E. Wechsler, Stephanie Levin, Melanie Leung-Gagné and Steve Tozer. The report updates a prior 2007 study, Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World, led by Darling-Hammond.…Read More

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Savvas Learning Company’s Experience Chemistry Wins Gold Stevie Award, Its Fourth EdTech Industry Honor Since the Product’s Launch

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY — May 16, 2022 — Savvas Learning Company, a K-12 next-generation learning solutions leader, is proud to announce that its new, innovative Experience Chemistry solution has received a Gold Stevie from the 20th annual American Business Awards (ABA) program, with the judges hailing its learning model as “a very innovative and exciting concept for teaching chemistry.”

“We would like to thank the American Business Awards for honoring Experience Chemistry as an exceptional science learning solution,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “Savvas developed Experience Chemistry to provide students with authentic, real-world learning experiences through the science of doing. By offering engaging student-centered activities that personalize learning, Experience Chemistry challenges and excites students to explore, question, and discover the hows and whys of chemistry.”

Experience Chemistry earned top honors in the “Science Instructional Solution” category, which recognizes the best science instructional materials that provide deep learning experiences for students, support standards alignment, and reflect current curriculum practice. More than 230 judges reviewed approximately 3,700 nominations to select the 2022 Stevie winners in the American Business Awards program.…Read More

New Resources Supporting the Integration of Minecraft: Education Edition into Classroom Instruction Now Available from Discovery Education

SILVER SPRING, MD (Tuesday, May 3, 2022) — Discovery Education today announced the availability of a host of new resources designed to support the integration of Minecraft: Education Edition (M:EE) into classroom instruction. Accessible through Discovery Education’s award-winning K-12 platform, these resources complement M:EE’s ability to inspire student exploration, experimentation, and expression. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.

The Minecraft: Education Edition Channel, now available within the Discovery Education platform, provides educators useful lesson plans as well as ready-to-use activities that support students as they explore Minecraft Worlds and uncover important subject area content and skills. Furthermore, students can demonstrate creativity and showcase evidence of learning through an editable showcase board built within Discovery Education’s content creation tool, Studio. With Discovery Education’s dynamic set of learning supports, educators have a new set of resources supporting the integration of M:EE into Discovery Education’s math, SEL, STEM, and science lessons.

Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education’s K-12 platform facilitates engaging, daily instruction in any learning environment. …Read More

Discovery Education’s K-12 Learning Platform Earns Learner Variability Product Certification From Digital Promise

SILVER SPRING, MD (Thursday, April 14, 2022) — Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose digital services support learning wherever it takes place—announced today that its award-winning K-12 learning platform has earned the Learner Variability Product Certification from Digital Promise. Working at the intersection of education leaders, researchers, and technology developers, Digital Promise seeks to improve learning opportunities for all and close the Digital Learning Gap. 

The Learner Variability Product Certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school leaders, educators, and families looking for evidence of edtech products supporting learner variability. Discovery Education submitted evidence to Digital Promise demonstrating its K-12 platform’s ability to support the diverse needs of learners and confirming their commitment to continuing to design with learner variability in mind. 

“Discovery Education’s culture of innovation is driven by our mission to prepare learners for tomorrow by creating innovative classrooms connected to today’s world,” said Pete Weir, Discovery Education’s Chief Product Officer. “However, we recognize that every student comes to the classroom with different approaches to learning. That’s why we strive to build products with flexible features that help all students grow and achieve. Discovery Education is proud to have earned the Learner Variability Product Certification and is grateful to the team at Digital Promise for their thorough review of our K-12 platform.” …Read More

Discovery Education Offers New Resources for Financial Literacy Month

Silver Spring, MD (Monday, April 3, 2022) — Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place—is offering educators, students, and families a host of dynamic digital resources focused on financial literacy for Financial Literacy Month and beyond.  

Taking place annually in April, Financial Literacy Month was founded by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and is produced by the Jump$tart Coalition. To support financial literacy wherever learning takes place, Discovery Education presents a curated collection of resources focused on financial literacy created in collaboration with leading social impact partners: 

Classroom Activity
Help students connect economics concepts to current events and everyday life with timely activities, videos, interactive modules and more. From price discovery to supply chain dynamics, resources from Econ Essentials, an educational initiative with Futures Fundamentals, examine real-world applications of complex market topics. Students will explore how changes in supply and demand curves impact prices, while a new hot topic activity looks at the ways businesses react to and mitigate the risks of such price fluctuations caused by supply chain disruptions. …Read More

PBLWorks Partners with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) on a Four-Year Initiative to Scale Gold Standard PBL Across State

Novato, CA (March 30, 2022)– PBLWorks, the leading provider of professional development for high-quality Project Based Learning (PBL), has partnered with the Kentucky Department of Education on a four-year initiative to increase high-quality Project Based Learning in K-12 schools throughout the state.

The Scaling Gold Standard PBL Kentucky initiative will provide Gold Standard PBL training and support to Kentucky educators and leaders across Kentucky through a blend of face-to-face workshops, personal online coachings, school site visits and deep collaboration via a peer network of fellow Kentucky PBL leaders. The Kentucky PBL Leader Network, the first leader cohort in the state, launched in November 2021. The next Kentucky leader cohort launched in March 2022 and concludes in January 2023, with more leader cohort start dates to be announced. Training for teachers will begin in the summer months.

“Strong leadership, targeted professional development, and ongoing support are all critical for high-quality Project Based Learning to occur. We encourage Kentucky educators and school leaders looking to gain the skills and knowledge for successful and sustainable implementation of PBL to join this initiative,” said Bob Lenz, CEO of PBLWorks.…Read More

Discovery Education Introduces New, TEKS-Aligned Edition of Mystery Science

SILVER SPRING, MD (Wednesday, March 30, 2022) — Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place—today introduced a new edition of the award-winning Mystery Science service built for K-5 teachers across Texas. Aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards, the new Mystery Science Texas makes it easier than ever to integrate highly engaging digital resources into K-5 science instruction across the Lone Star state.  

Available as a standalone product or through the Discovery Education platform, Mystery Science Texas provides K-5 educators simple to use, open-and-go, hands-on science lessons that inspire students to love science. Each lesson begins with a question that young students find interesting, such as Where do rivers flow? Why do the stars come out at night? and How far can a whisper travel?  

Students then explore these questions through interactive videos featuring real-world visuals that foster a sense of wonder and actively support student engagement in the accompanying discussion prompts. Then, students participate in easy to prepare hands-on labs that use simple science supplies commonly found in classrooms or at home. Mystery Science Texas contains everything teachers need to get students engaged in hands-on science and make that subject the best class of the day. …Read More

7 Mindsets Acquires Lessons For SEL

ROSWELL, Ga. – March 16, 2022 – 7 Mindsets, the leader in online Pre-K-12 social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, announced the acquisition of Lessons For SEL, a cloud-based solution featuring a streaming platform of video lessons and SEL content. The acquisition will allow 7 Mindsets to broaden their comprehensive program to include Lessons For SEL’s trademark 6 Minute SEL lessons, SELTV, and the popular SEL Video of the Week, among other assets. Byron McClure, D.Ed., the founder of Lessons For SEL and a National Certified School Psychologist, will join 7 Mindsets as Director of Innovation.

Lessons For SEL offers a variety of powerful, engaging resources and video content to help educators, mental health professionals, and school leaders focus on improving the social emotional wellness of their students and staff.  “I look forward to working with 7 Mindsets to move the education landscape from a fixation on what’s wrong to what’s strong,” said McClure. “Together, we can maximize the unlimited potential of educators, parents, and students to unlock authentic joy, creativity, and deep healing that our nation so desperately deserves.” 

As part of the purchase, 7 Mindsets will also acquire SELTV, a unique streaming platform with hundreds of SEL video lessons and content. On the platform, educators can browse a curated library of original SEL video lessons, shows, and webinars across categories such as self-management, decision-making skills, physical and mental well-being, and educator professional development. McClure is also the creator of the Lessons For SEL YouTube channel.…Read More

Savvas Delivers New Summer Solutions for Math and Literacy to Move Learning Forward

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY — March 16, 2022 — Savvas Learning Company, a K-12 next-generation learning solutions leader, launched today several new summer learning solutions to support school districts in addressing unfinished learning in math and literacy. The curated, easy-to-implement instructional materials, combined with state-of-the-art screener and diagnostic assessment tools, are designed to help move learning forward for all students.

“Teachers have been working hard to get students back on track academically after three school years of disrupted education. For many students, these efforts will need to extend beyond the end of this school year,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “This summer will be a critical time to reenergize learning, and school districts are looking for evidence-based learning materials that are easy to use. That is why Savvas has taken the lead in developing flexible, high-quality math and reading programs designed to maximize valuable teaching time for summer learning.”

Ready-to-teach curriculum will be especially important this summer to help districts address expected teacher-staffing issues, which, according to a recent nationwide Savvas poll of 500 educators, are among the five greatest needs for summer learning programs. In addition to teacher staffing being a concern, the poll identified the following resources that educators need to make summer learning more effective: reading/English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics curricula, along with access to online materials and lessons, and remediation programs to close learning gaps. …Read More

YouScience Releases Career Insights Report on Women, STEM, and the Talent Shortage

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ —  YouScience, a leader in aptitude-based assessments, personalized career guidance, and industry-recognized certifications that support college and career success, today announced the release of a new national report,  Career Insights: Women, STEM, and the Talent Shortage. The insights are based on data gathered from the test results of more than 100,000 female high school juniors and seniors across the nation who completed a  YouScience Discovery assessment. The findings uncover a significant career exposure gap for women, as their aptitude scores for STEM-related occupations far outweighed their self-defined interest in them.

According to a 2021  ManpowerGroup survey, talent shortages in the U.S. have more than tripled in the last ten years, with 69% of employers struggling to fill positions, up from just 14% in 2010. Globally, estimates show that by 2030, the talent shortage could reach 85.2 million people, resulting in the loss of trillions of dollars in economic opportunity for companies.

YouScience garnered the insights by analyzing student’s self-defined interest in top careers versus their aptitude for success in those careers, including STEM and other high-paying opportunities. The data includes the top 50 most frequent career matches from a selection of 500.…Read More