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.

Defining Future Ready by reflecting on the past

Confession: I’m a bit of a hoarder. I’ve kept every email, text message, and document I’ve ever written.  It’s probably the journalist in me. Or it’s being the daughter of two antique collectors and the granddaughter of a collector of everything. 

Yet quite often, calling on history can help us make more informed decisions about the present. 

As I reflected on the structure of this article, my archived files got some exercise as I reflected on the origins of Future Ready Librarians® and why the journey we took to create the program has never been more important than today. …Read More

1 2

Frontline Education has Acquired Forecast5 Analytics

Frontline Education, a leading provider of school administration software and services purpose-built for K-12, today announced that it has acquired Forecast5 Analytics from Riverwood Capital. Forecast5 offers a suite of decision support software that provides financial forecasting, benchmarking, student performance dashboards and geovisual analytics to empower school administrators to make more informed financial, academic and strategic decisions. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We are excited to welcome the Forecast5 team to Frontline Education. Forecast5’s decision support capabilities are a natural extension of our solutions and further our commitment to innovation, supporting the growth of district staff and optimizing the management of their processes,” said Mark Gruzin, CEO of Frontline Education. “In the current climate, budgetary, financial management and planning considerations have become more complex. Together, our organizations will provide more advanced solutions and resources to address those needs for school districts.”

The acquisition expands the reach and impact of Forecast5’s data analytics and decision support capabilities by introducing the company’s solutions and expertise to thousands of Frontline Education clients across the country. Frontline’s Student Information System (SIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) clients will have opportunities to take advantage of Forecast5’s decision support capabilities. Forecast5 clients will benefit from Frontline Education’s expansive data set as well as the company’s broad portfolio of school administration software and services for human capital management, business operations and student management. Frontline will continue to support Forecast5’s unique expertise, client success and advisor model, as well as their extensive partnerships to provide best practice guidance and resources to clients.…Read More

Tutoring marketplace offers on-demand learning

The social learning marketplace MindSpree is revamping the tutoring landscape by offering on-demand services nationwide.

The Arizona-based education technology company was founded in 2015 by Keith Rezendes after noticing the tutoring industry was not fulfilling the needs of many. As a former professor and veteran tutor, Rezendez wanted to create a place where students could receive the highest quality tutors for the best value.

“MindSpree is committed to education and student success,” said Rezendes. “By utilizing the sharing economy, MindSpree can utilize tutors across the United States to share their knowledge and expertise with all types of students who are eager to learn.”…Read More

Nation desperate for youth interest in teaching

Duncan, stakeholders launch new national campaign on how teaching is more than a paycheck. Will it work?

teaching-youth-interest-Duncan Let’s face it: Being a teacher doesn’t sound all that glamorous to many of today’s students. However, with many teachers facing retirement in the next few years, as well as the lack of youth interest in teaching, the U.S. may face a significant teaching shortage. That’s where Make More comes in.

Make More is an integrated campaign to recruit “the next great generation of teachers.” The campaign was inspired by recent data revealing that half of the nation’s teachers will retire over the next decade, but only nine percent of top students consider the profession a viable career.

“The campaign was motivated by the fact that only 9 percent of students in the top third of their class are considering the teaching profession. They perceive teaching—inaccurately, but pervasively—as contrary to their ambitions,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “The PSAs show students that the entrepreneurial and engaging, inspiring and impactful, financially and emotionally rewarding opportunities they seek in a career can be found in the teaching profession.”…Read More

1 2