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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.

Special education students need a whole child approach

In early 2020, 7.3 million students received special education services as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s 14% of K–12 students in public schools in the United States who depend on additional—and often very specialized—services to support their ability to learn and live their lives fully.

But once the pandemic set in and schools closed their doors, the elaborately precarious systems that have been constructed to meet the needs of these students collapsed.

In October 2020, a little more than two- thirds of K-12 principals estimated that their students with disabilities would perform somewhat or much lower than they had before the pandemic. A year later, a November 2021 survey by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates—an advocacy group for students in special education and their families—found that 86% of parents reported that their child experienced learning loss, skill regression or slower-than-expected progress in school.…Read More

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A teacher’s tips for effective edtech integration

It’s clear that technology isn’t going anywhere and will become an integral part of students’ educational futures. Being able to effectively utilize technology in the classroom is no small task for the classroom teachers. Integrating technology into the classroom isn’t simply transferring a worksheet into a virtual format–rather, it involves using technology to enhance lessons and enable the students to showcase their content mastery in a variety of ways.

The National Center for Education Statistics said it well: “Integrating technology is what comes next after making the technology available and accessible. It is a goal-in-process, not an end state.”

The first thing that needs to be done in order to successfully integrate technology in the classroom has to be instructing/training teachers to do so. Having professional development sessions offered yearly and up to date with the ever-changing tech tools that schools are offered would be something that every teacher could benefit from. Students, as a result, will reap the benefits of their teachers’ pedagogical tech skills. Teachers should also start utilizing the International Society for Technology in Education standards in their lessons regularly as they help focus the lessons to build on students’ competencies with technology.…Read More

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Post-pandemic, where do education leaders go?

Education institutions have remained admirably fluid over the past year and a half through the rollercoaster of remote and hybrid learning and teaching environments–scaling systems, devices, and processes for a learn-from-anywhere structure.

These changes are working well for many. New data from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) found that over half of institutional leaders plan to maintain “some or all of their emergency remote learning offerings via distance education after the pandemic.”

While the virtual learning model is largely beneficial for student continuity, K-12 districts and higher education institutions are increasingly targets for cyberattacks. Howard University and Allen Independent School District in Texas are just two recent examples.…Read More

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5 ways to integrate ELL instruction into teaching and learning

As a curriculum and learning specialist at an elementary school in Verona, Wisconsin, l have the opportunity to work with amazing educators and students of all cultures; as a prior bilingual resource and two-way immersion Spanish teacher, I like to honor the language learners in our classrooms.

I work with all teachers and all students. I help teachers find resources to help support their curriculum and often that entails helping them find new ways to include their English Language Learners in their lessons. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an average of 9 percent of students in U.S. public schools are English Language Learners (ELLs); that number is closer to 14 percent in cities.

Here are five ways you can integrate ELL instruction into teaching and learning. These are simple strategies and some resources that are not very time-consuming, and best of all, they will help all the students in your class feel included and able to access the curriculum.…Read More

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Personalized, Peer-To-Peer Tutoring and Flexible Jobs for Students

Few groups were hit as hard by the pandemic as our nation’s youth. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, COVID-19 disrupted an estimated 56.4 million K-12 students’ studies, and another 19.7 million U.S. college students felt its negative impact. Countless young adults lost or were unable to secure critical part-time jobs. Now, Knoyo Tutoring has launched, with an innovative concept that offers personalized tutoring from college honor students to students of all ages in a supportive, stress-free community. The company was created by a diverse team of 18 college students in collaboration with The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), a student-centric honors and scholarship organization. Knoyo’s mission is to provide students with a pressure-free environment where they can learn, share experiences and knowledge, and navigate their world with confidence.

“Overnight, COVID-19 turned students’ lives upside down. The abrupt switch to online learning created massive academic setbacks and students needed help,” said Knoyo President James Lewis. “We moved quickly to convene a team of outstanding college students who worked with us to create a relevant, contemporary tutoring service centered on a relationship-driven student experience. It also meets an economic need by offering a flexible source of income for college students who tutor through the program.”

Knoyo is a 24/7 virtual tutoring platform and community that’s different from other tutoring services in a number of important ways. First, it lets students chose the tutor that best fits their needs based on subject matter expertise, college, and common interests. Knoyo goes beyond offering test prep to providing help with homework, raising students’ GPAs, and supporting them in the college application process. Tutors come from a wide range of universities, from junior colleges to the Ivy League, ensuring there’s a match for every student. Tutors can set their own schedules and rates, and sessions are coordinated on the Knoyo platform.…Read More

5 myths about large print books – busted!

Large print books have a legacy of supporting reading engagement and proficiency in older adults, leading to a narrow – and inaccurate – view of the format’s usefulness.

A 2019 report from the National Center for Education Statistics found that the average eighth-grade reading score has declined, indicating a dire need for new solutions to support student reading efforts – large print text is one easy-to-implement option.

As a former librarian, I’ve seen the positive difference that large print text can make for young readers – but don’t just take my word for it. A 2019 study conducted by Project Tomorrow and Thorndike Press examined the impact of large print text on student reading ability and confidence. The research shows that large print text can help increase reading ability in students while also changing their mindset and habits.…Read More

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When computers become classrooms

As school districts nationwide cut back on essentials, three quarters of them plan to expand their digital offerings over the next three years, according to a new survey reported by the National Center for Education Statistics, the federal Education Department’s research arm, the Huffington Post reports. The new data released Tuesday looks specifically at “distance education courses” in public schools: full-credit courses that are taught remotely through technology. The national survey, conducted in fall and winter of the 2010-2011 school year, found that 55 percent of 2,310 school districts had students enrolled in these courses, ninety-six percent of which were given at the high school level…

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Federal report details public K-12 tech use

EDSurvey
Seventeen percent of school districts reported having no education-technology director.

While most American schools employ an education-technology leader either full or part time, 17 percent of districts surveyed in fall 2008 reported having no one in place to oversee the use of technology in schools.

Small districts were more likely to remain without a technology director: 21 percent of districts with an enrollment of less than 2,500 said they did not have a technology director, compared with 5 percent of districts with an enrollment size of 10,000 or more.…Read More

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