Heroes at Work: Brevard Public Schools maintains cybersecurity awareness during pandemic learning

Heroes at Work is a three-part series featuring excerpts from conversations with the grand prize winners of the 2021 eSchool Media K-12 Hero Awards program, sponsored by Trox. Click through for the full interview:

Here, eSchool News highlights Florida’s Brevard Public Schools–one of three K-12 Hero Awards winners. Keep reading this interview with Barrett Puschus, Director of Information Technology for Brevard Public Schools, to discover how the district navigated a cybersecurity attack and keeps learning going in the middle of a global pandemic.

eSN: It’s pretty brave of you to talk about cybersecurity practices. Not a lot of districts will. How did the break-in go down?…Read More

Whatever it takes: How one underserved district continues to make it through the pandemic

Listening to Alena Zachery-Ross, Superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools in Michigan, managing her district through this pandemic almost sounds like a positive story.

In this conversation with eSchool News, Alena recalls her strategies for success. From a new appreciation for student voice to closer interactions with the wider community, her ideas will help any district not only survive, but thrive, in these times.

The following has been edited for clarity.…Read More

5 websites to help students build media literacy skills

Over the past couple years, students have been inundated with a near-steady stream of information and headlines about politics, racial and social unrest, the pandemic, and more. Helping students form discerning media literacy skills is even more essential.

Students must understand how to recognize reputable information and how to identify credible, high-quality journalism. Bias is everywhere, and it’s necessary for young people today to identify it and call it out.

Identifying bias and forming strong media literacy and evaluation skills starts in the classroom. Teachers need resources to illustrate the importance of these skills, and it’s never too early to expose students to news outlets and point out the difference between high-quality and suspect news.…Read More

3 changes that will outlast the pandemic

Many have labeled the pandemic’s run as our “lost year”–lost activities, lost vacations, lost connections. More commonly, however, it is a reference to the loss of an academic year for America’s children.

Since March 2020, not a single day has been void of news stories, social media memes, or (socially-distanced) checkout aisle conversations about kids, school, dining room tables, and wondering when it will all end. And so “back to normal” has been our collective mantra.

COVID-era remote education began with low expectations. It was rushed. It was out of most people’s comfort zone. For many, it was seen as a momentary placeholder and treated as such. As summer transitioned into fall, however, students and parents started to accept their new normal and started digging in for the long haul of an at-home 2020-21 school year. …Read More

Countdown to eSN Hero Awards nominations!

To acknowledge educators’ efforts, and to tell their stories, you can submit nominations for the eSchool News Hero Awards–but don’t wait, because the deadline is June 30!

Vendors can nominate as many individuals or organizations as they’d like–anyone who had a role in ensuring education continued during the pandemic is eligible. But remember, nominations will close on June 30. Begin your nomination right here.

Never before have educators been challenged and tested as they were beginning in March 2020 and continuing up to present day, and never before has their resilience been more apparent. With the abrupt move to online learning in the spring of 2020 to the introduction of hybrid and full-time in-person learning today, educators have been innovative and determined as they remained dedicated to teaching each and every one of their students during the global pandemic.
…Read More

Cheers and questions as some states and big school districts remove virtual learning option for fall

Cheers and questions as some states and big school districts remove virtual learning option for fall” was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here: ckbe.at/newsletters

After a school year marked by stops and starts, New York City’s top schools official drew a line in the sand this week: This fall, there will be no virtual learning option.

“We know our schools have been safe and we need our children back,” the city’s schools chancellor, Meisha PorterCheers districts fall for learning noopener option questions remove school some states virtual”>, said in an interview. “Nothing, absolutely nothing, replaces the interaction and the learning that happens between a student and teacher in our classrooms.”…Read More

Making a post-pandemic promise

Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) Superintendent Chad Shealy is irrepressible. Whether you are talking about COVID response, CTE strategies, or curriculum content, Chad not only makes you feel happy you asked, but even happier with his answers.

VWSD serves all of Warren County, Mississippi, and has an enrollment of approximately 7,200 students in grades Pre-K through 12. VWSD consists of three high schools (grades 9-12), three middle schools (grades 7-8), 10 elementary schools, and an alternative program.

In this conversation with eSchool News, he provides insights for any district administrator looking to thrive next fall.…Read More

eSchool News welcomes Hero Awards nominations through June 30

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things–chief among those lessons is that our educators are truly heroes.

Never before have educators been challenged and tested as they were beginning in March 2020 and continuing up to present day, and never before has their resilience been more apparent. With the abrupt move to online learning in the spring of 2020 to the introduction of hybrid and full-time in-person learning today, educators have been innovative and determined as they remained dedicated to teaching each and every one of their students during the global pandemic.

To acknowledge educators’ efforts, and to tell their stories, eSchool News is proud to announce the Hero Awards program. Vendors can nominate as many individuals or organizations as they’d like–anyone who had a role in ensuring education continued during the pandemic is eligible. The nominations will close on June 30, so don’t wait. Begin your nomination right here.

Nominate a school or district for the Hero Awards here!

By nominating the schools and districts that use your products and services, you will give them a chance to share their experiences and to impart lessons learned that will improve the way we teach and learn. It is essential we honor those educators who brought students through this crisis.…Read More

Using project-based learning to reverse the summer slide

The shift to distance and hybrid learning this past year has caused many families and teachers to worry that their students are falling behind. eSchool News sat down with project-based learning experts Bob Lenz, CEO of the nonprofit PBLWorks, and Laureen Adams, the former curriculum and program manager for PBLWorks, to talk about what parents, caregivers, and teachers can do this summer to help students re-engage with their learning  and prepare for the next  school year. 

PBLWorks created a free eBook for families and teachers called “This Teachable Moment,” which provides an introduction to project-based learning and 21 projects that students can do independently at home this summer, or in the classroom. Here, Lenz and Adams discuss why project-based learning is such a powerful way to keep students engaged.

What are some of the benefits of high-quality project-based learning, and why is it so effective in keeping students engaged in their learning?…Read More

8 awesome podcasts for kids, families, and teachers

As podcasts skyrocket in popularity, news buffs and true crime addicts shouldn’t have all the fun. There are a growing number of podcasts for kids, covering topics from SEL and history to book clubs and brain challenges.

Below, we’ve collected a handful of fun and engaging podcasts for kids. You might be inspired to incorporate them into your virtual, hybrid, or in-person classroom when appropriate.

1. Ooh! You’re in Trouble: Ooh! You’re in Trouble is a podcast for tweens, parents, and teachers about the rules we broke growing up…and what those moments teach kids about making smart decisions when grownups aren’t around. Each episode features young people sharing stories of a moment they broke the rules growing up. The series explores why kids defy rules and what we can learn from it. …Read More

Changing learning for the better after COVID

For Rick Cave, Director of Technology at West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in New Jersey, the biggest challenge to pivoting during the pandemic wasn’t the platforms, but the people.

In this conversation with eSchool News, Rick talks about how the changing behaviors of everyone—students, teachers, and parents—made remote and now hybrid learning work–and what aspects should remain once the crisis has passed.

The below has been edited for clarity.…Read More

Mackin Announces Global Partnership with Ad Fontes Media

Mackin’s Global Partnership with Ad Fontes Media to Provide 130,000 K-12 Schools with Access to In-Depth News Literacy Curricula and Data. 

BURNSVILLE, MN, April 6, 2021 – Mackin, a leading provider of K-12 print and digital fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as educational curriculum materials, is pleased to announce it has partnered with Ad Fontes Media, the media bias intelligence leader, to provide K-12 schools around the world with access to Ad Fontes Media’s in-depth news literacy curricula and data. 

Over the last 15 years, the news landscape has changed dramatically and there have been relatively few curriculum materials and resources to help teachers navigate these changes. As a result of the distribution alliance, over 130,000 K-12 schools will now be able to discover Ad Fontes Media’s news literacy offerings during the procurement process. This is the first time Ad Fontes has commercially marketed its content analysis methodology instruction and databases to the educational market. 

“Partnering with a leader like Ad Fontes Media was an easy choice because they are a true leader in both news literacy content and media source bias/reliability data,” said Randal Heise, co-owner of Mackin. “Right now, the demand for their solutions is very strong, particularly with English, social studies, and journalism teachers, as well as with librarians who teach information literacy.” …Read More