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.

Big Deals—Khan Academy Boosts National Civics Bee, AI Tackles Campus Safety, and Stanford Offers Online Math

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation this month announced the launch of the 2024 National Civics Bee. The competition is expanding to 27 states for the 2023-2024 school year, tripling its reach from nine states last year. Students may apply for the competition here. The deadline to enter is January 8, 2024.

The National Civics Bee is a nationwide competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Middle school students in grades 6-8 flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes. Chambers of commerce across 27 states will host in-person contests in their communities this school year. Top performing students will advance through local and state rounds, culminating in a national competition held in Washington D.C.

This remarkable expansion reflects the deepening civics education crisis in America and has been made possible by significant multi-year grants from supporters like the Daniels Fund. Recent studies have shown alarming gaps in Americans’ understanding of our democratic processes and systems. More than one third of U.S. adults cannot name the three branches of government. The National Civics Bee taps into business leaders’ deep commitment to strengthening civics education and the long-term health of our democracy.…Read More

The pandemic is over–but American schools still aren’t the same

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

On a recent Friday at Gary Comer Middle School in Chicago, you had to squint to see signs of the pandemic that upended American education just a few years ago.

Only a handful of students wore face masks, and even then, some put them on to cover up pimples, staff said. The hand sanitizer stations outside every classroom mostly went unused, and some were empty. Students stopped to hug in the hallway and ate lunch side by side in the cafeteria. …Read More

Schoolwork shouldn’t double as screentime

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Children get one childhood, and time is one of the most precious resources we have in schools. For these reasons, I am increasingly frustrated that I have next to no power to stop my own children from wasting their time in front of a computer screen.

That’s because screens are where they are expected to access and complete their schoolwork and homework. My children are assigned to watch online videos and answer questions about them in an online form. Their grades reflect their responses.  …Read More

New Program Gives High School Students Training and Job Placement in an Allied Healthcare Career

LIVONIA, Mich. –  After a comprehensive and successful two-year pilot with more than 900 students,  MedCerts has launched a training program for high school students to earn a nationally recognized credential in Allied Healthcare and Health IT careers. When the student successfully completes the online didactic training and has graduated, they are able to funnel directly into open jobs with partner employers or if they choose, take advantage of the  MedCerts Prior Learning Assessment Credit Transfer Ecosystem and gain college credit at a reputable college.

The new program combines online training and, if needed as part of the certification, a residential experience in a healthcare setting, guided by healthcare professionals that lead directly to jobs. These residential training experiences provide on-the-job experience, which can be supplied through MedCerts employer partners or through the school’s existing partners. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most allied healthcare jobs are in high demand.  The projected growth change in employment for Medical Assistants from 2022 to 2032 is projected at 14 percent, which is well above the average growth rate.

“MedCerts in partnerships with schools and local healthcare employers is building an early talent pipeline directly from high school into well-paying, entry-level healthcare jobs,” said Jen Kolb, National Director of Workforce Development at MedCerts, “Students in high school can get their training and clinical experience completed in their senior year so that they graduate from high school and can go immediately into a skilled career.”…Read More

Riverside Insights Debuts CogAT.com Portal to Support Strengths-based, Differentiated Learning that Helps All Students Thrive

ITASCA, Ill. – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today introduced www.CogAT.com, a new microsite to support Riverside’s CogAT® in the Classroom initiative. This online portal provides resources to transform Cognitive Abilities Test™ (CogAT) assessment data into tailored classroom instruction that enables all students to thrive. Designed for teachers, administrators and parents, CogAT.com’s tools support a positive learning environment by encouraging differentiated learning through a strengths-based lens.

“Data collected as part of the CogAT is extremely powerful, yet most school districts are not optimizing its use to better understand how all students learn, then applying that in the classroom,” said Dr. Joni Lakin, professor at the University of Alabama and co-author of the CogAT.  “Riverside’s CogAT in the Classroom initiative is making it easier than ever to use CogAT data effectively in the classroom to maximize student growth. On CogAT.com, we provide the tools that teachers, administrators and parents need to better understand the abilities of each student coupled with actionable strategies that will benefit every learner in the classroom.”

Using CogAT ability data and CogAT in the Classroom resources, educators can evaluate student potential using both abilities and achievement data and differentiate instruction based on students’ cognitive reasoning strengths. Infusing ability data into the classroom environment helps teachers build a holistic understanding of each student’s potential and create tailored classroom instruction to provide more opportunities for all students to excel.…Read More

Slooh Launches Its Next-Gen Platform to Engage Students in Space Exploration

Washington Depot, Connecticut – Slooh, the pioneer in offering live online telescope feeds of the universe and an NGSS-aligned curriculum for school communities worldwide, recently launched the next generation of its online learning platform to make space exploration even easier and more engaging for students and educators alike. The upgraded platform includes enhancements to allow for more interactivity, personalization, and student-driven learning this school year and beyond.

“Slooh provides students, particularly those in Grades 4-8, with a one-of-a-kind experience centered around hands-on, age-appropriate experiential learning,” said Michael Paolucci, founder of Slooh. “From new learning activities to a more intuitive dashboard, the new enhancements flatten the learning curve for new users and emphasize creativity and self-directed learning as students discover the wonders of the universe and collect and analyze astronomical data in real time.”

For students, the platform allows for more interactivity and personalization as students complete Quest learning activities. This includes the ability for students to create custom posters depicting what they discovered using Slooh’s fully autonomous online telescopes. Also, students are now able to participate in independent study programs – focused on citizen science, science communications, and workforce development – designed by Slooh.…Read More

Pearson’s Connections Academy and Home Depot’s Path to Pro Program Partner to Connect High School Students to Trade Careers

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Pearson and its Connections Academy, the fully online public school program serving K-12 students for more than 20 years, announced today their partnership with The Home Depot’s Path to Pro program to introduce high school students to careers in the trade industry. Through the partnership, Connections Academy will connect high school students, their families and recent graduates to The Home Depot’s Path to Pro program. The initiative includes the Path to Pro Skills Program, offering on-demand courses designed to prepare participants for six trade-based careers, including electrical, drywall, paint, plumbing, HVAC and general construction.

Interested students explore free programs developed by experts in the construction profession. Once eligible, they can build a free profile in the Path to Pro Network to showcase their skills, upload a resume, apply for more than 2,500 jobs and connect to millions of Home Depot Pro customers looking for skilled workers.

These professional contractors are a part of the U.S. construction industry, which annually must fill nearly three-quarters of a million jobs due to retirements, job changes, and other forms of turnover, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In less than a decade, this sector is projected to grow by another 250,000 jobs that typically pay family-sustaining salaries.…Read More

Most Parents Think Teachers Are Fully Prepared to Deliver Science of Reading-Aligned Instruction; Educators Are Less Optimistic

BOSTON – A national survey of over 800 U.S. parents[1] commissioned by  Lexia, a part of   Cambium  Learning Group, and conducted online by The Harris Poll, found that just over half (51%) of parents strongly agree that their children’s teachers are properly trained in the science of reading. However, Lexia’s own nationwide survey of educators[2] found that only 27% of educators felt the same. 

“Understanding what parents are likely thinking about their child’s school and its faculty is valuable for school and district administrators,” said Lexia President, Nick Gaehde. “And when it comes to the science of reading, the disconnect between parents’ perception of teachers’ readiness and teachers’ feelings of preparedness is rather extreme. Only when we become aware of a situation, can we then move forward with a solution.” 

The term “science of reading” refers to decades of research in fields such as cognitive science, linguistics, and neuroscience that identify best practices for reading instruction. Structured Literacy is the approach that applies the research of science of reading and includes components such as phonics, building vocabulary and comprehension.…Read More

Online PD helps teachers respond to bullying

Key points:

  • In-school bullying is a persistent and problematic issue for students–particularly for students with disabilities
  • Now, online professional development curriculum can help educators respond to and prevent bullying in school
  • See related article: 5 ways bullying changed during the pandemic

Students with disabilities are often bullied and socially excluded in school at a far greater rate than their classmates. To help teachers recognize, respond to and prevent bullying toward these students, researchers at the University of Missouri collaborated to develop an evidence-based, online professional development curriculum.

The curriculum highlights the value of teachers building a strong rapport with their students, noticing changes in student behavior as potential warning signs, incorporating social skills and communication skills into classroom learning objectives, as well as practicing behavior-specific praise in a way that showcases students’ strengths and encourages collaboration with peers.…Read More