How 3D printing is changing education

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we must invest in educational technology. When schools use technology to improve the quality and quantity of educational content, learners will thrive. Amid this technology-driven educational environment, 3D printing offers students the following: helping to facilitate differentiated instruction, increasing student engagement, expanding practice opportunities, and scaling up standardized instruction.

No More One-Size-Fits-All Teaching

Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that tailors instruction to all students’ learning needs. Most students are unlikely to get much from “one-size-fits-all” instruction. Instead, it should vary based on students’ interests, preferences, strengths, and struggles.…Read More

Riverside Insights Acquires Aperture Education

ITASCA, Ill. – June  2, 2022 – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today announced its acquisition of Aperture Education, the leading provider of research-based social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments for K-12 schools. With more than 65 years of combined research and SEL experience, Aperture sets the standard for research-based SEL assessment solutions. The addition of Aperture’s SEL solutions to the Riverside portfolio of research-based ability and achievement assessments will help K-12 educators obtain the most valid, reliable, and comprehensive view of each learner. Through use of the highest quality and most rigorous tools, educators are empowered to better understand and support student growth. Riverside is a portfolio company of Alpine Investors, a people-driven private equity firm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Aperture team has developed the DESSA suite of assessments to meet the needs of students and educators. Based on the CASELTM framework, the DESSA assessment system provides an in-depth, comprehensive view of student social and emotional skills and is entirely strength-based.

“With our K-12 solutions for students and educators, Aperture and Riverside have a synergistic goal of enriching one billion lives globally by 2030,” said Rajib Roy, CEO of Riverside Insights. “With Riverside’s strong research tradition blended with Aperture’s SEL product expertise and vision, we are excited to continue our commitment to creating insights to understand the whole learner. Together, we believe that through our assessments, we can make a greater impact in the lives of students and educators.”…Read More

Schools amplify inequity with failed solutions to teacher shortage

We’re racing against a ticking clock to resolve the teacher shortage for our students’ futures as the number of unfilled positions at schools and districts hits record levels.

Every unfilled staff vacancy at a school means that students are not receiving a high-quality education, which has a resounding effect on outcomes. One study shows that 10 additional teacher absences per year lead to 1.2 percent and .6 percent of a standard deviation decrease in math and English test scores, respectively. This principle applies to core subjects, which give students a solid foundation for academic and career success, and enrichment classes, which expand their skill sets and understanding of the world.

The teacher shortage is even more detrimental to students in underserved districts, where teacher absences tend to run higher than the national average of 11 days per year.  …Read More

School Superintendents of Alabama and Curriculum Associates Recognize Students and Educators with $12,000 in Scholarships

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., May 11, 2022—Curriculum Associates recently sponsored the 2022 School Superintendents of Alabama (SSA) scholarship program to help recognize and support students and educators throughout the state. The 12 scholarship recipients—eight high school seniors who intend to pursue a degree in education from one of Alabama’s public colleges or universities as well as four educators who plan to pursue a degree in school administration from one of the state’s public colleges or universities—will each receive $1,000.

“One of SSA’s top priorities is to promote high-quality public education throughout our state. This has become even more critical as we face a teacher shortage crisis not only in Alabama but across our nation,” said SSA Executive Director Ryan Hollingsworth. “It is our hope and belief that these scholarships will aid in the process of rebuilding our workforce by assisting these qualified students and educational leaders in achieving their career goals. These recipients have demonstrated a commitment to quality in our schools and we, alongside Curriculum Associates, are proud to be able to assist them as they pursue their degrees.”

Selected by superintendents who were chosen as district finalists for the SSA/Schneider Electric Superintendent of the Year Award, this year’s SSA Student Scholarship recipients are:…Read More

Making indoor air quality a top priority

As schools move toward making masks optional for students and teachers, concerns are turning to the best ways to mitigate COVID-19 infections–and indoor air quality is a major concern.

With students back in physical classrooms, air quality must take priority regardless of a district’s mask policy. But how can district leaders address the varying degrees of improvements schools may need to update their indoor air systems?

Join this eSchool News webinar to learn about:…Read More

How schools can improve infrastructure and air quality as masks come off

As the CDC shifts its recommendations and schoolchildren are no longer required to wear masks in many parts of the country, questions remain about how aging school infrastructure can support the health and safety needs–including air quality–that accompany reduced precautions.

The March 2021 American Rescue Plan brought widespread economic aid to address such issues, with $122.8 billion specifically earmarked for K-12 districts, but this funding has an expiration date. How can school districts best act now to create healthier schools and repair crumbling infrastructure before the first round of funding expires in September 2022?

Many school districts nationwide have been using stimulus dollars to rethink infrastructure, classroom design, and building upgrades. According to the U.S. Department of Education, one of the most popular uses of federal funding has been repairing school facilities, especially ventilation systems, to improve air quality and reduce the spread of Covid-19.…Read More

3 ways edtech benefits from learning sciences research

A new report on the value of research in edtech design offers a critical and detailed look at how learners and products alike can benefit from research-infused design.

An Overlooked Indicator of Edtech Quality: The Use of Learning Sciences Research, from Digital Promise, highlights how edtech products see learning sciences research as a beneficial, and even vital, part of their operation.

Some key findings explored in the report include:…Read More

Defining digital curriculum in a new era of learning

Even after the events of the past two years, the definition of what constitutes digital curriculum is still a source of disagreement for some. Misalignment among educator roles regarding curriculum has far from disappeared, and in some cases, the gap has grown even wider, according to new research.

While the majority of educators are more optimistic about the state of their curriculum this year than before COVID-19, the theme of misalignment persists in several areas, including:

Quality of Curriculum…Read More

Extron Announces Audio DSPs, Amplifiers, and Speakers Certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms

Anaheim, California (February 28, 2022) – Extron is pleased to announce that several of its audio processors, amplifiers, and speakers are now certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms. The company has worked together with hardware solutions partners, such as Sennheiser, to develop solutions that deliver an unmatched user experience regardless of room type. The products that are certified for Teams Rooms have been designed and meticulously tested for performance and ease of use.

“We are confident that our high quality audio products will enable integrators to deliver a premium Microsoft Teams experience,” says Casey Hall, Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Extron. “We are very pleased to provide products certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms to our customers.”

Extron Products Certified for Microsoft Teams:…Read More

The best ways to monitor your school’s indoor air quality

COVID-19 ushered forth a plethora of new safety guidelines and strategies intended to bring students and teachers back to the classroom as safely as possible. Indoor air quality has topped the list of school leaders’ concerns.

With students back in physical classrooms, air quality must take priority regardless of a district’s mask policy.

Join this eSchool News webinar to learn about:…Read More

Renaissance and Hillsborough County Celebrate 10 Years of Equitable Access to Thousands of Books

Bloomington, Minn. (Feb. 10, 2022) Renaissance, the global leader in pre-K–12 education technology, is honored to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the community reading initiative Read on myON, a first-of-its-kind partnership between Renaissance and Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Designed to promote equity and eliminate accessibility gaps in access to high quality books regardless of a student’s socioeconomic status or attendance in a particular school, Read on myON was made possible by an entire community of partners, including Hillsborough County Public Schools, The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, Head Start of Hillsborough County, Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, Tampa Housing Authority, Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, and United Way Suncoast.

Over the 10 years of the Read on myON collaboration, hundreds of thousands of children from birth through 8th grade have had free access to the myON platform. Thirty-nine percent of the books children access through the program are opened for the first time outside of school hours, and books have been accessed over 71,718,216 times since the inception of the program in 2012, equating to over 336 million minutes spent reading.…Read More

Louisiana Department of Education Rates Lexia Reading Core5 as Highest Tier of Efficacy

BOSTON (Feb. 10, 2022) – The personalized literacy solution Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) from Lexia® Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, has received the highest rating of Tier 1 from the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE). The Tier 1 rating means that the LDOE has designated Core5 as “exemplifying quality.” The LDOE website now lists the evidence-based, educational technology program among the most intensive intervention tools for grades three through five.

“Core5 met all the LDOE’s non-negotiable criteria and received the best possible score on all indicators of superior quality,” said Lexia Learning President, Nick Gaehde. “LDOE is committed to helping educators find interventions that are data-driven, individualized for students, and systematic. It’s wonderful to see Core5 added to such a prestigious list.”

To support local school districts’ decisions on purchasing instructional materials, the LDOE evaluates products on program design, instructional design, usability and support, and other criteria for high quality. A committee of Louisiana educators reviews the materials.…Read More