How online tutoring helps us close learning gaps and support teachers

A report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms that the pandemic greatly impacted students’ academic progress across all grade levels and instructional models.

Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) has leveraged pandemic relief funds to invest in additional resources for our district community. In addition to enhancing our summer school program, we are helping teachers support their students—and close learning gaps—by providing access to online, high-impact tutoring services. 

While we originally implemented online tutoring for our virtual school only, we were so impressed by the results that we decided to scale the service across our district. Now, every student has unlimited access to high-quality tutors—regardless of their grade level or academic standing.…Read More

5 safeguarding tips for schools this year

Criminal cyber groups have made it abundantly clear that there is no type of organization they will not target–the more vulnerable they are, the easier it will be to victimize. Unfortunately for us, the organizations most at risk are often public institutions. A combination of lack of resources and dependence on legacy networks creates the perfect storm for exploitation. Of all public organizations, education has the most significant difficulties to overcome.

In 2021, ransomware attacks cost US schools over $3 billion in damages and an incalculable impact on teachers’ and children’s lives. City officials and state lawmakers must ask themselves: What can I do to protect my constituents? As a former CIO for the state of Arizona, I have pondered the same questions and understand how stressful the responsibility can be.

Since then, I have helped hundreds of private companies and government departments fortify their security postures in an increasingly hostile security environment. In this article, I would like to share the five most valuable practices cybersecurity personnel can implement within their school district’s or university’s security planning.…Read More

4 ways to support ELLs in post-pandemic learning

There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted learning in ways educators and policymakers are still working to understand. But while all students felt the impact, certain historically underserved student groups–including English language learners (ELLs)–were disproportionately affected.

During virtual learning, ELLs didn’t have access to many of the in-school resources they typically use and need to learn best. Many student groups suffered from limited or no access to reliable high-speed internet, appropriate technology devices to use for virtual and hybrid learning, and unpredictable family situations that arose as a result of the pandemic.

While educators focus on addressing pandemic-related learning loss and closing existing learning gaps that grew wider during the pandemic, focusing on ELLs is critical.…Read More

All you need to know about ERP in education

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions help companies coordinate the work of various departments by integrating all the necessary information within one shared database. While ERP systems are traditionally associated with manufacturing, they now support organizations in multiple sectors, education included.

As the digital transformation in schools, universities, and other educational institutions is picking up the pace, ERP adoption is gradually increasing, and this trend is forecasted to continue.

Migrating resources, training your staff, adopting a framework built on a centralized database — these are just some of the challenges that await you on your way to embracing ERP. Overcoming these difficulties is well worth the effort, but it requires expertise. Read on and learn about the benefits of ERP for the education sector, along with a few adoption tips.…Read More

Pivot Interactives Named Best of STEM by Science Educators

MINNEAPOLIS, July 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Minneapolis, Minnesota Pivot Interactives, a phenomena-based, active learning tool for science teaching, has been honored with three Educators Pick Best of STEM awards, an EdTech program judged solely by science and STEM educators. Educators named Pivot Interactives Best of STEM in three categories: “Best of STEM for Phenomena-Based Teaching and Learning,” “Best of STEM for Video-Based Learning,” and “Best Resources for Analyzing and Interpreting Data.”

“We are thrilled to be recognized by science and STEM educators with this award,” says Peter Bohacek, CEO and Co-Founder of Pivot Interactives. “At Pivot, we are educators first and foremost, and to be recognized as the Best of STEM by teachers is deeply rewarding. The needs of science teachers have profoundly changed in the last few years, and we will continue to innovate to create the tools that educators need most.”

Pivot Interactives won the following Best of STEM Awards:
Best of STEM for Phenomena-Based Teaching and Learning
This category honors organizations that anchor instruction to meaningful natural phenomena.…Read More

How I use PowerPoint to make learning more engaging

In my role as a 5th grade teacher, I’ve come to believe that one of the best ways to integrate technology into the classroom is to start with the lesson itself.

Lessons can be turned digital, and formatted in a PowerPoint. I teach using PowerPoint or Google Slides. These resources are very user friendly for teachers and students. This makes the process of creating the content easier for the teacher. If
the students are creating a presentation, a simple How-To-Use would cover the basics of where certain options are located and how to use them.

When students create their own slideshow presentation, it makes them use their creativity and it boosts their confidence in themselves. Most of my students love presenting the work they have created because they are proud of what they
accomplished and want to share it with others. It is a way for students to show their abilities and artistic ideas in their work. When students are turning in their presentations, teachers can comment directly on the slideshow. This real-time feedback allows students to see where they made an error, and they can edit just the portion of the presentation where the error was made. …Read More

Lexia Learning’s Founder, Robert Arthur Lemire, Dies at Eighty-Nine

BOSTON (June 23, 2022) Lexia® Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, is saddened to announce that the company’s founder, Robert A. Lemire died on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Lemire was eighty-nine and passed away following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Lemire created Lexia Learning in 1984 after watching his son struggle to learn to read. Lemire received guidance from his friend, Dr. Edwin Cole, a noted neurologist, head of the Reading Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the founder of several schools for students with dyslexia like his son. Lemire realized that many other children had reading difficulties and most of them did not have the resources that his family did.

Together with neighbor Dr. Littleton Meeks, an expert in technology, Lemire and Dr. Cole decided to create a company that would use computer technology to help students receive the explicit, systematic, and personalized instruction they needed to become successful readers and confident learners. In 1992, Lexia expanded its mission to serve not only readers with dyslexia but all readers from beginners and inclusive of struggling readers. Today, the company serves more than 5.5 million students across more than 3,300 school districts in all 50 states and territories.…Read More

Are teachers in your district spending more time on SEL?

More than 80 percent of teachers say they are spending more time than ever on social-emotional learning (SEL), according to a new survey.

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) released its State of Education May 2022 Report, which surveyed over 2,000 U.S. educators to understand their perspectives on the state of students’ well-being and social-emotional health, the ways in which schools are handling these needs, the role of social-emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom, and the overall health of the teaching profession. 

Key findings from the State of Education May 2022 Report include:…Read More

MiEN Company Releases White Paper on Creating a Scholastic Esports Program

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – June 15, 2022 – An increasing number of schools are finding that scholastic esports – competitive online video gaming between schools – provide the same social and emotional learning (SEL) benefits as traditional athletics and can also be used to teach a variety of subjects. To help schools implement this new pedagogical support, MiEN Company has published a white paper titled “ Using Esports to Teach K–12 Academic and Social Emotional Skills: Design of Esports Environment Supports Skill Development Outcomes.”

The white paper informs readers about resources like the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), which offers a free state-approved esports curriculum for class time instruction or after-school activities. Readers will also find information about the Middle School Esports League, the High School Esports League and the National Association of Collegiate Esports. The white paper outlines the benefits that each organization can provide for schools and students.

“Using Esports to Teach” also discusses how esports programs can help educators prepare students for STEM careers. In addition to describing the various career pathways, the white paper provides as a link to a NASEF infographic that shows how esports can prepare students for not only STEM careers but also for occupations such as event planner, business consultant, writer, financial advisor and more.…Read More