school districts Archives

Mis-identifying “504-only” students

February 6, 2026 by Perry A. Zirkel, Retired Professor of Education Law

At a time of teacher shortage, high percentages of students with 504 plans contributes to current recruitment and attrition problems.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination against students and other individuals with disabilities, is far less visible than the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)…

District Management

Cutting costs without cutting corners

January 15, 2026 by Jacqueline Benson, Jurupa Unified School District

This district is streamlining payroll, staffing, and operations to stay ahead of shrinking budgets--here’s how other districts can follow suit

With the end of federal COVID-19 emergency funding and the inherent volatility of state income tax revenues, California school districts are in an era of financial uncertainty.

District Management

Chronic absenteeism could derail K-12 education

December 19, 2025 by Joe Philleo, Edia

When communities unite to battle chronic absenteeism and make school attendance a priority, students receive the support they need to succeed

The biggest problem in education is that kids aren’t showing up to school. Last year, 26 percent of students missed a month of class or more, leading to…

The Road to Efficiency for K-12 Schools

February 12, 2026November 6, 2025 by Jeff Festa

This whitepaper discusses the financial challenges faced by K-12 school districts and advocates for the modernization of travel, expense, and ... Read more

District Management

How districts can avoid 4 hidden costs of outdated facilities systems

November 7, 2025October 30, 2025 by Shane Foster, Follett Software

Facilities teams are already stretched thin, and antiquated facilities systems prevent them from managing day-to-day operations.

School leaders are under constant pressure to stretch every dollar further, yet many districts are losing money in ways they may not even realize. The culprit? Outdated facilities processes…

District Management

Turning superintendent transitions into strength–not division

September 15, 2025 by Jeremy Fewell, Mississinewa Community Schools

A superintendent offers practical moves K-12 leaders can use right now to grow unity during superintendent transitions.

When a long-serving superintendent departs, districts inherit more than a vacancy. They inherit emotion, legacy, and the uncertainty that comes with change.

District Management

Report highlights growing movement to elevate student voice in school communications

November 7, 2025August 14, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Schools have opportunities to use student voice as a powerful tool for addressing challenges like chronic absenteeism and engagement.

As K-12 leaders look for ways to strengthen trust, engagement, and belonging, a growing number of districts are turning to a key partner in the work: their students.

Newsline

Counslr Launches in Schools Across the Country to Increase Mental Health Care Access

August 12, 2025 by ESchool Media Contributors

New York, NY, August 12, 2025 – Counslr, a leading mental health and wellness platform, announced today that it has expanded its ... Read more

Education Policy & Funding

Radical transparency in school benefits: A smarter way to manage public dollars

August 7, 2025 by Jonathan Jallad, Acentria Public Risk, a Foundation Risk Partners Company

Transparency is a path to fiscal responsibility, employee trust, and strategic clarity in school healthcare and school district benefits.

For public school districts across Florida and much of the country, employee benefits--particularly health insurance--are among the largest and fastest-growing budget line items.

District Management

6 steps to transforming parent engagement, one message at a time

November 7, 2025August 1, 2025 by Megan Cahill-Clark, Grove Park Elementary

The right communications platform helps districts foster deeper family and parent engagement and bridge school communication gaps.

We always want to make it easy for families to receive, consume, and respond to our messages, and our new communications platform helps us achieve that goal.

IT Innovations

Centralized IT governance helps improve learning outcomes

July 17, 2025 by Jesus Peña, UDT

A district’s IT transformation led to reliable connectivity and ample bandwidth, ensuring students no longer face learning disruptions.

As school districts continue to seek new ways to enhance learning outcomes, Madison County School District represents an outstanding case study of the next-level success that may be…

AI in Education

Common Sense Media releases AI toolkit for school districts

July 11, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Educators need practical, easy-to-use tools that support thoughtful AI planning, decision-making, and implementation in school districts.

Common Sense Media has released its first AI Toolkit for School Districts, which gives districts of all sizes a structured, action-oriented guide for implementing AI safely, responsibly, and effectively.

Newsline

First AI-Powered Special Education Management Platform Helps Districts Reach 100% IEP Compliance

July 3, 2025July 1, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

Sanford, N.C. — With school districts nationwide struggling to meet growing special education demands amid staffing shortages and political pressure ... Read more

AI in Education

More districts eye AI training for teachers

April 30, 2025 by Laura Ascione

Teachers are integrating AI into instruction, but little is known about how districts are supporting them during the rollout of AI in schools

Roughly half of districts in a nationally representative survey reported that they have provided training to their teachers about generative AI-powered tools as of fall 2024, according to…

NoRedInk and the National Writing Project Partner to Inspire the Next Generation of Writers in the Age of Gen AI

April 9, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

SAN FRANCISCO – NoRedInk, the comprehensive online writing platform provider used in over 60% of U.S. school districts, has partnered ... Read more

Innovation Insights

AI as an Admin Tool: Making School Website Accessibility Easier

April 1, 2025 by Kevin Hogan

With the right approach to AI, teachers can make unparalleled strides in personalization, and accessibility in lesson plans and assessment.

First, there was the scare cycle: “AI is going to take all the teacher jobs!” Then there was the hype ... Read more

Driving Change in Workforce Management

July 31, 2025March 13, 2025 by Jeff Festa

School districts are faced with decisions on how to adopt technology throughout school operations, not just in classrooms. Though new ... Read more

Newsline

BloomBoard Partners with Barry University to Fill Florida’s Persistent Teacher Vacancies

February 24, 2025 by ESchool News Staff

MIAMI – According to the Florida Education Association, nearly 10,000 of the state’s public school teaching positions were vacant at ... Read more

District Management

‘Pathway to Prosperity’ initiative shows the power of partnerships in driving student success

November 7, 2025January 28, 2025 by Olen Anderson, Work ED

Bringing together multiple stakeholder groups in support of our students and student success creates tremendous synergy within communities.

Key points: Educators and school administrators are working incredibly hard to get all students, and especially their most challenged populations, ... Read more

District Management

Chronic absenteeism threatens to derail K-12 education

November 7, 2025January 27, 2025 by Joe Philleo, Edia

The biggest problem in education is that kids aren’t showing up to school. Last year, 26 percent of students missed a month of class or more, leading to…

Students with Special Needs

3 key steps when designing inclusive spaces in K-12 schools

January 9, 2025 by Valerie Peterson, AIA, LEED AP, & Alison Andrews, Wold Architects and Engineers

Designing inclusive K-12 education learning spaces for students with disabilities requires intentional focus and investment.

As school districts continue to evolve, a growing emphasis is placed on inclusivity in education, with many shifting toward integrating students with special education needs into general classrooms.

STEM & STEAM Trends

Want to improve STEM education? Here’s how

December 17, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

Robust, systemic change across the education system is needed to achieve major improvements in STEM education outcomes for students.

Federal agencies, states, and school districts should develop robust methods to expand the use of promising innovations that can improve STEM education from pre-K through high school.

Innovation in Education

Palmdale School District’s Technological Transformation: Equity, Innovation, and Literacy

December 3, 2024 by Kevin Hogan

Palmdale School District Superintendent Dr. Raúl Maldonado discusses the district’s “Palmdale Promise” initiative, focusing on technological equity and early literacy. ... Read more

VHS Learning Among 136 Organizations Committed to Advancing Computer Science Education through CSforALL

November 12, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

Boston – At the eighth annual CSforALL Summit, VHS Learning has once again made a CSforALL national commitment to advance computer ... Read more

Innovation in Education

How AI Will Change Personalized Learning

October 28, 2024October 24, 2024 by Kevin Hogan

Keisha Ray and Susan Gentz, co-founders of K20Connect, tackle two of the most popular, but sometimes confusing, topics in the ... Read more

K-12 Cybersecurity

How schools can take full advantage of the FCC’s new cybersecurity program

October 11, 2024 by Mark Sangster, Adlumin

Schools need to strengthen their cybersecurity postures, and programs like the FCC pilot can help shore up vulnerabilities.

K-12 school districts are becoming an increasingly popular target of ransomware operations and other cyber threat actors. Ransomware attacks alone targeted 108 U.S. school districts in 2023.

Newsline

Euna Solutions Launches Euna Special Education: MTSS — A Data-Driven Tool for School Districts to Enhance Student Outcomes

September 25, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

TORONTO & CHICAGO – Euna Solutions®, a leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based solutions for the public sector, today announced the ... Read more

Newsline

New Lenovo Legion Partnership Gives Schools an Edge in Their Esports Programs

September 18, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

Lakewood Ranch, Florida—Lenovo Legion announced a strategic partnership with JAR Systems, the creator of USB-C PD charging carts used widely ... Read more

Newsline

Kentucky’s Education Professional Standards Board Approves Innovative Programs to Address Teacher Shortage

September 5, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

FRANKFORT, KY – As the 2024–25 school year begins, Kentucky’s Education Professional Standards Board announced the approval of two innovative ... Read more

Newsline

BloomBoard and Mercy University Partner to Create Accessible Teaching Pathways to Address New York’s Teacher Shortage

August 8, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. — Mercy University and BloomBoard, a leading talent development provider for K–12 school districts, today announced an ... Read more

Newsline

Metrasens Entrusted by Public Schools Nationwide as Strategic Partner in Extracurricular Event Safety

July 31, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

NAPERVILLE, Ill. /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Metrasens, a leading provider of advanced detection systems for security and safety applications, today announced its ongoing ... Read more

Students with Special Needs

Managing rising student needs under IDEA

July 15, 2024 by Lesley Slaughter, Soliant

With new guidance around monitoring IDEA, districts must understand and address service deficits around students with special needs.

Now accounting for 15 percent of total public school enrollment, the number of students requiring special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) has reached an…

Edtech Trends

Edtech Top 40 reveals increase in unique digital tool use

July 9, 2024 by Laura Ascione

The Edtech Top 40 report highlights the reliance on edtech tools in schools and the importance of an interoperable technological ecosystem.

On average, K-12 school districts access 2,739 edtech tools over the entire school year, according to Edtech Top 40, a report on the usage of digital solutions, tools,…

District Management

These attendance management strategies can reduce chronic absenteeism

June 28, 2024 by Laura Ascione

High schools and marginalized student groups continue to display higher chronic absenteeism rates, according to a new study.

School districts implementing proactive, consistent attendance interventions saw a 22 percent improvement in chronic absenteeism rates from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

Student Well-Being

It takes a village to protect students’ well-being in the digital age

June 7, 2024 by Kyle Berger, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

Protecting and educating our children and upholding students' well-being is not just a school problem--it’s a societal problem.

There’s a new pillar of knowledge school districts need to impart upon their students, and it’s how to navigate today’s connected, digitally enabled world.

K-12 Cybersecurity

Critical steps to help school districts combat ransomware attacks

April 30, 2024 by Gary Barlet, Illumio

It’s crucial that school districts have robust, modern cybersecurity strategies in place to protect valuable information against ransomware.

School districts are one of the most vulnerable industries for a ransomware attack, particularly from foreign adversaries, according to Ann Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and…

Newsline

CIESC Member Schools Gain Access to Metrasens Ultra Weapons Detection Systems Through New Partnership

April 24, 2024 by ESchool News Staff

NAPERVILLE, Illinois (PRNewswire-PRWeb) — Metrasens, a leading provider of advanced detection systems for security and safety applications, is pleased to announce ... Read more

K-12 Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity: eSN Innovation Roundtable

May 20, 2024April 11, 2024 by Laura Ascione

District IT leaders discuss their successes, challenges, and priorities around K-12 cybersecurity--and how they manage network threats.

Cybersecurity is arguably one of the biggest priorities in K-12 school districts across the country. IT leaders agree that a “when, not if” mentality is essential in formulating…

Live @ CoSN2024

Look Who’s Talking: Superintendent Susan Enfield on the Changing Role of Leadership in Schools

April 4, 2024April 4, 2024 by Kevin Hogan

Title: Leading in Service to Schools: Every Leader Matters School districts are in a precarious state. Post-pandemic, institutions are still ... Read more

Education Policy & Funding

It’s budget season: How are you preparing for the fiscal cliff?

March 20, 2024 by Elizabeth Orme

District leaders should embrace final ESSER dollars for shedding systemic clutter as they prepare for the fiscal cliff and budget challenges.

The imminent end of ESSER funding has pushed school districts to a critical juncture, compelling them to confront budget deficits for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year before the…

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