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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.

Vector Solutions Adds Cybersecurity Awareness Courses to its Suite of Online Training Programs for Schools

Tampa, FL – More than 100 school districts are victimized by cyber criminals each year. To help school administrators and staff members protect their school networks and reduce the likelihood of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands, Vector Solutions, the leading provider of training and software solutions to help schools make their operations and communities safer, smarter, and better, has created a set of online cybersecurity awareness training courses. The courses address topics such as creating a cybersecurity culture, preventing social engineering attacks, laws and compliance, best practices, and more. The courses will be available starting Oct. 1, 2022.

“School districts, like many other institutions, are moving more of their operations online – everything from student records management, to administrative functions, to curriculum and instruction. This can help improve efficiency, but it can also increase the risk of cybercrime,” said Rob Buelow, head of product for education at Vector Solutions. “Our goal is to help keep schools safe and operational, and our new courses will help school leaders and employees understand these risks and how to protect their systems and their data.”

The cybersecurity courses are:…Read More

eSchool Media Announces Winners of the 2022 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards

Recognizing the country’s best examples of K-12 success during the pandemic-era school year, eSchool News recognizes three winners for their exceptional efforts to help all students continue learning, while ensuring students felt safe, empowered, and engaged.

Gaithersburg, MD (Monday, October 3, 2022) — eSchool Media is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2022 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards, sponsored by JAR Systems and SAP Concur, and dedicated to recognizing the innovative contributions of K-12 education professionals.

eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards Program Winners:…Read More

Growing Number of Texas School Districts Partner with ParentSquare to Unify School-Home Communications

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. SEPT. 22, 2022 — ParentSquare, continuing its momentum in partnering with Texas schools, announces over a dozen additional independent school districts (ISD) have adopted the platform to streamline communications and empower administrators and teachers to engage every student’s family. To further support Texas districts, ParentSquare is now a platinum corporate partner in the Texas Fast Growth School Coalition.

Recent ISDs to adopt the ParentSquare school-home engagement platform for K-12 include:

  • Barbers Hill ISD
  • Brenham ISD
  • Del Valle ISD
  • Huffman ISD
  • Hutto ISD
  • Midway ISD
  • New Braunfels ISD
  • Northwest ISD
  • Odem-Edroy ISD
  • Pampa ISD
  • Roma ISD
  • Stafford MSD
  • Stratford ISD
  • Transformation Waco in Waco ISD
  • United ISD
  • Waxahachie ISD

These districts join a long list of over 60 districts in the state that have already been utilizing the benefits of ParentSquare. Through these partnerships, over a quarter million Texas families are being positively impacted by the platform features in some of the fastest growing areas in the country.…Read More

4 tips to build a strong classroom culture this year

The past two years have been immensely difficult for our nation’s students and teachers. In the wake of the isolation and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health and behavioral challenges are on the rise as students continue to process unprecedented amounts of stress, anxiety, and grief. The decline in child and adolescent mental health has been so great that the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association have declared it a national emergency.

These mental health issues have translated into increased disengagement, conflict, and bullying — and as a result, disciplinary action — in school classrooms and hallways across the country. 

As a Dean of Culture at a public school in Queens, New York, until recently, I saw these challenges first-hand. I also know that traditional discipline methods fail to address the root cause of behavioral issues. Many forms of disciplinary action are doing more harm than good. This is especially true when research shows that Black students are disciplined far more than White students for the same offenses, perpetuating and sustaining cycles of inequity in our schools. …Read More

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5 ways to use ESSER funds to create cleaner environments

Funding is often schools’ biggest obstacle when it comes to enhancing the learning environment beyond the basics.

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund is providing a significant influx of resources for schools across the nation. However, an interesting problem revealed itself as schools find themselves struggling to decide how to spend the largely unexpected funds. In fact, according analysis of the federal ESSER data by the National Conference of State Legislatures, only 19.1 percent of the program’s funding has been used as of Feb. 28, 2022.

The relief package, which provided nearly $190.5 billion to the ESSER Fund through three separate stimulus bills, is incredibly helpful and impactful in addressing the impact that COVID-19 has on schools across the U.S. For many schools, which are historically underfunded and lacked resources, this money gives them the opportunity to make facility updates that have been needed for years.…Read More

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ScribFolders from Scribbles Software Helps Schools Go Paperless

Pineville, NC – Scribbles Software, a leading provider of K-12 records and enrollment software, is offering a cumulative records management system that simplifies the records access and filing process for schools.  ScribFolders allows school districts to move all of their student information files online as students matriculate, which means authorized personnel can have instant, secure online access to the information they need to support students.

“Some of the biggest pain points for school districts who use paper records management systems are space requirements, security risks, long wait times to get needed records, and dealing with the inconvenience of housing records in different systems and locations,” said Marshall Simmonds, Scribbles VP of sales. “ScribFolders solves this issue. Moving to an online records management system also helps school districts better serve their families because as records accumulate from year to year, authorized staff members can access all the information that they need to support students quickly and easily, and districts can respond more quickly to records requests.”

Scribbles Software focuses on paperless processes, data security, choice management programs, and cloud-based solutions. Its software helps schools streamline K-12 student records and enrollment through a single, accessible, cloud-based system. ScribFolders is one of several tools that support records management. It streamlines the filing process, eliminates the need for transporting files, and protects records from data losses due to human error or catastrophic events that would damage paper records.…Read More

Don’t wait: The importance of early dyslexia intervention

A learning disorder that can impact a child’s ability to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols—but that doesn’t affect general intelligence—dyslexia often goes unnoticed until a student displays significant struggles with reading and/or writing. The most common of all neuro-cognitive disorders, dyslexia impacts about 20 percent of the US population and represents 80-90 percent percent of all individuals who have learning disabilities.

In some cases, a dyslexia diagnosis doesn’t happen until a student is in second grade, with some cases going unnoticed until the learner is already in high school. With research showing that interventions are the most effective when they are done in kindergarten and first grade, the earlier the intervention the better.

To avoid an even bigger learning gap, we need to take a closer look at early identification, the early warning signs to look for, and what steps to take if you suspect dyslexia. …Read More

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Track It Forward Announces Integration With Clever Single Sign-On

OAKLAND, Calif. – Track it Forward, a leader in volunteer time tracking software, just announced their new integration with the most widely used school single sign-on platform, Clever. Track it Forward is also the first volunteer time tracking app to be listed in the Clever Library.

Schools can effectively track service hours by implementing this easy-to-use volunteer time tracking software. The new integration with Clever will make it easier than ever for students to log community service hours and for teachers and administrators to track progress toward requirements and awards.

Track it Forward allows school districts and teachers to set up custom categories for different types of community service, and students can view their progress toward milestones, or service hour goals. In addition, students can submit verification of volunteer work completed onsite, like signatures, selfies, and GPS locations.…Read More