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.

As teens rethink college and career options, counselors are trying to adapt

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

When students come into Danielle Insel’s college and career advising office with their sights set on higher education, she has a checklist of next steps ready. For years, around nine out of 10 kids fell into that camp, she estimates.

But recently, a growing number of seniors–upwards of 30 percent, she guesses–have told her they have no intention of going to college. And more kids than ever are considering ways to make money without a college degree, Insel said–driven in part by people and jobs they’ve encountered on social media. For those students, there’s no equivalent checklist.…Read More

3 ways educators leverage gamification strategies

Key points:

Students don’t have to be video game fanatics to appreciate a gamified classroom lesson. When teachers turn a lesson or tough-to-teach concept into a motivational gamed or use a fun competition to teach new concepts, students become immersed in their learning and are often more engaged–meaning they’re more likely to retain information.

Still, there’s an art to gamifying a lesson and ensuring that students are actually learning instead of just playing a game for points. …Read More

Using tech to teach emerging readers high frequency words

Key points:

If you were to poll an audience of educators–classroom teachers, literacy specialists, reading researchers, and university professors–about whether high frequency words should be taught in early elementary, the resounding answer would be YES. These words, after all, are important to students’ ultimate reading success.

The nuances of teaching high frequency words in early elementary would only arise around how these words should be taught.…Read More

Fall River Announces Partnership With Ignite Reading’s Virtual, One-To-One Tutoring Program That’s Doubled Reading Growth For Students Nationwide

FALL RIVER – Fall River Public Schools announced an innovative new partnership with Ignite Reading to deliver virtual, one-to-one literacy tutoring for 300 first grade students in six schools this fall. Nationally, Ignite Reading’s students have recorded an average of over two weeks of reading progress per week, with no achievement gap for students of color, students with IEPs, multilingual learners, or students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. 

Ignite Reading officials joined Fall River leaders and students at Mary L. Fonseca Elementary today to showcase the nationally recognized program. The demonstration was followed by a Q&A session. Ignite Reading is now serving students in 60 schools across the commonwealth. 

“We’re thrilled to announce a new innovative collaboration with Ignite Reading. Given how participating students have bolstered their foundational reading skills in Massachusetts and nationally with Ignite Reading, we are optimistic that this program will supercharge literacy progress in Fall River,” said Stephanie Kennedy, Director of English Language Arts K-12 of Fall River Public Schools.…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

Data really is the secret sauce in the K-12 classroom

Key points:

Along with all of the educational technology that’s made its way into the K-12 classroom over the last 10 years, we also now have a constant stream of useful, actionable data that we can use to improve student outcomes. This is especially true with literacy, where it’s all too easy to lose track of student progress and performance as students make their way through elementary and middle school.

Knowing this, we opted to pilot the Lexia Core5 Reading adaptive blended learning literacy program a few years ago. Our initial goal was to improve the reading support we offered students based on their literacy data, specifically in the area of foundational skills. We were collecting data from a variety of assessments, but the interventions we were using just weren’t showing that students were making consistent progress as readers.…Read More

3 pillars for building a positive classroom culture

Key points:

True education is as much about the environment as it is about instruction. That may sound like a bold statement, but it makes sense when you take a moment to consider the evidence. If a child is placed in a classroom that experiences multiple disruptions, has little interpersonal connection, and rarely tries to engage students, they are unlikely to experience much growth. Students require positive environments that strive to build them up both socially and academically. Unfortunately, even the best educators can fall short of this if they don’t understand what positive classroom culture fully entails.      

Positive classroom culture functions a lot like a three-legged stool. If one of the legs is removed, the stool becomes unstable. The key for educators is recognizing the three pillars of a positive classroom culture and the unique role they play in shaping student development.…Read More

Evidence-Based Phonemic Awareness Program for Young Learners Unveiled by 95 Percent Group

Lincolnshire, IL– 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for proven literacy solutions, unveiled 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite™, a comprehensive program for developing awareness of speech sounds for students grades K-1. Aligned with the latest research on phonemic awareness and part of the One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™, the new suite includes core and intervention lessons, intervention tools, assessments and teacher professional learning. 

Building phonemic awareness means developing the understanding that spoken words are made up of specific sounds, called phonemes. The focus of phonemic awareness is on those sounds, but recent research reports that good phonemic awareness instruction makes the critical connection to the grapheme—letters or groups of letters—that represents the sound. The 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is a prime example of this research brought to life in the classroom.

“Building a foundation in the ways that written words connect to spoken words begins with phonemic awareness.  Phonemic awareness is essential for developing literacy skills and a strong predictor of reading success,” said Laura Stewart, Chief Academic Officer, 95 Percent Group. “Our new 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is grounded in the current research on phonemic awareness, providing teachers with an evidence-based, comprehensive program that will help young learners develop a foundation for becoming proficient readers.”…Read More

4 focus areas to embrace innovation and avoid school system failure

Key points:

Following years of challenges brought on by COVID-19 and the inequities in education highlighted by the pandemic, decades- and centuries-old educational systems are finally being challenged as the way for school innovation is paved. The school systems and dynamic leaders that embrace change will succeed and create an educational environment that is more equitable and prepares students for their futures.

A report from The Partnership for Leaders in Education at the University of Virginia (UVA-PLE), “Exploring New Frontiers for K-12 Systems Transformation,” determined that these challenges have sparked a transformation of education systems in the United States.…Read More

5 strategies to reduce teacher stress and improve retention

Key points:

Teaching has always been a stressful profession, but since the pandemic it has become even more so. Nearly three out of four teachers say they experience frequent job-related stress, and 59 percent say they’re burned out.

The stress that teachers are feeling is causing many to leave the profession, and this is affecting the ability of school systems to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. In fact, new research suggests that the teacher shortages many districts have experienced since COVID have only gotten worse in many cases—and they weren’t just a function of the pandemic.…Read More