Trox Launches New SHIELD Protection Program for Chromebooks and Other Mobile Devices

Trox, a leading North American provider of education technology and collaboration solutions, today announced the launch of its new proprietary Trox SHIELDSM Protection Program for Chromebooks and other mobile devices.

Trox SHIELD helps educators protect their technology investment by ensuring that mobile devices and remain in circulation. Offering a zero cost of ownership guarantee for devices, Trox SHIELD extends the original manufacturer’s warranty and covers accidental damage. Trox certified technicians repair damaged devices, which allows IT teams to focus on supporting students and teachers.

“Demand for Chromebooks and laptops is at an all-time high for schools. Devices that are damaged in transit puts significant strain on limited budgets and IT resources,” said Sarah Kydd, Chief Operating Officer, Trox. “With many schools offering remote or blended learning, ensuring that students have working devices is more important than ever. That’s why we added Trox SHIELD to our robust lifecycle management services.”…Read More

2020 Green-Garner Award Recognizing Outstanding Leadership

As part of its support of urban education, Curriculum Associates has partnered with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) as a sponsor of the 31st annual Green-Garner Award. This year’s award recipient, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa of Dallas Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, was selected for this esteemed honor for his strong dedication to the needs of students, profound commitment to improvement, and significant community involvement and leadership.

“We are proud to partner with the CGCS as they recognize exemplary leadership in urban education through this coveted and long-standing award,” said Woody Paik, executive vice president of Curriculum Associates. “Superintendent Hinojosa is an exceptional district leader who is so well-deserving of this recognition. His ongoing work, as well as his commitment to urban education as a whole, has positively impacted students and educators across the district.”

The Green-Garner Award, which is presented each year at the CGCS’s Fall Conference, recognizes a board member or superintendent for their outstanding contributions in urban education. As the nation’s highest urban-education honor, the award is named in memory of urban school leaders Richard R. Green, the first African-American chancellor of the New York City school system, and Edward Garner, a businessman and former school board president of the Denver Public Schools. Superintendent Hinojosa was chosen for this recognition among 20 superintendent nominees from districts across the nation.…Read More

5 simple ways to integrate STEAM education into elementary classrooms

As educators, our goal is to shape our students’ lives by teaching them in ways that produce well rounded individuals. Whether STEAM education is new to you or you’re already familiar with it, it’s a great way to excite students about learning.

Some people like to debate STEM vs. STEAM. In case you’re unfamiliar with these terms I’ll tell you what they mean. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math. STEAM is all of those, plus the A for Arts. I once had an actual rocket scientist (he’s a genius & a truly brilliant man) debate STEM vs. STEAM with me. He said there is no place for art in STEM education. Well, I disagree!

When you look at a beautiful building or a breathtaking bridge, do you not see the artistic value? When engineers design something, I have to think that they take the aesthetics of their design into account to produce something unique and beautiful!…Read More

Copyleaks Inc Partners with Canvas LMS to Offer Plagiarism Detection using AI and Machine Learning.

Copyleaks, an artificial intelligence platform that detects plagiarism, today announced a partnership today with Canvas, the learning management platform from Instructure, that allows educational institutions to seamlessly enable advanced plagiarism detection software directly within a Canvas account. Copyleaks can now be accessed by thousands of K-12 schools and universities around the world that are part of the ever-expanding Canvas community.

Through its artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, Copyleaks is able to understand and learn more about the text that students are writing throughout the school year. While many plagiarism checkers only find identical matches of text, Copyleaks can spot similar words and paraphrased text that are commonly missed by plagiarism software. The platform allows both teachers and students to improve their writing processes.

As more schools adapt to an e-learning environment this fall, teachers are both emphasizing the importance of academic integrity, as well as taking extra precautions to check that students have written original work.…Read More

New Gaggle White Paper Helps Districts Understand and Support Students Struggling With Mental Health

According to the NEA, at least 10 million students ages 13–18 were suffering from depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or bipolar disorder before the crisis of the pandemic. Now, with the social isolation and increased stress caused by the novel coronavirus, schools and districts are facing even more extensive student mental health needs. To help educators understand and respond to this deepening crisis, Gaggle has published a new white paper titled “Addressing the Crisis in Student Mental Health: How Districts Can Identify and Support Struggling Students.”

The white paper reveals some of the research citing the rise of anxiety and depression among teens as well as causes of the “mental health tsunami” among teens and young adults. “There is real urgency for early treatment of mental health disorders,” said Gaggle CEO and founder, Jeff Patterson. “Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among 10- to 19-year-olds in the United States. The Center for Suicide Prevention and Research reports that one in six teens has seriously considered suicide in the past year.”

To help teachers and administrators develop more comprehensive services to support students’ physical and mental health, the white paper shares solutions such as additional student services, more professional help, schoolwide interventions, social and emotional learning, and community-wide conversations. Additionally, the paper discusses how districts use Gaggle’s safety management solution as part of their physical and emotional safety initiatives. It shares four case studies highlighting different ways of accomplishing this goal. The white paper also mentions the new Gaggle Therapy service, which matches students who need mental health support with counselors licensed in their state for weekly teletherapy sessions.…Read More

Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Gives Away 1 Million Bars To Teachers Across America

The drawer, the cabinet, the station, the bin. Whatever shape it takes, it’s a constant in classrooms: the spot where teachers keep snacks for any student who needs one, for any reason at all. School is taking many shapes this year too, but one constant remains: a teacher’s belief that it’s not just about what they do in the front of the class – it’s about having their students’ backs. Now it’s time Nutri-Grain® had theirs – that’s why Nutri-Grain is giving away 1 million bars to teachers across America.

Teachers dig deep into their own pockets to provide well-stocked classrooms and care packages that set their students up for success. While 60% of teachers spend an average of $300 annually on snacks for their students,1 this year Nutri-Grain is doing what it can to alleviate some of that burden with “Got Your Back” bins full of Nutri-Grain bars for teachers to provide to their students. 

“Teachers have their students’ backs, and now our ‘Got Your Back’ bins have theirs,” said Sarah Reinecke, Senior Marketing Director. “With a mix of in-person, hybrid and virtual classrooms and online learning, teachers’ jobs are even more challenging. A bin of Nutri-Grain bars for K-12 teachers to offer in the classroom or share in a care package is just one way we can support our educators.”…Read More

Renaissance Answers: Has There Really Been an Impact from COVID on Student Performance?

Renaissance, a global leader in pre-K–12 education technology, today announced the upcoming release of How Kids Are Performing: Tracking the Impact of COVID-19 on Reading and Mathematics Achievement, a report detailing the learning effects associated with COVID-19 school closures. Designed to end the speculation and provide guidance for educators as they address learning gaps, the report will be based on the results of millions of student assessments.

“We’re as eager as the rest of the education world to end the speculation and get to the truth of where our students are as they begin this year,” said Dr. Gene Kerns, vice president and chief academic officer at Renaissance. “This year more than any other, data is going to be key in understanding where our students are and how we can best tailor instruction to meet them there.”

Using data gleaned from Star Assessments—one of the most widely-used assessments in K–12 education—the report will explore key questions including:…Read More

Lexia Core5 and PowerUp Helped Students and Teachers Succeed with Remote Blended Learning

The 2019-20 school year drew concern for students’ learning when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to rapidly transition to remote learning. To understand the impact to student learning, Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone company (NYSE: RST), surveyed 3,500 educators and found that

during the educational disruption period brought on by school closures during the spring semester, 86% of survey respondents using Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) or Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) with their students felt that the products helped them more efficiently support student needs and learning. Moreover, those students who were able to access Lexia Learning products during the disruption were able to spend more time using the products each week, resulting in increased progress.

“During the stress and uncertainty of COVID, teachers were able to not only provide continuity of instruction, but they were able to support students in making independent progress in these extraordinary times,” said Dr. Liz Brooke, chief learning officer of Rosetta Stone. “Districts need to remain vigilant in choosing blended learning tools that provide some method for monitoring student learning/progress and deliver results in a variety of learning environments. Providing products that are proven to drive progress in closing literacy gaps, and support educators with actionable, real-time data on student progress, whether used in the classroom or at home remains our top priority.”…Read More

Tech Startup Debuts Revolutionary Distance Learning Platform in Partnership with NYC School

AuraNexus has partnered with the Marymount School of New York to debut its EdTech interactive video platform providing students and teachers with personalized learning at scale. The technology is the first of its kind to pair video with vocal recognition, delivering much-needed innovation within the education industry grappling with COVID-19.

As the pandemic continues to uproot conventional learning models, schools throughout the country are looking for new and effective tools to provide students with a virtual classroom experience. The need for such tools led AuraNexus to develop proprietary technology geared to address the issues with distance learning and to strengthen the way students interact and communicate with their teachers. Through user-led, voice-activated conversational video, the platform takes pre-recorded video content and leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance engagement and retention. Students now have the ability to “talk” to their teachers 24/7.

The company was co-founded by Andrew Kimmel, a network television producer ( The Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars, The Great Christmas Light Fight) and former Head of Live Video for BuzzFeed News, as he looked to create a new medium to make viewers active participants with videos. “With the rise of vocal recognition technology, there is still a lack of human-to-human interaction to go along with it. In having a real person respond directly to user questions, it gives the experience of a real conversation – something that isn’t available with chatbots or animations, but is desperately needed at this time,” said Kimmel.…Read More

Samsung Launches Annual $2 Million Solve for Tomorrow Contest

Samsung today announced the launch of  the 11th annual $2 million* Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, which challenges students in grades 6–12 and their teachers to use STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to tackle local issues of national importance. Now through December 13, 2020, public school teachers across the U.S. can apply** for this year’s program and submit their activity plans that enable students to create real-world change in their communities using problem-based learning.

As students and teachers continue to navigate a complex learning environment – whether virtual, in-person or a hybrid of both – Solve for Tomorrow provides a unique opportunity for teachers to bring their students together regardless of classroom format using problem-based learning and hands-on STEM skills. Solve for Tomorrow empowers thousands of students to create innovative solutions that transform communities as they address issues ranging from mental health and wildfire safety to sustainability and climate change.

“Teachers are the backbone of our education system and Samsung recognizes the challenges that today’s educators are facing. We are in awe of the resiliency of teachers and students who have adapted to a new learning environment, and we remain focused on encouraging unique ways for students to engage in hands-on STEM learning all across the country,” said Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics America. “Over the last decade, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow has enabled our youth to pave the way towards real, meaningful change. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we guide students on the value of STEM skills to solve the greatest issues impacting their local communities and we look forward to this year’s STEM innovations.”…Read More

ST Math and Los Angeles USD Partner to Bring Math Program District-Wide

MIND Research Institute has announced a partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District to bring ST Math®, MIND’s patented approach to math instruction, to the largest school district in California, and second-largest school district in the nation. The program will impact over 240,000 students and 18,000 teachers across 600 schools.

MIND’s partnership with LAUSD began over 20 years ago when 95th Elementary School implemented ST Math. In 1999, ST Math’s first efficacy studies with that school were published. From there, ST Math expanded to other schools in the district which began to show improvements on California Standards Tests. Through the years, math scores continued to grow and philanthropic partners took notice. More than 30 foundations and companies have provided financial support to bring ST Math to LAUSD students and educators over the history of this partnership.

“MIND Research Institute has truly grown up with LAUSD,” said Brett Woudenberg, CEO of MIND. “LAUSD has partnered with MIND for the twenty-two years that this organization has existed. That is why it is such an honor to see this partnership expand district-wide. This milestone speaks to the exemplary work LAUSD has done in mathematically preparing their students. I want to thank all of the educators, administrators, and donors who have contributed to this great partnership.”…Read More

Go Direct Weather System provides a versatile and affordable way for educators to engage students

Vernier recently launched the new Go Direct® Weather System to engage students in hands-on data collection as they learn important environmental science concepts. This affordable wireless sensor can be used in the classroom or out in the field to help middle school, high school, and college-level students investigate and analyze a variety of environmental factors.

“This new sensor for environmental science provides an affordable way for STEM educators to engage their students in data collection as they explore the science of natural phenomena,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “The Go Direct Weather System is notable because students can collect and analyze multiple types of environmental data using just one compact system.”

The two-part Go Direct Weather System consists of the Go Direct Weather sensor and the Go Direct Weather Vane. The handheld weather sensor is used to collect data around ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind chill, dew point, barometric pressure, and more. The weather vane accessory is used in conjunction with the sensor to capture wind direction data.…Read More