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.

Emergent Bilingual Students Using Lexia English Scored Higher than Their Peers on California’s English Language Proficiency Assessment

BOSTON (March 9, 2022) – A 2020 report from the U.S. Department of Education stated that the number of Emergent Bilinguals – also known as English language learners – in U.S. public schools has increased by more than a million since 2000. A recent study on the Lexia® English Language Development ™ (Lexia English) program found that emergent bilingual students who used the program scored an average of 15 points higher than nonusers on the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC) test.

The study focused on 2,034 emergent bilingual K-5 students across 21 schools in a mid-sized northern California district. During the 2020-21 school year, the district used Lexia English as part of a hybrid or remote instruction, primarily in English Learner (EL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) instructional periods.  Across all student groups, Lexia English users scored higher than non-Lexia English users. Compared to non-Lexia English users, Lexia English users scored higher regardless of their gender, race or ethnicity, eligibility for free-or-reduced price lunch, or language spoken at home.

All emergent bilingual students using Lexia English benefited from its culturally relevant pedagogy as well as its support of English language development through academic conversations. By focusing on the assets that each student brings to the classroom and having already mastered one language, they are able to build new language skills in a timely manner. In addition to their overall score being 15 points higher, on average, than peers who did not use the program, Lexia English users scored an average of 18 points higher on the ELPAC’s oral domain than nonusers. These results are consistent with Lexia English’s emphasis on speaking and supporting students’ English language development through academic conversations.…Read More

U.S. Department of Education Taps FileBank to Deliver Ed Tech Services

OAKLAND, N.J., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — New Jersey-based enterprise management company, FileBank today announced a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Education.  Through this partnership, FileBank will provide ed tech services to the federal agency, storing physical documents in its 600,000 cubic foot archive center known as The Vault ™, and providing digital access through its secure, cloud-based platform.

This furthers the New Jersey company’s growth to education and government institutions across the country. FileBank provides ed tech and enterprise content management services to more than 300 schools and municipalities in the region. During the past year, FileBank has signed partnerships with new clients including the South Brunswick Board of Education.

“While it is an exciting contract for FileBank, it is also an honor to serve our country through the way we know best… document management,” says Gregory Copeland, President of FileBank. “Our bespoke solution promises to increase business productivity, organization, efficiency and the management of their crucial documents in a central and secure repository.”…Read More

3 ways to improve special education outcomes

When you combine a steady growth in the number of students receiving special education services with rising expectations for the educators who serve these students, all of whom have very diverse needs, you get a “perfect storm” of challenges for K-12 leaders.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 6.6 million students in U.S. public schools—or 13 percent—received some form of special education services during the 2014-15 school year, and this number is on the rise. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the percentage of children diagnosed with a developmental disability rose from 5.76 percent in 2014 to 6.99 percent in 2016—and the number of students diagnosed with ADHD increased from 4.4 million in 2003 to 6.1 million in 2016.

As the number of students who qualify for special education services continues to climb, the high bar for the standard of education for these students has been reiterated by the Supreme Court. In the landmark case, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the Court affirmed that school systems must be “appropriately ambitious” in designing an individualized education program (IEP) that meets the needs of every child with a disability.…Read More

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U.S. Department of Education announces teacher ambassador fellowship openings

The U.S. Department of Education announced its acceptance of 2012 Teaching Ambassador Fellows applications in a Jan. 23 post on its official blog, Homeroom, Yahoo! News reports. The Department is seeking education leaders interested in fulfilling both full and part-time positions for the 2012-2013 school year. Interested applicants may apply for one of three year-long positions through February 22, 2012: the full-time Washington Fellowship position, the part-time Classroom Fellowship position and the full-time Regional Fellowship position. This program, first introduced in 2008, was created as a platform for expert teachers to share their experiences and unique understanding of effective teaching practices with policy makers, fellow educators and community members…

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Senators seek probe into education rule making process

Two Republican senators have asked the U.S. Education Department to investigate the alleged leaking by department officials of proposed rules aimed at tightening regulation of the industry, Reuters reports. In a letter to Kathleen Tighe, the department’s inspector general, Senators Richard Burr and Tom Coburn said publicly available documents show the department may have leaked the proposed ‘gainful employment’ rules to short sellers and others who support the department’s position. Education Department spokesman Justin Hamilton said the department has operated with “transparency and integrity” throughout the rule making process. The for-profit education sector, a major recipient of taxpayers’ money, has been criticized for failing to prepare students for job and leaving them with big debts. The gainful employment rules call for schools to prove their ex-students are either paying back loans or are capable of doing so. If not, the schools will lose access to federal student aid…

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Feds to create an Online Learning Registry

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the creation of an Online Learning Registry.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the creation of an Online Learning Registry at a summit on rural schools and technology.

In a move to help rural schools keep pace with more developed districts, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) said it will create an Online Learning Registry that will provide access to historical, artistic, and scientific primary-source materials.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan made the announcement July 21 at the National Rural Education Technology Summit held at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).…Read More

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Race to the Top finalists announced

States with the biggest committment to 21st century skills are finalists in the $4.35 billion program.
States with the biggest commitment to 21st-century skills are finalists in the $4.35 billion program.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has named 16 finalists in the first round of its Race to the Top competition, which will deliver $4.35 billion in school reform grants.

Selected March 4 from a pool of 41 applicants were Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The winners will be chosen in April.…Read More

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