Nancy Knowlton, David Martin awarded Meritorious Service Medals (Civil Division)

Calgary, Alberta — Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, announces that its founders, Nancy Knowlton and David Martin, have each been awarded a prestigious Meritorious Service Medal. As part of the Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division), the medals were awarded to the couple for their exceptional contributions to improving educational opportunities for young people in Canada and abroad. Presented by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, the Meritorious Service Decorations recognize remarkable Canadians for their extraordinary accomplishments and contributions that bring honor to Canada — from advocacy initiatives and health care services to research and humanitarian efforts. Nancy and David were recognized at a ceremony on March 21, 2024, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, where 56 Meritorious Service Medals and 8 Meritorious Service Crosses were presented.

Encouraging excellence is at the core of every governor general’s mandate and the Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) are among the highest Canadian distinctions that can be awarded. Tech visionaries and married team Nancy and David have a substantial track record in the audiovisual and IT arena spanning over 30 years. David, Nureva’s chief technology officer, is driven by a deep understanding of technology trends and how technology solutions can make life better in business. Nancy, Nureva’s chief executive officer, is regarded as a global expert on technology adoption in education. Both David and Nancy are acknowledged for their curiosity and championing of learning over many decades. They have always been passionate about the value of education and its role in changing lives and creating a better world. That passion is evident in the SMART Board® interactive whiteboards that have transformed millions of classrooms worldwide and touched tens of millions of young lives during the couple’s 25 years at the helm of SMART Technologies.

In contrast to their founding of SMART Technologies, which was based on their idea for the world’s first and most popular interactive whiteboard and interactive display, Nancy and David founded Nureva in 2014 with the belief that assembling a high-caliber team was the most important prerequisite for success. The company now employs a team of 160 people, all of whom bring a passion for solving customer problems and a commitment to the fresh thinking and simplicity that is built into every Nureva® audio solution. Nureva has more than 40 patents in the United States and internationally for its revolutionary Microphone Mist™ technology, which is shaking up the global audio conferencing market.…Read More

Whitney Brothers® Introduces Imagination Truck For Versatile Role Play Fun

Keene, NH – Award-winning children’s furniture brand Whitney Brothers® today introduced the Imagination Truck, a versatile play vehicle that transforms into a food truck, ice cream van, mail delivery truck or other fun use for hours of imaginative role play by young children.

The exterior of the Imagination Truck is designed with headlights, taillights, bumpers, wheels, a front grill and other realistic details that bring the vehicle to life. A dry erase marker board above the windshield and on each side panel can be customized to identify the vehicle, list menus or services, announce daily specials or display a message about the play at hand. Children who look closely on and around the vehicle exterior will also find unexpected nature surprises.

Inside, the open design provides plenty of space for a seated driver and passenger in front and a play stove, sink or fridge in the middle work area (chairs, play kitchen items not included). The serving counters on each side panel enable several children to participate at one time. Supervising adults will appreciate how the open design also provides important visibility of children inside. …Read More

Young students less prepared for grade-level reading, math

Key points:

Children who were in early childhood learning programs during the pandemic are struggling to keep up with grade-level learning in math and English, according to School Readiness for Young Students Post-Pandemic, a new report from Curriculum Associates that examines nationwide data quantifying the latent academic impact of disrupted access to early childhood care and education for the nation’s youngest learners.

This report is one of the first to gather and analyze nationally representative data from more than five million Grades K–2 students, thanks to their i-Ready® Diagnostic for Reading and for Mathematics.…Read More

To foster young talent, employers need to share their social capital

This article originally appeared on the Christensen Institute’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Key points:

In July 2023, our team published “People-powered pathways: Lessons in how to build students’ social capital through career-connected learning.” In the report, we describe successes and challenges in bringing social capital–building strategies to a variety of educational settings. Our observations draw from an 18-month pilot during which we leveraged our social capital playbook to provide direct support to a group of three intermediary organizations—Education Strategy Group, Generation Schools Network, and Hawai‘i P-20—collectively supporting 20 sites in the K–12 career pathways space. In the course of the pilot, we sought to understand how schools and nonprofits can make social capital-building an explicit, effective, and equitable component of existing career-connected learning models. …Read More

Schools are key to solving mental health equity gaps

Key points:

Kids are facing a crisis unlike anything the U.S. has ever seen as young people face staggering rates of anxiety, depression and suicide. While there isn’t one clear cause as to why this is the case—there has been a lot of unrest over the past several years—it’s essential that our systemic approach to mental health support shifts with these unprecedented times.

Equity gaps often prevent youths from accessing the care they need. It’s been reported that even before COVID-19, 1 in 5 children had a treatable mental health diagnosis but only about 20 percent received care from a provider. For many young people, living without addressing these underlying mental health challenges transcends into other areas of their lives—including academics and social behavior. These critical services must be accessible where kids spend the majority of their time: school. …Read More

Technology as a bridge–not a shortcut–to student relationships

Key points:

The research is clear: Connections are game changers in helping young people from low-income households achieve upward economic mobility later in life.

The critical role that relationships play in the opportunity equation was well-documented in political scientist Robert Putnam’s 2015 book, Our Kids. Putnam’s argument was further confirmed in recent, large-scale research by Harvard economist Raj Chetty and his team at Opportunity Insights, who mined 21 billion data points from de-identified Facebook data to discover that cross-class connections were a leading predictor of upward mobility in adulthood. The analysis also offered school-level data charting “economic connectedness”–or lack thereof–within individual high schools and colleges across the country.…Read More

TouchMath Sets New Standard for Early Detection of Dyscalculia with Comprehensive Screener

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (PRWEB) — TouchMath announces the release of  DySc, the comprehensive dyscalculia screener and individualized intervention guide aligned to American Pschiatric Associations The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) and available at no cost. TouchMath, a multisensory math program that makes learning foundational math concepts accessible and clear for students who struggle to understand grade-level content, designed the DySc to identify students as young as three who may be at risk for dyscalculia, a specific learning disability in mathematics.

Widely underdiagnosed,  dyscalculia is a neurodevelopmental learning disorder estimated to affect  3-7% of the worldwide population. Early screening for dyscalculia and evidence-based interventions are critical to addressing the learning disorder’s short- and long-term educational, personal, and social impacts. The DySc offers educators and parents a valid assessment to detect early math difficulties and provide targeted interventions.

“We’ve developed the DySc, a free screener, as a powerful tool to recognize the critical role of early identification and intervention in addressing learning difficulties, paving the way for academic success and beyond,” stated Dr. Sandra Elliott, Chief Academic Officer at TouchMath. “Similar to the effectiveness of routine screenings for hearing, vision, and dyslexia, we firmly believe that schools should prioritize early math screening to unleash the potential of every child. With the DySc, we’re equipping educators and parents with a comprehensive screening solution that not only identifies dyscalculia but also provides evidence-based interventions to foster students’ mathematical development.”…Read More

3M and Discovery Education Name 10 Grant Recipients Supporting Nation’s Young Scientists 

St. Paul, Minn. and Charlotte, NC. – 3M (@3M) and Discovery Education (@DiscoveryEd) today announced the 10 recipients of the inaugural 3M Young Scientist Challenge Alumni Network Alumni Grants Program. Launched in 2023, the program supports past participants and future scientists as part of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge ( #YoungScientist).  

As the nation’s premier middle school science competition, the annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge invites students in grades 5-8 to compete for a mentorship with a 3M scientist, a $25,000 grand prize, and the chance to earn the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.” The new Alumni Network and Alumni Grants Program offers previous participants networking opportunities, resources, events, and funding for existing science projects. Former finalists must be registered members of the 3M Young Scientist Alumni Network to apply. 

The Alumni Grants Program awarded a total of $25,000 in funding to ten 3M Young Scientist Challenge alumni. The 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge Alumni Grants Program recipients across three funding areas are as follows:  …Read More

Instructional audio can boost confidence in the classroom

Ask me what technology I’d most like to see implemented in every single K–12 classroom and I’d say instructional audio. As a long-time audiologist, I’m admittedly biased. But research bears out the benefits and I’ve seen the results firsthand in my 27 years (and counting!) working in public schools.

Here are some of the ways we know instructional audio technology helps build students’ confidence and benefits all student groups—as well as a few suggestions on how to get started.

Amplifying students’ voices…Read More

7 Mindsets Announces Formation of 7m Cares

ROSWELL, Ga. — 7 Mindsets, the leader in PreK-12 mindsets-based learning and well-being solutions, today announced the formation of 7M Cares, an initiative that will expand the company’s philanthropic impact. 7M Cares will offer support to charitable organizations and causes that embrace mindset-based youth empowerment.

At launch, 7M Cares will exclusively support the Magic Wand Foundation (MWF), an organization co-founded by Scott Shickler and Jeff Waller, co-founders of 7 Mindsets. The Magic Wand Foundation has a mission of spreading mindset-based empowerment globally to help young people live extraordinary lives and positively impact the world. Founded in 2008, the MWF accomplishes this through directly empowering young people and equipping youth organizations with mindsets-based training and resources to help them transform the lives of the youth they serve.

“The 7M Cares initiative fully embraces the Live to Give Mindset, which teaches us to inspire and serve others,” said Mark Belles, CEO of 7 Mindsets. “We look forward to growing 7M Cares and supporting organizations that share our mission of helping young people live lives filled with passion, purpose and meaning.”…Read More

How edtech is embedded in Society 5.0

The pandemic saw countless education institutes scramble in a bid to offer remote learning, which just highlighted how ill-prepared they were for future learning.

But in this transition, we also learned something vital: Edtech learning helps to level the playing field for those who are unable to join regular classes due to location, illness, or financial constraints. It offers access to courses that many could only have dreamed of, and it allows for education to be consumed on the students’ own terms, around work, family commitments, or other appointments.

It suddenly opened the door to those with young children or those working in low-paid jobs who wanted to learn more skills and fit them around their working hours. Entrepreneurs could learn vital skills such as business strategies, investments, marketing and more, enabling them to pivot to a digital business plan in an ever-changing world.…Read More