Key points:

• Esports programs are inclusive and offer students learning opportunities
• How scholastic esports opens up college pathways
• How to build diversity, equity, and inclusion with scholastic esports
• For more news on esports, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub

Academic esports programs aren’t simply a group of students sitting in a classroom playing video games. Rather, teams and tournaments promote collaboration, critical thinking, communication skills, and offer inclusive environments that welcome students from all backgrounds and with all abilities.

How can schools create esports programs and teams?

Conversations around the benefits of esports have centered on collegiate and secondary levels, but recently, the conversation has expanded to include elementary esports, too. Like any new venture, this is something that takes time to fully understand. The beauty is that there is a room full of experts to journey alongside their teacher. It is incredibly powerful when the classroom is flipped and students have an opportunity to share their passions and expertise with their teacher. Here are 6 tips to start an elementary program.

Where are esports tournaments held?

Esports tournaments can be held in any number of places, including online platforms, sponsor locations, community centers, or in schools. There are many resources out there from educators who have been working to build academic programs globally. One of these resources, the North American Scholastic Esports Federation, focuses specifically on the scholastic implementation of esports, with free curriculum modules created by educators through their scholastic fellows program. Learn more about the basics of esports program creation and tournaments.

Is esports a good career?

Esports is a solid move in an academic career–and, if you put in the work, in a professional career as well. Programs instill important leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills that students will carry with them throughout their education. As we look at examples in schools and the real world, we realize just how much potential these programs have for students. When schools invest in esports teams, they’re investing in high-level hardware that also integrates into STEM and STEAM programs, which means students wind up having more opportunities to get hands-on experience and learn in-demand skills for careers. Many of the skills that students develop by participating in esports also translate to STEAM and STEM career tracks, according to UC Irvine research. Here’s how esports careers help students thrive.

How do I participate in esports tournaments?

You can participate in esports tournaments by finding leagues in your school district and jumping in. Often, program directors will offer tips and best practices when it comes to creating your own program in your school or district. An elementary program that meets young learners’ needs should include considerations for learning space design and high-quality furnishings. Here’s how to get started.

What do esports players do?

The benefits of esports are well documented. A significant body of research has found that students who participate in these organizations benefit from increased emotional regulation, academic achievement, and graduation rates. Competitions have made their way into the hearts and minds of students and youths across the country. An increasing number of schools are launching clubs and competition teams as extracurricular activities that appeal to a broad range of students and can excite fans and viewers all over the world. For institutions of learning, particularly schools that compete for student enrollment, having an established esports program or team can help them stand out the same way a good football or volleyball team can attract both student athletes and fans. Some colleges have even begun offering full scholarships to talented players. Here’s what players can do once they leave K-12 schools.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on CoSN’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Key points:

• CTOs should maintain critical relationships for efficient school technology processes
• The journey to digital sustainability: A CIO’s perspective
• How to direct a districtwide tech transformation on a budget
• For more news on district CTOs, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub

One of our jobs as CTOs is developing great relationships with other district leaders. IT touches every aspect of the modern K-12 district, and our success, as well as the success of the district, relies on our ability to build and maintain these relationships.

All relationships are important, but the ITS and Facilities relationship cannot be overstated. From the simplest ‘thorns in our sides’ to the most wicked challenges, our relationship with the facilities leaders can pay off in big ways.

Simple  example – IU5 and the generator

IU5 is a service agency. We provide professional development and other services for districts at our main facility. Our Executive Director was unhappy when we had to send hundreds of teachers and administrators home during a power outage. We were in the process of bidding a generator for just the data center. After the power event, we were instructed to ensure the entire facility could stay powered up for an extended period. We initially worked with facilities to solve the problem, and in 2004, the Caterpillar generator was installed. Jump ahead 19 years, and we were experiencing inconsistent startups (30-40 second blackouts before the generator would start and provide power) when power failure events happened. The maintenance company was having difficulty isolating the problem. Through collaboration with facilities, we captured multiple data points about what was happening from the point of failure until the generated power was active. This data proved instrumental in finding the problem and finding a resolution. Teamwork is fantastic–especially when the relationship is conducive to making it happen instantly.

A complex example – Curtis and the “Not a Tornado”

On August 10, 2023, at about 10:30 pm, the central part of Wichita Falls was hit by what is being labeled as a microburst. It looks pretty similar to a tornado in damage capability. It removed most of the roof and toppled a wall at our alternative education center only three working days before the start of the 23-24 school year. Phones started ringing around 11:00 pm that same evening, and those relationships that had been built before that event were put to the test. I’m proud that the trust relationship between Technology, Maintenance, and Fixed Assets was already strong. This allowed us to trust one another’s judgment and rapidly move toward a common goal. On Friday morning, while the rest of the staff was at Convocation, these three teams were hard at work stripping all the salvageable equipment from the damaged campus. We were then able to coordinate together to rebuild that campus completely at a previously abandoned location. There were simultaneous efforts from Warehouse personnel delivering items to the “new” campus, Technology installing networking, classroom, and security hardware, Maintenance performing last-minute repairs, and Fixed Assets rounding up surplus items to complete the puzzle. We had this empty campus up and running again for the start of school on Wednesday. The timely coordination required focus, grit, and respect for the needs of each department. This could have never been accomplished between silos or dysfunctional leadership. So put in the effort today to build those bridges between other departments and leaders, for you never know when a “Not a Tornado” could roll through your own life.

Build the relationship now

These examples are some of the many reasons that having a solid relationship with your facilities team is essential to the successful technology support of any school organization. However, you do not want to wait for an emergency to build the relationship. Make a concerted effort to build those relationships now so they will be there when needed.

Key points:

• Smart policy decisions are needed to support bilingual education
• 5 practical ways to support English learners in the classroom
• 3 things to consider when designing digital learning experiences
• For more news on learning with edtech, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub

Millions of students within the United States public school system are non-native English speakers. As this figure continues to grow year over year, true bilingual education is becoming more vital to equitably support student success.

How do we ensure students achieve proficiency with the English language while receiving a rich and comprehensive education? One that affirms and celebrates their identities and helps them learn about and understand others?

Today’s technology presents us with answers. Thanks to computer-driven translation, AI, and advanced classroom tools, we stand to put every student on a path to success with the English language and beyond.

The numbers behind bilingual education

Within three decades, the number of households speaking a language other than English has nearly tripled from 23 million to 68 million. In states like California, Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada, these numbers are even more drastic, with 44 percent, 36 percent, 33 percent, and 31 percent of their populations speaking a different language at home.

As expected, this is reflected in the United States’ student population, which also grew in non-native English learners over the last 10 years. In 2020, one survey found that approximately 5 million public school students were English learners–that’s over 10 percent of students. Again, Texas has about 20 percent of those students, California has 17 percent, 16 percent are in New Mexico and 13 percent are in Nevada.

Bilingual education’s impact

With 1 in every 10 students experiencing a lack of English proficiency, millions are at risk for struggles with reading and writing comprehension, reduced academic achievement, and less rigorous tracks of study, which lead to increased dropout rates, and lowered educational attainment and human capital.

Bilingual education has been shown to not only increase native language proficiency but English proficiency as well, as the ultimate goal should be to build mastery in both languages. If a large contingent of the United States population were to not have English proficiency, they would suffer. Some studies have suggested that non-native language speakers struggle to access effective healthcare, while others have found increases in negative interactions.

It should be recognized that bilingual education lifts all boats. In a world that is now so connected, those who speak multiple languages have much to gain. These speakers are more competitive in the workplace, see more job opportunities, and even are found to have better brain health.

Further and especially in these new days of AI, human-to-human connection, communication, and collaboration have and will only become more paramount.

Where edtech steps in

While the student population speaking languages other than English within the U.S. has rapidly grown over the last three decades, technology has advanced even faster. Now, edtech can support bilingual education in a way impossible before.

Smart investments in technology not only improve education for bilingual and non-native English speakers but also help make educators themselves more efficient and impactful, effectively preparing all students for the future.

Building bilingual materials

It’s uncommon for educational materials to be authored for non-English speakers in the native language of the user. It comes down to a simple return on investment calculation, as the number of users is too low compared with the larger market for a publisher to produce these materials in a cost-effective manner.

Educational content within the U.S. is typically written in English, and then translated into other languages as needed. Largely human-driven, this process is error-prone,  resource-heavy, slow, and costly. Since this process is so intensive, curricula available in languages other than English were typically limited to the most common, specifically Spanish, even though there are far more others that need to be served.

Today’s computer-driven translation and AI translation can translate a text with incredible accuracy in a matter of minutes. Then, human translators can check for accuracy, add relevant context, and run quality control, significantly reducing production costs and increasing the effectiveness of the text.

With cost and resource savings, more time can be dedicated to improving the quality of these texts, ultimately improving how the curriculum in languages other than English flows into and improves English learning, to create truly bilingual students.

Technology can also assist in solving the issue of the limited number of languages available. There are over 350 languages used within the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making it one of the most language-diverse countries in the world. In fact, 21.6 percent of the population reports speaking a language other than English at home. Outside of English and Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic are the most common. There are also Native North American dialects like Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres, and Cherokee.

Because AI and machine learning can translate far more quickly, it is significantly less costly to create content in any given language, adding to the number of curricula offered in languages other than English.

Many make the mistake of believing that bilingual education means that you are separately teaching students in different languages forever. This is not true. Real bilingual education is developing a path that gently brings learners who speak languages other than English down the path to full English instruction, developing proficiency in both languages as their education progresses.

With this in mind, producers of high-quality core curricula are already offering a comprehensive set of resources and strategies to support bilingual education. Both EL Education and Illustrative Mathematics, national nonprofit publishers of K-12 curriculum, include the development of English language proficiency within their curricula.

The benefits of rapid translation go beyond the walls of the classroom as well. Parents and/or guardians, of course, want to be updated on the progress of their children and what they are learning. In the past, limited-English or non-English households may have struggled with understanding assignments, feedback, or grading. Now, not only is the curriculum more accessible, but translation and chat capabilities power direct parent-to-teacher communication in any given language.

Better assessments and educational outcomes

We can lean on technology to do more than recreate texts. Through the use of AI and large language models, it is possible to efficiently generate standards-aligned assessments in foreign languages as well.

As with content, most assessments and standardized tests are simply translated directly from English into another language. Imagine how difficult it would be to try and learn something that wasn’t translated perfectly to your native language, and then try to take a test that wasn’t translated well either.

Again, technology can drive English language translations, leaving the final quality assurance and relevancy check to instructional experts. When both the learning and testing materials are correctly reflected in the right language, with the right cultural context, and delivered in a relevant way, testing becomes far more reliable.

Take today’s state standardized tests as an example. What we’ve learned is that most are not actually testing for a skillset, but really just test how prepared you are for a standardized test. These test procedural fluency and general background knowledge more than skill and ability.

A study found that on average, English-learning students score approximately 46 percent lower on high school reading tests and 31% below on high school mathematics tests. But this is not because of lack of skill; it’s for a lack of proficiency in standardized testing.

Students with experience in standardized testing and general background knowledge typically perform the best, whereas those with a lack of context underperform. True bilingual education equips non-native English speakers with the tools they need to perform on standardized testing. On a macro level, this provides more accurate insights into state, district, and school performance.

More support for educators

Perhaps one of the most important ways technology can benefit bilingual education is by supporting teachers. Educators are burdened enough, and while 62 percent of U.S. schools have at least some English-learning students, not all teachers are properly equipped to provide equitable education.

Thankfully, we are at a place where edtech can significantly reduce the cognitive load placed on teachers. Tools like digital assessments and grade books can automatically grade assignments and assessments, including those in other languages, alleviating the stress of grading across dialects.

Classroom technology provides easier access to curriculum in multiple languages, making it easier to navigate, utilize, and distribute. These technologies can give teachers their time back, reducing their burden and allowing them to spend more time with students.

Digital tools such as digital assessments, grade books, and learning management systems enable teachers to efficiently manage classroom activities and personalize instruction for diverse learners. Moreover, technology-integrated professional development programs empower educators to enhance their pedagogical practices and effectively implement bilingual curriculum frameworks.

But educators still require support, and with savings in materials and time, school leaders need to make an investment in teacher training. The bilingual population will only continue to grow, so the right investments need to be made to support teachers in their roles.

Technology can support here too–with tools that integrate professional learning and curriculum together, educators can become more proficient at teaching the bilingual curriculum, leading to more successful students.

Policy is a key player

Bilingual education will only continue to grow, but we need to look at it as a strength to support and develop. One of the great things about the United States of America is its cultural mix, diversity, and willingness to open its doors to others.

Another great aspect of the U.S. is the partnerships between the public and private sectors. In the case of bilingual education, the private sector has responded. Technology companies have, and will continue to, build products to support classrooms, but ultimately there is a policy call that must be made on the public end.

Effective bilingual education requires a comprehensive policy framework that supports the needs of diverse learners and promotes equity in education. Edtech plays a pivotal role in informing policy decisions by providing policymakers with data-driven insights into the efficacy of bilingual education initiatives.

By leveraging technology-enabled assessment data and analytics, policymakers can identify areas of improvement, allocate resources effectively, and develop evidence-based policies that promote educational equity and excellence. Moreover, partnerships between the public and private sectors enable the co-creation of innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of bilingual learners and educators.

While edtech is currently transforming the landscape of bilingual education, we won’t reach an optimal level of benefit until smart policy decisions are made in the name of bilingual education. Those in decision-making capacities at every level must recognize this as a high need and know that the problem cannot solve itself. Policymakers need to open the door to allow edtech providers to make an impact.

The time is now to make smart investments into the right curricula and tools to support educators and students. Educators need to be unburdened, and students need to be put on a path to success.

Key points:

• Visitor management is an increasingly large part of school safety policy
• 4 considerations for school safety solutions
• How to start solving your school bullying problem
• For more news on school safety, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

One crucial aspect of school safety is monitoring who comes on and off campus, including visitors. Visitor management can be tricky, because school campuses tend to have various points of access. In recent years, schools have put in the effort to advance all safety measures within schools, including visitor management. In fact, recent research by Pew Research Center found that 98 percent of schools require visitors to check in and wear a badge. 

Schools can emphasize their protection of students and staff by requiring visitors to wear a visitor-specific safety badge that can monitor their location while on campus. Opposed to staff safety badges, which only provide location information once an alert is initiated to maintain staff privacy, the visitor badge will monitor the visitor’s location in real-time while on school grounds.

Visitor management solutions can monitor all visitors, including but not limited to parents, volunteers, contractors, and vendors, and can flag whether any visitor is not allowed on school grounds. Through my experience as a former educator and superintendent, I have identified the following five ways to keep K-12 schools safer with better visitor management strategies:

Conduct visitor screening

School visitations occur on a daily basis; therefore, they should be streamlined and made safer for students and staff through protocols and procedures. In previous years, schools may have had little to no set program when it came to recording the visitors in schools. In today’s more modern times with technological advancements, there are more steps that can be taken to ensure a safer school environment. Running background checks on visitors prior to allowing them to enter the campus is one of these important steps. Through screening of visitors, schools can confirm the reasoning and relationships behind the visitor’s attendance at the school. In addition, this screening can also allow for a custom banned persons list. This is to protect the students and staff from individuals who put them at risk.

Have technology in place for instant alerts about visitors

There are many levels of sophistication when it comes to visitor management systems. Instant alerts can offer insights to campus staff on the status of visitors within the school. Through discreet notifications, administrators can be made aware of who is attempting to visit the school. For example, if someone on the custom banned persons list is trying to enter the school, a school resource officer can be made aware through a discreet notification without the visitor knowing that others are being alerted. These awareness notifications can also be made through emails and SMS text messages.

Provide secure student releases

When students are being picked up early from school, there is an early dismissal, or any situation that could possibly alter a student’s typical routine at school, there should be safety measures in place to ensure they are being released in a way approved by their parent or guardian. These unordinary releases should also be a time to conduct background checks on the adults picking up students to confirm that these individuals are allowed to and that the child will be safe.

Utilize detailed reporting for all visitor activities

All data related to the visitor management system should be recorded and accessible to all staff through any internet-connected device to minimize mistakes that could impact a student’s safety. When there are many moving parts in a school system, it is crucial to have a point of reference when referring to a child’s location for their safety. Your school safety system should have one location where this information lives. Within your recorded data, all hours of visitors and staff within the building should be recorded down to the minute–this includes for teachers, substitutes, other staff members and volunteers. In the case of an emergency, you want to be sure that all people within the building are accounted for.

All available data should be taken into consideration when a visitor is checking in. It is important that mandatory reviews of photos and background checks are taken at every single visitor check-in, regardless of whether the handling staff members recognize or know the visitors. The banned persons list is likely to change, therefore, procedures should be followed during each individual check-in.

If a staff member is ever uncertain of a visitor-related situation, they should be able to have immediate access to visitor reports. The main purpose of this is not fully for convenience but also to save time in a situation that could possibly be a safety emergency.

Integrate visitor locating systems with other campus systems

Whether you are looking to add visitor management to your current system or are looking for a completely new product, it is crucial that your selection goes with any other student information systems you have implemented within your school. The synchronization will ensure higher adoption from staff, convenience for all parties involved, and increased cross references amongst student information. Syncing student meetings, daily attendance, and time codes directly to your SIS is crucial for a successful visitor engagement element within your plan.

School safety plans are developed through careful planning and evaluation of individual schools’ needs and challenges. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to handling visitor management, so a comprehensive safety plan should consist of data-driven and human-based checks. Once a safety plan is developed and approved, ensuring buy-in and understanding from those who will enforce the plan is critical. A strong strategy for handling visitor management will help to avoid unnecessary oversights and ensure the safety of students. 

Key points:

• Very soon, districts must closely examine the edtech they use and compare it with budget realities
• How to ensure edtech ROI? Ask these 4 questions
• For school leaders, routine decisions aren’t so routine
• For more news on district edtech use, visit eSN’s District Management hub

For much of the past 12 years, Casey Rimmer sometimes felt like a “dream killer” when it came to the edtech tools used in her district. As the executive director of curriculum and instruction for Union County Public Schools, a district of over 41,000 students outside Charlotte, N.C., she was often tasked with letting teachers know why a potential new tool wasn’t approved for use.

Lately, though, the district has flipped the script. Now they ask teachers to check the tool’s data privacy policy and age requirements when making a request, so they have a better understanding of why a tool is—or isn’t—a good fit. When teachers feel part of the discussion, it often leads to productive conversations, she explains. 

“We’re doing a lot of work around helping teachers to understand the different processes and what they need to do if they want to bring something into their classroom. Whether it’s a free resource or an edtech product, there’s still some kind of criteria” that needs to be met.

The new policies are part of a wider effort to strengthen and streamline the district’s “edtech ecosystem,” the collection of core and supplemental tools that teachers can use. And Union County is far from alone. In the coming months, many districts will be taking a close look at the edtech they use, especially as it relates to current budget realities.

Making tough choices

Later this year, the final round of federal pandemic funding, known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), will expire, leaving school budgets uncertain in many districts. Funds they have come to rely on for staffing and technology will end in September if not allotted. (If funds are allotted, however, districts can request an extension to use them through March of 2026 in some cases). 

For many districts, the relief funding was significant. San Antonio’s district has received $100 million over the past three years, which it used to boost staffing and help combat pandemic-related learning loss. 

Given that schools were forced into online learning, many districts used those funds to invest in edtech—in hardware like laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots but also in edtech software. The most recent Edtech Top 40 Report notes that districts access an average of nearly 2,600 edtech tools annually, a number that has swelled in the past few years as companies offered free access to their tools during the pandemic and districts spent their relief funding. 

With these funds drying up, districts may face some difficult choices. But they may also see it as an opportunity to reassess their technology use and how to maximize the resources they do have, according to education experts speaking on a recent webinar, “Take Control of EdTech: How to Manage an Effective Digital Ecosystem,” put on by Instructure, the company behind both the Canvas learning management system and the edtech evaluation and management tool LearnPlatform.

“School districts are really having to take a hard look at what the critical parts of this ecosystem are,” said Tal Havivi, the managing director of research and development at ISTE, on the webinar. One way to think of it is as a “strategic culling,” he explains, as districts square budget realities with whether tools are truly meeting their needs. 

How to assess your edtech

Assessing whether a district should continue using—and paying for—a tool is dedicated work involving backend data collection and surveying teachers and students for their thoughts. But both practices can reveal useful insights. 

Core curriculum products can be quantitatively assessed by looking at whether they are helping meet district goals around student learning. In other words, can you tie the tool’s use to improved reading or math scores?

But “there’s also a qualitative piece around each of these tools,” said Melissa Loble, Instructure’s chief academic officer, speaking on the same webinar. “Is this the right experience that represents our district and our goals? Does it help teachers create a deeper connection with their students, address areas of deficiencies, or engage students in new areas that they might be interested in?”

Crucially, collecting good data around edtech use can help districts see the overall picture, she said. And feedback from teachers and students can help contextualize these patterns even further.

That tracks with what Union County has found. Rimmer explains that the district uses LearnPlatform to keep track of its tech use and start conversations. “As a district, we can monitor what our top 10 [most used] products are,” she said. “I want our top 10 products to be those products that we invest in: We invest money, we invest time, we invest in professional learning. Sometimes, I can see maybe some free products creeping up there.”

When core tools aren’t getting used, Rimmer digs in and finds out why. Teachers might not feel comfortable using the tool with students yet, or it could be that they haven’t had enough training. That’s a simple enough fix. But other times, teacher avoidance can signal larger questions about whether the tool is a good fit overall.

“Sometimes they’re great products, and we have to say the product—even though it’s an amazing, robust tool that does amazing things for other schools and districts—maybe it’s not doing that for us,” she said.  

The good news is that teachers are more invested than ever in the edtech they’re using with students, and more willing to experiment with new tools, adds Loble. 

“I still see investment—districts wanting to build ecosystems—but they need to do it where they can have the most effective or the largest return on investment, with reduced funding coming in,” she said. “We use dollars to try everything. We’ve tried it out. Now we’re going to pick what’s going to be the most important [for us].”

Key points:

• Now is the time to evaluate budgets and lay groundwork for the future
• How to find the right edtech tools for public schools
• Act now to avoid financial disasters after COVID relief funding ends
• For more news on district budgeting, visit eSN’s Education Leadership page

The final chapters of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding are drawing near.

The imminent end of ESSER funding has pushed school districts to a critical juncture, compelling them to confront budget deficits for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year before the “fiscal cliff” hits in 2025-2026.

For three years, school districts nationwide have relied on a temporary financial cushion to soften the blow from the pandemic. When that safety net disappears, they will be up against higher expenses and dwindling revenue.

Every day of delay means inefficiently spending or leaving money on the table altogether. As districts navigate this budget season, tough decisions loom regarding staff reductions and cuts to essential resources that have supported students’ learning and well-being.

Superintendents and school boards are at a critical moment, reassessing how to allocate remaining funds and adopt a new approach to operations.

What lies ahead of the fiscal cliff

As school districts approach the September 2024 deadline to exhaust their ESSER funds, a sobering realization is setting in. With schools having collectively used $60 billion in ESSER funds for each of the past two years, they must now prepare for future budget planning without it.

With this impending budget crunch, many districts find themselves in the uncomfortable position of needing to “right-size” their budgets.

While there were some one-time purchases, the reality now is that some dollars spent were not sustainable in the long run.

A substantial chunk of ESSER funding went towards expanding personnel, with 44 percent of districts’ spent funds going towards staffing needs, covering expenses like salaries and benefits for extra personnel. This included hiring more support and administrative staff, investing in professional development, and deliberately alleviating the post-pandemic workload by bringing in additional hands that they wouldn’t have otherwise afforded.

As districts prepare for the 2025-2026 budget, many will realize that changes are necessary to offset the increased expenses they took on.

Restructuring district operations with long-term solutions

Support staff roles at the district level, deemed as ‘nice to haves’ rather than essential, will likely be restructured as districts adjust to a leaner operational model. Due process clerk roles such as administrative assistants and paperwork facilitators are already seeing reductions.

In the coming years, the final funding decisions made by current district leaders will serve as a litmus test to determine if they have proactively addressed the internal capacity needed at the system level to support their chosen allocation of funds.

Will they prioritize short-term fixes, or will they root their decisions in sustainability? These next two years will reveal whether leaders have laid a solid foundation for success or if their choices were merely temporary patches without lasting impact.

The path for district superintendents

As districts chart their budgetary course, it’s imperative to pause and contemplate three things: Where are you now, where do you want to go, and how will you get there?

The answer to these questions lies in assessing the readiness of your teams – do you have the right people in place, equipped with the time and technology to make the investment worthwhile?

Where are you now?

Take a moment to define your current state.

From the special education department to the superintendent’s office, educators at every level feel the burden of limited resources and time constraints. While increasing either may seem unattainable, first clarify the top priorities—not just what seems ideal for the time being.

Daily workloads often hinder us from pausing to pinpoint these priorities, let alone communicate them to school communities. However, without a clear understanding of what’s working and what’s not, staff and resource cuts will be felt even more.

Where do you want to go?

Consider how to strengthen educator recruitment and combat turnover.

Educators are responsible for bringing their best to the table, but it’s up to the district to equip them with the tools they need to thrive. Without proper support, engagement, and resources, educators risk burnout, which could lead to sudden departures, impeding the district’s growth as it rushes to fill vacancies.

Recruitment and retention efforts require more than just one-time investments; they demand sustainable systems and robust processes. This includes ongoing professional development initiatives rather than fleeting, one-day training sessions.

To attract and keep highly-qualified staff, the districts can opt for quick fixes and superficial technology solutions, which often entail extensive and costly training or ‘set it and forget it’ implementation. Alternatively, they can choose to foster lasting partnerships with vendors who support their growth, celebrating successes and driving progress towards long-term goals.

How will you get there?

Lose the survival mode mentality and play the long game.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, districts understandably adopted a cautious approach to fund allocation, prioritizing proven outcomes over risky endeavors. The reactive decisions made during the crisis were necessary for maintaining educational continuity, yet the persistent workload across administrative roles and special education teams, compounded by reduced staffing and increased stress, underscores the need for a new approach.

Continuing to operate in survival mode risks overlooking opportunities to lay the groundwork for sustainable systems beyond the fiscal cliff–systems that will yield lasting benefits to staff, educators, and the students they serve.

Choosing the right educational technology to partner with may seem like a gamble, but it can also be a game-changer.

Technology solutions that streamline administrative tasks, coupled with continuous professional development programs and innovative teaching methods, can empower educators to do more with less.

Sustainability beyond the fiscal cliff

Now is the time to seize the opportunity and lay the groundwork for the future. District leaders should embrace final ESSER dollars for shedding systemic “clutter” in ways that better serve students in the long run.

The reality is that the tenure of a superintendent and the term of a school board member are finite. However, visionary leaders understand the importance of investing in system structures and support that will endure long after they’re gone. By acting now–and recognizing that effective implementation is a gradual process, not a quick fix–they leave behind a legacy of positive impact that will benefit students and educators for years to come.

Key points:

• Educators can use students’ innate desire to learn for deeper classroom engagement
• Friday 5: Strategies to promote student success
• Insights from educators: Priorities for 2023-2024
• For more news on teaching trends, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

As an educator, I have always been fascinated by my students’ innate curiosity. From an early age, they have an insatiable desire to learn. Anyone who spends time around young children will find themselves peppered with questions, questions, questions! “Why is the sky blue?”, “Why do my fingers get wrinkly in the water?”, “Why do dogs wag their tails?” This natural inquiry can be a powerful force for education. So, it’s a little disappointing when modern teaching tools and strategies ignore–or subvert–this incredible curiosity.      

Education doesn’t have to be guided by rigid definitions and practices. We can make a transition from linear, hierarchical teaching into a richer, more experiential way of learning.

It all begins by making four simple shifts towards deeper inquiry:

1. Curiosity: If we want to foster student curiosity, teachers will first need to step away from the idea that our job is to tell students how they are “supposed” to do something. Instead, we want to encourage students to be thinkers and problem solvers. One simple way to make this happen is with the Mystery Learning Targets strategy. Post learning targets on the wall — but hide a few key words. Students will engage more acutely when they need to figure out what the exact target might be, and you’ll be able to preserve an element of mystery!
   
2. Choice: When we open up choice to students, we allow them to determine which path they want to follow and how they’ll figure things out as they go. One useful strategy for introducing choice into lessons is with Choice Boards or Learning Menus. These increase student ownership by providing students with a bingo board or learning menu filled with intellectually rich activities. Simply allow students to choose which activities to complete to fill out their boards.       
   
3. Explanation: We want students to construct their understanding by explaining their thinking, and we want to encourage that explanation in innovative, creative ways. One way to do this is by having students make a mascot that represents something you’re learning about. Have students explain the symbolism behind their mascot as a way of probing their understanding of the subject. This encourages them to dig down into their learning and consider the information from multiple angles.
   
4. Cognitive Load: Cognitive Load is about shifting the majority of thinking to our students. We don’t want to overwhelm them, but we do want to encourage them to start investing in their own learning. A good strategy for accomplishing this is to have students record or create lessons that could be used to teach the same content to next year’s students. Not only can this provide you with useful assets to help other students learn, but it reinforces the learning students have when they think about how to teach it to others.

When we recognize the potential of inquiry learning to cultivate and capitalize on student curiosity, it opens an entirely new horizon of possibilities on the landscape of education. Let’s not let this precious resource go to waste. Let’s build classrooms where students can embrace their innate curiosity and creativity. In doing so, we create a world where the promise of discovery lies around every corner.

This article originally appeared on Vernier’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible over the United States, starting in Texas. This upcoming eclipse event is an exciting opportunity to incorporate phenomenon-based learning into your instruction and engage your students through inquiry.

Here are some tips for making the most out of this rare occasion as you study it with your students.

1. Never look directly at the sun, except if you are in the path of totality during the few minutes of totality

Look at the sun only through special filters or glasses designed specifically for that purpose. Do not use welding glasses or any other dark glasses, unless they are specifically made for looking at the sun. 

View a Total Eclipse with Glasses
Wear the glasses to look at the sun in the time leading up to the total eclipse, take them off just briefly during totality, then put the glasses back on. Totality will last up to four minutes, but the duration will vary by location. The brightness of the sky will dim to a point where planets may start to become visible. As totality ends, you will see what is called the Diamond Ring (the first rays of light from the sun sneaking by the side of the moon). This signals that it is time to put the eclipse glasses back on.

View a Partial Solar Eclipse with Glasses
Much of the US will have partial eclipses during this event. If you are in a region with a partial eclipse, be sure to never look at the sun without eclipse glasses.

Watch an Eclipse with a Solar Projector
Another way to safely watch the eclipse is to make a solar projector or pinhole camera. These systems project the image of the sun on a white screen, and you can safely look at it as much as you like. There are lots of great plans for how to set this up on the internet. Learn how to make a pinhole camera here.

Learn more about eye safety from NASA here.

2. Be prepared

If you are in the region of totality, eclipse day will be a day you will never forget. Plan ahead to make sure you leave lots of time to get to the location you have selected. There will be lots of people traveling to the zone of totality, and there may be major traffic jams.

If you want to sound knowledgeable about the eclipse, familiarize yourself with these terms:

• First Contact
• Second Contact
• Third Contact
• Fourth Contact
• Sunspots
• Corona
• Prominences
• Bailey’s Beads
• Shadow Bands
• Diamond Ring

It takes at least an hour from First Contact, when the moon first starts obscuring the sun, until totality (or the peak of the partial eclipse, if you are not in the zone of totality). You then have the same amount of time after the eclipse until the sun is completely unblocked.

There are many opportunities to investigate this phenomenon: temperature changes as the eclipse proceeds, wind speed variations as totality approaches, sky color changes as totality approaches, animal behavior changes, and more. You and your students will be very excited during totality and the time just before. It is easy to make mistakes in that situation, so practice taking data in a “trial run” before eclipse day.

3. Study the light level

As the moon gradually blocks more and more of the sun, you would certainly expect to see an associated change in the light level. Is there a direct relationship between the reading and the fraction of the sun that is visible?

• Visible light level measured with Go Direct^® Light and Color Sensor or Light Sensor
• UVA measured with Go Direct Light and Color Sensor or UVA Sensor
• Total solar radiation with Go Direct Pyranometer or Pyranometer
• Light color with Go Direct Light and Color Sensor

Compare the light levels before and after the total eclipse. The data above were collected in Oregon during the 2017 total eclipse. The eclipse was at totality at 10:18 am (PDT), and the sun continued to rise throughout the duration of the eclipse. The sun angle was 41 degrees at totality and greater after totality. Levels were higher after the eclipse, especially the UV levels because there is less atmosphere to dissipate the sun’s UV rays as the sun’s angle increases.

4. Investigate emission spectra

You often hear that the sky gets bluer as totality approaches during an eclipse. Is it really true? Use the Go Direct SpectroVis^® Plus Spectrometer with the Vernier Spectrophotometer Optical Fiber to collect an emission spectrum every few minutes as the eclipse proceeds and compare.

On a (rare) sunny day in March in Oregon, we captured an emission spectrum to demonstrate how to collect emissions spectra during an eclipse. Data were collected by pointing the optical fiber down at a piece of white paper on the ground. By varying the distance from the paper to the optical fiber, you can vary the intensity of the spectrum.

Sample data collected with the Go Direct SpectroVis Plus Spectrophotometer

When collecting data with the Go Direct SpectroVis Plus Spectrophotometer, the sample time was changed to 15 ms from the default 50 ms to avoid maxing out the reading at some wavelengths. To do this, choose Set Up Sensors from the Experiment menu. Choose the spectrophotometer, and then change the sample time.

The emission spectrum you see plotted is not a calibrated emission spectrum. That is, because the intensity at wavelength A is double the intensity at wavelength B, we cannot say that the energy delivered at wavelength A is double that delivered at wavelength B. The intensity is really a combination of how much light there is at that wavelength and how sensitive the detector is to that wavelength. If you always use the same instrument, you can compare the relative intensities at different wavelengths. For example, the widely reported phenomenon of the sky turning bluer as the eclipse approaches totality should show up in these spectra. The relative height of the blue intensities should increase as compared to the red wavelength intensities.

5. Examine temperature changes

Since we are interested in air temperature in this case, a sensor that responds quickly to changes in air temperature would be best. The Go Direct Surface Temperature Sensor or Surface Temperature Sensor will work best for this application.

The data above were collected during the 2017 total eclipse in Oregon.

6. Compare the wind speed.

During a total eclipse, you often get changes in temperature and there can be wind speed changes, as well. Use the Go Direct Weather System to measure the wind speed in one direction only. Mount the sensor on a tripod (not included) and orient it so that it points into the wind.

7. Take pictures

First, make sure that you never look through a camera directly at the sun. Don’t even point your camera toward the sun without a solar filter on it. You could damage your eyes.

• Be sure to bring a tripod to steady and mount your camera.
• Except during the brief period of totality, only photograph the sun through a filter designed specifically for that purpose.
• During totality, do not use a filter.
• Use a long focal length lens.
• Consider taking photos or even a video of the excited people around you during the eclipse.

The tremendous variation in light levels before and during the eclipse can make photography challenging, so don’t forget to enjoy the experience. There will be plenty of great photos available after the event from professional photographers. You might want to concentrate on capturing photos or videos of the excited people around you during the eclipse.

Share your data and pictures with us!

We encourage you to collect data and send it to us. It will be interesting to compare data taken by different student/teacher groups in different regions of the country. You can also post data and results on social media with the hashtag #VernierEclipse

Are you ready for the 2024 total solar eclipse? Explore Vernier eclipse resources.

Related:
For more news on STEM, visit eSN’s STEM & STEAM hub
Launching a districtwide computer science program for all grades
5 helpful hacks for managing a STEM classroom

Key points:

• Every student can be a math person—we just need the right resources
• Friday 5: STEAM education in action
• How this middle school teacher gets students to challenge themselves in math
• For more news on math learning, visit eSN’s STEM & STEAM hub

Say what you will about the universality of numbers and symbols; I’d politely argue that it does not follow that mathematics is a universal language. The problem for many struggling math students is that often those “universal” numbers and symbols hide in surrounding contexts of unfamiliar vocabulary, settings, and narratives.

As math educators, we can help those students by finding ways to relate their classroom learning to more recognizable cultural frames of reference that are authentic to the range of experiences in the room. In the process, math can actually become a universal thread to connect many types of content and learners. Number sense and quantities are some of the very few things that tie us together in a common experience.

Through my own work in the classroom with students and educators, I’ve discovered a few key ways to change the narrative around math.

Math is joyful!

Math should be an exciting space to be in, one that’s connected to experiences outside of the textbook or classroom. It should be joyful. But for multilingual students like me whose native language is not English, the math classroom can be a daunting place.

I’m a first-generation Dominican American. My mother’s emphasis on speaking Spanish in our home was one of the best things to happen to me—because of her decision, I’m bilingual today. But although I was a stellar student academically, I struggled in math. The linguistic supports I received in other content areas were not as present during math, in large part because of the assumption that math is a universal language.

Despite these experiences, I found my love for math as I became an elementary teacher after earning a master’s degree in education. My years as a classroom teacher and instructional math coach showed me that math not only is fun, and can be found everywhere, but every single person is capable of learning and excelling in the subject.  

Through my years in the classroom, I saw many students who reminded me of my early learning self–cautious and or apprehensive of math and their abilities to learn it. While educators provide many scaffolds to help our students learn math, we need to make sure that we integrate content and language into those frameworks. We should teach—and students should learn—them simultaneously.

Every student can be a math person

As a society we’ve considered math a gatekeeper to opportunities. Excel in math and you can pursue a wealth of STEM and other rewarding careers.

Unfortunately, we’ve also conveyed the idea that “some people are not innately math people.” This mindset and belief system could not be further from the truth. In many cases, struggling students simply have not had equitable access to math due to language barriers, underperforming schools, socio-economic issues, or other challenges. But we now have a wealth of resources and proven methodologies to ensure that every student knows and believes from the beginning that they are, in fact, a math person.

Instead of being an opportunity-killing gatekeeper, math can be the bridge builder, a pathway to choice and opportunity, and the thread that connects students to richer learning and life experiences.

Relate math to your students’ cultural frameworks

Educators can start by employing a culturally sustaining pedagogy, tapping into the unique experiences that each learner brings into the classroom. We must invite our students into the learning process as their whole selves, complete with their individuality, differences, and cultural diversity. Then we need to relate the math to each student’s cultural frame of reference, encouraging them to develop (and sustain) their own cultural and mathematical identities while seeing themselves as capable learners.

Utilizing digital learning tools to help improve and support meaningful student participation in math discussions is a key way to bridge this gap. Incorporating translanguaging during class can also encourage students to use their full linguistic repertoire to navigate the content. Language is complex, and we know that navigating it doesn’t always adhere to the silos of one or two. Students may know more or need more help than they’re able to express in any single language.

Math connects content and learners

All students benefit from storytelling and other integrating techniques; relevant and thought-provoking conversations elevate student voices and engage learners. Using storytelling during math instruction can:

• Provide context and make numbers on a page come to life. Math isn’t just 2 + 2 = 4. It’s two baskets for a four-point lead at halftime.
• Bridge mathematical learning to a world beyond the classroom. Teachers can help students see how math animates science, history, music, social studies, art, and sports.
• Restore, affirm, and sustain positive mathematical identities.

In teaching math, we also can’t lose sight of early numeracy. We need to be aware of unfinished learning–not every student comes into class at grade level; taking the time to learn about the whole child and their unique points of view will go a long way in nurturing their joy for learning and, in particular, mathematics.

Key points:

• Schools still rely on E-rate funds to upgrade and protect their technology infrastructures
• Will cybersecurity receive E-rate funding?
• 3 ways the E-rate program helps level up learning
• For more news on the E-rate, see eSN’s IT Leadership hub

When the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program first emerged in 1996, only 14 percent of the nation’s K-12 classrooms were connected to the internet. Since then, the program has transformed to help schools and libraries connect to high-speed broadband. Today, nearly three-quarters of K-12 school districts provide internet bandwidth at a minimum rate of 1 megabit per second, according to the 2023 Report on School Connectivity.

Despite making significant technological advances over the past two decades, schools still rely on E-rate funds to upgrade and protect their technology infrastructures. However, many districts find it challenging to engage in long-term planning without outside consultation or tools that help them evaluate their programs and stay abreast of the latest E-rate policy changes. Keeping up with comment cycles and changing requirements can open new opportunities for students and library patrons.

Bringing connectivity to school buses

After seeking input from the public, the FCC has issued new guidance for applicants seeking to outfit their school buses with Wi-Fi service. In December 2024, the E-rate program’s Eligible Services List for Funding Year 2024 was issued, which includes school bus Wi-Fi equipment and services as eligible for Category One funding. USAC, the E-rate program administrator, also provided specific guidance for the application process for this service.

Although E-rate has issued guidance for school bus Wi-Fi, including off-site hotspots into the program is still up for consideration.

Hotspots remain a hot topic

The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) late last year to make off-campus Wi-Fi hotspot services eligible for E-rate program discounts. During the initial comment period, the Commission received more than 60 comments, showing mixed support for making Wi-Fi hotspot services eligible for E-rate discounts. While commenters agreed students need access to off-campus internet services, they disagreed about ways to support that need. Some felt that E-rate laws should not include at-home internet connectivity. Others expressed concerns about the potential cost of adding hotspot service to the E-rate program.

Funds For Learning estimates that adding hotspot services to E-rate would increase the total demand for E-rate funds by 6.67 percent, or nearly $198 million; however, integrating hotspot support into the E-rate program would enhance remote learning capabilities and support the FCC’s commitment to educational equity. The increase would keep E-rate funding below the program’s $4.456 billion cap.

Limited time left to influence school and library cybersecurity

In November 2023, the FCC proposed the creation of a Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program—separate from the E-rate program—and sought comments on ways to fund enhanced cybersecurity and advanced firewall services for E-rate applicants. Under this proposal, interested schools and libraries would apply to participate in a pilot (or trial) program to receive funding for advanced cybersecurity projects.

Throughout the comment period, the Commission received nearly 40 comments from individuals and organizations who agreed that the FCC should move forward with the pilot, citing the critical need for advanced cybersecurity protections in schools. However, commenters stated they felt the three-year pilot needed to be shorter and its $200 million proposed budget should be higher. They also suggested the FCC refrain from narrowing the types of products, services, and technologies eligible for the program.

In comments Funds For Learning submitted to the FCC in January, we expressed our support for a shorter pilot window. We also proposed a higher $312 million pilot budget,  based on the average cost per participant for robust cybersecurity outlined in our 2021 E-rate Cybersecurity Cost Estimate report developed in conjunction with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). We also encouraged the FCC to empower applicants to use innovative and technologically enhanced solutions to protect their networks. Reply comments for the cybersecurity NPRM ended in February 2024.

Is your school or library prepared for E-rate Funding Year 2024?

Potential E-rate program applicants risk losing millions each year due to shortfalls in their E-rate processes and the need for insight into the FCC’s regulatory guidance. With the E-rate filing window now open through March 27, 2024, organizations must quickly evaluate their needs and complete eligible funding requests.

With the right data, school leaders can make informed decisions that maximize their budgets. New analytics and management tools can help service providers and school leaders manage their E-rate funds, meet critical application deadlines, and plan for the future.

The E-rate program continues to grow to meet the changing technology needs of schools and libraries due to the overwhelming number of voices expressing their needs and concerns with connectivity and cybersecurity. Continue to share your voice, and together, we can continue to improve the technology needs of schools, libraries, and our students.

Key points:

• The K-12 school library is a critical part of the learning environment
• 5 digital tools for school libraries
• How one district used federal funds to boost its digital library
• For more news on school libraries, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

School libraries have evolved from stereotypical hush-hush environments to bustling resource centers where students not only learn to locate and evaluate information, but where they develop critical skills guided by digital media specialists.

Let’s take a look at what makes libraries such critical parts of the school environment:

Why do libraries matter?

Study after study has shown that effective library programs can increase student literacy and test scores and create more equitable student outcomes. Having access to the skills needed to decode text and other media impacts our students now and forever. Literacy can make or break their school performance and enhance their career and civic participation. All our students should have access to a school library and a certified librarian to help improve reading levels and foster critical thinking and source analysis. There are many types of school libraries–here’s why they’re all essential.

What is the purpose of a school library?

As we examine elementary school library best practices, we realize the true purpose of a school library is not limited to one specific idea. Rather, a school library serves myriad purposes for students, teachers, and even community members. Here are four key ways librarians are leading digital transformations to meet the varied needs of all who use them.

What are the characteristics of a library?

Library innovations in the 21^st century include building a space that students actually want to inhabit, which is imperative to facilitating their learning and curiosity when it comes to reading. In some cases, that means out with the stuffy, shush-filled library, and in with the coffee shop vibes. Because as long as a student simply enters the space–even if it’s just to hang out–that gives us the opportunity to make a connection with them. Discover 5 functions of a school library here.

What makes an effective school library?

When you think of a school librarian, what comes to mind? Is it shelving, stamping, and shushing? That’s the stereotype you’re probably most familiar with. Librarians are so much more than this, though. They’re the keepers of the information, the resource kids use to explore new lands through the turning of pages–but their role as librarians is one that has historically been misunderstood. Because as times have changed, technology has advanced, and student needs have evolved–so, too, has the role of the librarian. Here’s why librarians are essential, and why the importance of the school library for students can’t be overstated.

What are the three key roles of school librarians?

School librarians play a critical role in teaching and learning, research, and sharing information. Gone are the days when a school librarian’s job was defined by shushing, rocking, and reading.  While reading out loud and building a love of literacy is still a foundational part of their job in a school, school librarians in the school media center wear many, many hats and touch many lives in the course of a day’s work. Here are 10 reasons to love your school librarians.

Key points:

• Collaboration and critical thinking skills will be vital once students move beyond the classroom
• PBL isn’t used enough–let’s change that
• Insights from educators: Priorities for 2023-2024
• For more news on PBL, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

Project-based learning (PBL) helps prepare students for college and beyond by actively engaging them in meaningful, relevant projects. In many situations, students will work on these projects for weeks or months at a time, which helps them develop deeper content knowledge when attempting to answer complex questions and resolve real-world problems.

With advances in digital tools, many teachers are finding that using edtech tools in PBL enhances projects by providing direct access to greater sources of information and by allowing students to collaborate more easily. Some believe that leveraging the right technology is one of the best ways to support students during PBL activities.

Using technology, students can communicate and collaborate in so many new ways. Edtech tools also enable students to learn beyond the four walls of the classroom, providing them with so many more opportunities to enhance their critical thinking skills and understand real-world situations.

Collaboration in PBL

Collaboration is an essential element in PBL. In the real world, students will often be required to collaborate with others to achieve their personal and professional goals. It’s important to teach students the art of effective collaboration when using the PBL approach.

Some refer to this as supporting a project learning community (PLC). When students work together, they foster a shared sense of responsibility that better supports their achievement. With a PLC, students can learn how to listen better, they can learn how to be a team player and share in each other’s success, and they learn how to hold themselves and others accountable. These are all important skills to have when moving beyond the classroom and into the real world.

Edtech tools to enhance critical thinking and collaboration in PBL

The best way to support PLCs when using the PBL approach is to invest in the right classroom tools. This will help you maximize the effectiveness of the PBL method by enabling students to work better together in harmony.

Below are some edtech tools to use when engaging students in PBL:

PBL Project Designer

PBLWorks, one of the leaders in the development of high-quality project-based learning, has created a tool to assist teachers when planning PBL projects. The PBL Project Designer walks teachers through each step when designing a project, offering them tips, instructional ideas, and links to resources.

Collaboration Tools

Collaboration tools are perhaps the most important when utilizing PBL. These tools can significantly improve project outcomes by enhancing communication, critical thinking, and innovations. Some useful team collaboration tools include:

• Asana
• Slack
• Wrike
• Lucidspark
• Microsoft Teams
• InVision

These tools offer something unique, whether it’s helping with project management, communication, visual creation, or whiteboarding. These are some of the best tools available today and are already used by some of the top companies across various industries to help their teams collaborate. 

Google

The Google platform also offers numerous project-based learning tools that work well in the classroom setting when students are working together on projects. For example, Google Classroom can be used to create project materials. Google Docs and the Explore feature make it easy for students to create documents for their projects and easily cite their work.

In Google Sheets, the Explore feature can also be used to analyze data for projects using machine learning technology. Google Earth and Google MyMaps are great features to help students when they are working on projects where they need to explore geographical or even environmental data.

Google Meet is an excellent collaboration tool that allows students to easily connect through secure messaging and video conferencing.

Translating PBL into real-world solutions

Another benefit of using edtech in the classroom with PBL is that it can also inspire and enable students to turn their project experiences into real-world solutions, such as coming up with their own ideas for a tech startup.

With so much technology and innovation at the tip of their fingers, many students have gone on to develop their own startups. Some of the most successful technology companies began at home or in a garage, such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

Wrapping up

PBL is a powerful teaching method that can help better prepare students for their future. With so many new tools and technologies available today, there are countless ways teachers can enhance the PBL experience, fostering greater collaboration and critical thinking skills that will be vital to success once students move beyond the classroom.

Key points:

• Varied mental health supports can help students to become stakeholders in their well-being
• Empowering staff and students with a sense of belonging
• Schools are key to solving mental health equity gaps
• For more news on student mental health, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub

Between March 2020 and March 2021, K-12 schools in the U.S. saw an unprecedented influx in federal government aid, totaling nearly $190 billion. This funding aimed to help students recover both academically and emotionally from the pandemic. School districts across the country utilized these grants to hire counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other care providers. In theory, this should have been transformative; however, the available workforce wasn’t large enough to meet the demand, and traditionally underserved and rural districts faced the brunt of this shortage.

Subsequent follow-up funding has been deployed by the federal government in a necessary step to increase the workforce of care providers. As these funding opportunities come to a close, many districts are still left struggling to adequately address their students’ mental health needs.

According to the CDC, more than one in three high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic, but in reality, the rate of U.S. students struggling with these challenges was rising even before COVID. The pandemic’s disruption to students’ schooling and development only exacerbated mental health issues, resulting in worsening anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues. As funds such as ESSER come to a close, schools that were able to increase care teams or introduce new mental well-being initiatives are now facing a funding cliff. The impact of this is predictable: Students will suffer as staff and programs are cut. To address this problem, the U.S. education system must look to alternative solutions.

Expanding beyond traditional approaches

Counselors, social workers, and school psychologists are the most impactful front-line resources available for supporting student mental well-being; however, these professionals are saddled with huge caseloads and demands beyond their normal purview. For example, according to a 2020 survey of 7,000 school counselors, many were required to serve as substitute teachers, perform temperature checks, and take on other tasks as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. To improve mental health support to students, we have to expand our narrow perception of what care can look like.

Looking beyond a traditional western medicine approach, school districts should consider adopting solutions such as peer-to-peer counseling, where students who have been trained can meet to support one another and address personal, social, or emotional challenges. Peer-to-peer counseling empowers students to become stakeholders in their mental health while also providing benefits such as cultural relevance, early intervention, crisis prevention, and social-emotional skill development. This effective strategy is strongly advocated for by California’s Children Trust, which has worked tirelessly over the past few years to make peer-to-peer support reimbursable for California schools through Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.

Additionally, utilizing a community-based collaborative care model can further bolster a school system’s mental health resources. This type of approach is not meant to replace the role of trained mental health professionals, but it can provide Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Tier 1 and 2 for large student populations. An effective initiative of this kind may look like inviting vetted community leaders to come in and offer culturally-tailored support, a resource that’s frequently lacking in schools. When coupled with other solutions, community-based care approaches can play a central role in improving student mental well-being.

Embracing technology

While in-person methods such as professional counseling, peer-to-peer programs, and community-based collaborative care models present a range of benefits, an immediate and ready solution exists for K-12 to effectively close the gaps in its mental health resources: digital mental health products.

Technology is accessible and readily complements care providers, and dozens of culturally competent and evidence-based products are successfully being utilized in school districts. These digital products can complement in-school care providers with treatment plans and access to telehealth, assessment tools, screening, tracking, and preventative technologies, which provide education, awareness, peer support, and other non-clinical approaches.

While effective technology solutions exist, the majority of schools face barriers to adopting and utilizing them. Figuring out how to fund product implementation, choosing which products to trust, and understanding exactly what types of student mental health concerns need to be addressed are common obstacles voiced by school systems.

Proper resource allocation can help ensure a brighter future

While there are currently several mental health-focused technology products available, investment for these types of innovations is still lacking. With federal funding drying up, large VC-backed companies that haven’t previously worked in the education sector are beginning to enter the scene, and oftentimes, these companies are driven by interests that don’t meet the needs of the students they are meant to be serving.

The key to supporting school systems, and ultimately students, is to harness the power of culturally-competent and age-appropriate solutions that entrepreneurs with lived experiences are developing while also supporting school systems by helping them identify, adopt, and utilize these transformative products.

This article on the science of reading originally appeared on Purdue University’s site and is reposted here with permission.

Key points:

• The science of reading refers to a vast body of research exploring how children learn to read
• States need to strengthen reading instruction policies
• How we can improve literacy through student engagement
• For more news on the science of reading, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

Purdue University has begun work to improve the reading abilities of K-12 students in Indiana by strengthening teacher preparation using science-based methods. The work is funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded to Purdue in August as part of Lilly Endowment’s Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana initiative, which launched in 2022.

The science of reading refers to a vast body of research that explores how children learn to read and includes explicit, systematic and cumulative instruction methods focused on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing and oral language. Purdue is one of 28 Indiana colleges and universities that received grants from Lilly Endowment to support efforts that integrate science of reading-aligned principles into teacher preparation programs.

From working with external consultants to diving deeper into the research on the science of reading to surveying former students about science of reading concepts, faculty across three campuses in the Purdue system — West Lafayette, Northwest and Fort Wayne — as well as two colleges, the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS), are collaborating to bring together their diverse perspectives and elevate literacy teacher preparation at the university.

Six months in, the Purdue faculty have already made strides in their initial planning for revamping the curriculum. In early fall, the faculty gathered to review the results of a survey that would allow them to assess how prepared alumni and preservice teachers felt about literacy. Beyond the survey, the team met with external consultants and partnered with The Reading League Indiana to develop a common understanding of the science of reading and evaluate how this information would take shape in curriculum adjustments.

Purdue’s interdisciplinary approach is overseen by Jenna Rickus, vice provost for teaching and learning, and the grant is co-led by Christy Wessel Powell, associate professor of literacy education and the director of the Center for Literacy and Language Education and Research, and Catherine (Cammie) McBride, professor of human development and family science and HHS associate dean for research. Mary Ann Cahill, associate dean of professional programs and director of the School of Education and Counseling at Purdue Northwest, serves as the campus lead for Purdue Northwest, and Holly Hullinger-Sirken, clinical associate professor of elementary education, serves as the campus lead for Purdue Fort Wayne.

“We are grateful to Lilly Endowment and the state of Indiana for their proactive support for literacy education,” Wessel Powell said. “It’s vital to have these resources that we can put toward improving the ways that teachers are able to work with students and to know there is a long-term commitment toward these goals.”

The funds are being used toward faculty’s collaboration efforts to enrich their curriculum through science-based literacy methods in elementary education, special education and early childhood education. Their work spans five main goals:

• Refining science of reading content in the coursework of Purdue’s undergraduate education licensure programs.
• Creating stacked credentials for undergraduate and graduate students as well as offerings for current teachers.
• Creating an online repository of scientific research related to reading and writing.
• Providing professional development to faculty across all Purdue colleges, campuses and programs related to literacy.
• Making connections to state leadership by providing research-grounded resources on literacy.

Those working on the grant will continue to meet regularly in the spring to begin the process of restructuring and planning courses that will bolster the curriculum and better equip future teachers with an in-depth understanding of the science of reading. This spring, the team will also begin developing professional development workshops for all Purdue faculty involved in teaching reading and writing across Purdue campuses as well as begin to build an online repository of resources to which faculty can refer.

“Ultimately, what we hope is that the courses that are being used to train the teachers are better aligned with the science of reading and that the teachers make use of all their different skills-building to be better teachers and help the kids to read better,” McBride said.

Hullinger-Sirken noted that now is an important time to look at literacy, not only because the education landscape looks different since the COVID-19 pandemic but also to accommodate the various needs of Indiana children.

“There has been a lot of attribution to post-COVID, but we also know that we have a very diverse population of students in the state of Indiana, and we know that when it comes to literacy, there’s a lot of different components that play into how proficient a student can be with their literacy skills,” Hullinger-Sirken said. “It is our responsibility as educators and professionals to ensure that no student lacks any of those skills and that we are doing our due diligence to provide them with that. I think this grant comes at an opportune time because it gives us some of the resources and the attention to really focus on that specific goal.”

To meet the needs of Indiana’s diverse population, the grant has also brought in faculty such as associate professor Trish Morita-Mullaney, who specializes in English language learning, to focus on what is distinct about language and literacy learning for English language learners.

The grant’s 33 faculty members have experienced the cross-disciplinary element of Purdue’s work, which many noted has proved fruitful in allowing them to share their knowledge and pool resources.

“I really think the early childhood component; the developmental part; and the speech, language, and hearing sciences faculty and what they can contribute just make this a more inclusive and ultimately more useful approach to teacher training,” McBride said.

Grace Pigozzi, assistant professor of elementary and early literacy, explained it can be easy in higher education to get into a day-to-day routine and become siloed, so the opportunity of the grant allowed faculty to see the ways the Purdue University system works together and can make a difference in literacy education.

“For this opportunity to exist, we had to figure out who we were as an entity, and for me, that’s been the most amazing part,” Pigozzi said. “Now, knowing everyone and being able to have these funds to guide us as we’re doing this very difficult work is a kind of solace.”

As part of the grant, Chenell Loudermill, clinical professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, organizes outside consultants to fulfill the professional development component. She noted this offers faculty on the grant the opportunity to not only learn from each other but also think outside the box by exploring expertise outside of the university in areas such as psychology, education, communication sciences and disorders, neuroscience, and more.

“The interdisciplinary approach taken by Purdue University is what is needed to move the teaching of reading and writing forward in Indiana,” Loudermill said.

The faculty shared that having Purdue contribute to Lilly’s initiative to advance the science of reading will allow the university to increase its impact on Indiana children and teachers. This funding by Lilly Endowment and Purdue’s work within it complement a statewide effort by the Indiana Department of Education to improve reading achievement in K-12 schools by helping current teachers implement science of reading-aligned principles in their classrooms.

“We’re a land-grant institution, so this is right in our wheelhouse,” Wessel Powell said. “I can see that we have so many opportunities for synergy and to expand how we affect the entire state.”

DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is a commonly used acronym, but what does it mean in the context of day-to-day operations in a school district?

As many experts will point out, DEI initiatives are prone to fail when they aren’t getting at the crux of the issue—existing systemic processes and challenges that prevent promising solutions and DEI-focused policies from being successful.

During an eSchool News Innovation Roundtable with a focus on DEI, moderated by eSchool News Content Director Kevin Hogan, district leaders delved into the critical but complicated topic of DEI in school districts. Roundtable participants included:

• Julie Mavrogeorge, Coordinator II – CTE (Esports, Drones, AME and Ag) with Fresno Unified School District
• Allison Reid, Senior Director of Digital Learning and Libraries in the Wake Forest County Public School System
• Dr. Cynthia Wise, Principal of J.H. Hines Elementary in Waco, Texas

Here’s what eSN’s panel of educator experts had to say about DEI in action in their schools, the challenges they still face, and what they think will advance DEI initiatives in the years to come.

What does DEI mean in your district’s day-to-day operations?

JM: DEI doesn’t live in one place. Some people say we need a DEI team. But it’s the responsibility of the entire district to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I need to create programs for students that will help educate them in their own culture and their own way. Ethnicity, diversity–all students need to learn how each culture is different. There’s also the equity and inclusion of gender preference. To me, [DEI] is educating myself and our team, but also educating teachers, staff, and students. We only know what we know until we know something different. My passion is specifically for the neurodivergent population and our foster and homeless youth. I try to educate people that we’re all human; we need to be treated as human. How do we go about training our students to realize that where we come from is important? How we’re wired is also important, but we also need to understand people who are different than we are.

AR: I believe that creating a space where each student, every day, feels like they belong is critical for moving the needle for students and allowing students to become the most successful version of themselves. In touching on the different types of ‘otherness’ – DEI means we see people for who they are. We are not blind to their otherness; rather, we see their otherness, we celebrate their otherness where we can, and we use that as a basis to make sure we’re giving those students what they need as individuals and see them wholly so they can grow into the best version of themselves. In looking at policies and processes, we must keep in mind that [we are] teaching students every day–regardless of race, nationality, gender, religion, orientation, neurodivergencies, whatever their otherness might be or not be. Are the decisions we’re making made with consideration of all our populations? Are we courageous enough to have the conversation and really look at what we’re already doing and make changes where necessary? Context matters, and we have to ask the questions to understand the context for each and every student.

CW: I have dedicated my entire administrative career to ensure students of color receive a high-quality education that is safe, inclusive, and recognizes and celebrates diversity while meeting every child’s needs so they can thrive. Diversity stands for acknowledging that there is a range of differences in the classroom. Equity is meeting each individual student’s needs–their exact needs. Inclusion signifies embracing those differences so all students feel supported. I also believe the equity should be applicable to employees, not just students. All employees should be appreciated and allowed to make meaningful contributions and that would boost morale in the workplace.

How do these DEI concepts play out in your districts? What do they look like in terms of the active participation of teachers and students?

AR: [One of the U.S. Department of Education’s recent edtech plans] discussed active vs. passive consumption of technology. We started looking more closely at how our students were using tech in the classroom. What’s fascinating, when you look at it, is students of marginalized subgroups–when we give them technology to use, we give them technology that is passive consumption. We would like for them to watch a video; we would like for them to do a drill-and-kill online. Students in those at-risk subgroups–that’s the kind of technology we give them, and we wonder why it doesn’t work. They’re not actually doing anything–they’re not making decisions, they’re just receiving. We’ve removed the opportunity for conversation, dialogue, or interaction with a human. We’ve given them technology in ways that, quite frankly, stink, because it is passive consumption, and in doing so we’ve removed the human element. Now, our advanced students–when we give them technology, we ask them to create with it–create a video, or a slide deck, or make a movie. Far different cognitive asks of the student regardless of the modality. When we’re talking about DEI, how we use technology with specific subgroups can either exacerbate or help with the achievement gap we see. Making sure that as we’re making decisions about how we integrate technology into our instruction and into our curriculum, are we allowing students of all achievement levels, all subgroups, the opportunity to use technology in an active way, in a creative way. That’s why, when you look at research on gamifying learning, it’s so powerful–because kids are actively engaged in what they’re doing and they’re making choices versus just passively consuming text. We’re starting to see some changes.

CW: In my district, every student has Chromebook, but the downside is that it’s for class use only. We are a Title I district. At my school in particular, 98 percent are on free and/or reduced lunch. I have friends working in more affluent districts and those children are allowed to take their Chromebooks home. The students from these Title I schools are at a disadvantage because the only use they have, as far as using Chromebooks/computers, is at school. The other side of that is, let’s say the district allowed them to take the Chromebooks home. Most of these homes don’t have internet, so now you have another problem, because it’s very expensive. You can give them the devices, but when they get home, where’s the connectivity? In my opinion, the issue is beyond being equitable. I think the issue is more affordability. Internet access is not affordable for all families, so that raises the question around whether this is about equitable access to technology or about affordability. And this creates a digital divide between those who can afford it and those who cannot. Technology is here to stay, so we need to understand what it can and can’t do for the users–but at the same time, it’s expensive for many things and families cannot afford the additional costs.

JM: We are over 90 percent free and/or reduced lunch. About 1 percent of our student body is homeless or foster–that’s 700 students in our district. We also are 1:1 with our devices–our students do take their HP or Lenovo laptops home. When we talk about coming back from the pandemic, our students are so disengaged, regardless of their socioeconomic status or their ethnicity. They’re not as engaged with humans as they were prior to the pandemic. Our district applied for a grant that enabled us to put up Wi-Fi towers in our regions. There’s a Fresno Unified tower families can connect to for Wi-Fi. Through one of our internet providers, families can also get internet access for $10 per month. Technology is here to stay; it’s not going anywhere. My main focus has been the integration of technology or the integration of students with technology in their current classes, as well as in after-school programs. I help to run our esports programs. When you take what seems dry and you put in creative ways of delivering it to students, gamifying just that general education–a huge component of Minecraft in education and what you can do with Minecraft in a classroom. There’s not a single subject you cannot teach within Minecraft, not a single assessment you cannot do within Minecraft. We have to take us older-school education people and retrain our way of thinking about how to deliver [instruction]. And that provides that equity and inclusion for students where they are, but we’re still delivering the content they need in order to succeed in society.

Is it ultimately the responsibility of a district to not only provide a student with a device, but also guarantee them access to anything they’re being assigned at school, at home?

CW: When it comes to technology, we’re stagnated rather than being innovative. Schools really don’t have the freedom to fully invest in the active use of technology, and the other side of that is most schools don’t have the funding to invest in the active use of technology. The way the schools were able to get 1:1 Chromebooks was because of pandemic ESSERR funds, but those funds will run out. Also, the system is designed and geared towards closing the achievement gap in reading and math between black children and white children. That’s what this is designed to do. So, unless, the way I see it, you have to get other outside [funding and support] sources such as tech companies and other companies, grants, donations, but outside of that, the funding is not there. A lot of districts are cutting staff and making deep cuts because the money is no longer there.

AR: I do think we have a responsibility to provide students with the resources they need to access their education. But I very strongly believe having internet access for students and families is not a K-12 problem. This is a community problem that our local government should be investing in. This is not an educational problem. We are at a point in our history in America where connectivity is a basic utility; if there are not programs in our community (we are not there yet either–we provide Mi-Fis for kids who don’t have access at home but sometimes those Mi-Fis are inadequate)… Stop giving our school districts all the problems to solve. We need community partners to step up and own the responsibility for providing this very basic utility for our families, regardless of whether they have children in schools or not. I do think we’re at a point that we owe students that and we certainly should partner with our municipalities, but I do not think this is a K-12 education problem. We’re already facing an educator shortage; these are big problems that are going to have to involve a lot of infrastructure and that doesn’t happen in the silo of a school district–we’ve got to have community partners.

CW: When you look at equity, [it means] each individual student has received exactly what that student needs to be successful, but then you have to train teachers. Where does the funding come in for that? The emphasis in education is not on educators becoming active users of technology; teachers don’t receive that training. The training they receive promotes passive use of technology. I like the [mention of] looking at community partners and municipalities. I want [to also focus on] the continuing education for teachers and teacher prep programs. Those programs do not prepare teachers to actively use technology. Teachers need extensive training on how to actively expand and use technologies in their classrooms. If we’re going to make this a primary goal, it’s going to take some radical rethinking of education in the United States. And I don’t think we’re there yet.

AR: If all we do is give kids a Chromebook and send them home with a device, and we are not changing the pedagogy of how we design instruction for our students, then we have only given lip service to DEI as it relates to using technology for student achievement. Technically, access has to happen first. Without question. But until we shift how we design instruction and kids are asked to do different things with it. we’re not really going to see the potential exponential growth technology can provide for us. If all you’re doing is taking that Chromebook or device and you’re turning your 30-year-old worksheets into digital tech worksheets, you’re just not doing anything different. Nothing has changed in terms of that child’s attitude about school–you’ve made the notebook heavier. I do think we’re at a point that we owe students that and we certainly should partner with our municipalities, but I do not think this is a K-12 education problem. We’re already facing an educator shortage; these are big problems that are going to have to involve a lot of infrastructure and that doesn’t happen in the silo of a school district–we’ve got to have community partners.

JM: That’s largely my role, to find the tech that can transform what kids are learning. We have teachers using Minecraft to teach during the day. We have a class we call Tournament of Technology in our middle school geared toward design, coding, robotics, and video production. And it’s mainstreamed with a lot of the linked learning, so students are doing this with their science, English, and math teachers, and projects of value are being incorporated into teaching. In my opinion, we need to absolutely do away with standardized testing–it’s a waste of time; all we’re doing is teaching a kid whether they can or cannot take a test and most students walk away feeling that they failed. A lot of what I have been working on in our district is providing students with internships during their class period. I work with industry partners to work with those students during their class period on real world projects. [I’m also] training teachers on how to play Minecraft, training them on Raspberry Pi, and how to work with robots, drones, and coding. I have a huge background in communication and conflict resolution. What is it you’re struggling with and how do we make you successful, because if you’re successful, your kids are going to be successful. We can’t just focus on the student–that teacher often needs support, love, and care.

What are your hopes for 2-3 years down the line?

CW: It’s going to require a systematic shift in education, and education as a whole is very conservative. It’s going to take some time, but I know we will get there. I’m not saying that we are not offering any type of active usage of technology. We do it, but we don’t do it with fidelity, and that’s what is needed. I believe the earlier we start with our students at the elementary level, they’ll become more proficient as they progress onto the secondary level. I think we have to be careful and not lose sight that one of the most significant parts of elementary instruction needs to be a focus on learning to read and write in order for elementary school students to be successful at that elementary level and beyond. I see where technology will play a significant role–there are some awesome programs to reinforce those reading, writing, and math skills. I would love for us to get to the point where our students will become active users.

AR: In the late 90s, they’d talk about how education will experience a paradigm shift. For 20-some years, I’ve been looking around waiting for a paradigm shift. We’re still testing kids just like we did in the late 90s. The reality is that what gets measured gets done. So, we test whether or not we covered content. What if we said that the 4Cs were important and we measured and reported on that–I don’t know how we’d do that; that’s messier, that’s not black and white. We have to have some shifts in what we assess, but I do think there’s a paradigm shift on the horizon and I think it’s coming to us by way of AI. For the first time in my career, I think we have some technology that can actually give time back to teachers. We just keep adding to the plates, and we’re not taking anything away. AI has the potential to take some of those mundane tasks and offload those, so teachers can get back to the art of connecting with children on a human level–so they can know them by name, strength, and need, and help them be successful. If we can be more strategic about what we measure and what we report, maybe we can change our attitudes about assessment and focus on the things that can really move the needle. I think AI is going to help us do some of that.

JM: AI is going to help teachers, and we do need to help them embrace it. It is going to give them back time and help them make those connections. That’s what’s needed–teachers need more time. Thy need to feel loved and cared for, and they don’t. How do we expect teachers to teach when they’re almost robots in front of a classroom having to teach to all these standards that kids aren’t embracing? It’s not engaging. We definitely need a shift. We can do what little bits we can in our district, but it needs to be from the top down.

Related:
Navigating cultural diversity in American education
How to work for equity of access in classrooms
For more news on DEI, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

Key points:

• School districts are ready to be transformed by reliable optimized wired and Wi-Fi networks
• Cybersecurity staffing shortage is districts’ top concern
• The modern CIO’s role is changing–here’s how to keep up
• For more news on school networks, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub

In 2024, Wi-Fi and wired networks are critical infrastructure for educational organizations. Thanks to the continuous push for digitally literate students and interactive, immersive, and connected eLearning environments, chief technology officers (CTOs) are responsible for networks that must support greater demand than ever before.

There are three top technologies for school district CTOs to consider when planning for the health and longevity of their wired and Wi-Fi networks. Addressing these three key areas–video collaboration, the 6GHz migration, and network automation–will prepare networks to meet the needs of today’s and future students.

Optimize video collaboration for seamless connectivity

Video collaboration applications place substantial demands on networks because they use real-time data. If networks are unreliable, even with intermittent problems, video applications will take a hit. When this software is used to support virtual learning and to supplement classroom instruction, it must operate smoothly and without interruption.

Problems can result in teachers being forced to adapt lesson plans on the fly, students not receiving complete instructions, or learning goals being missed. This can lead to frustration in the classroom.

CTOs want the best for their students. Prioritizing network designs that support video collaboration is one way to ensure the best is always possible. This takes:

• Complete network and application visibility.
• Proactive alerts before issues affect end users.
• Video collaboration testing of key end-to-end metrics to determine how capable a network is of supporting video platforms.

A best practice is to work with one or more solutions that will deliver these capabilities automatically. This reduces the burden for IT teams and ensures that all analytics are delivered consistently and continuously. Once CTOs know how a network is performing and what demand it is under, leaders can make the most effective use of their resources and design a network that reliably delivers video collaboration support.

6GHz and Wi-Fi 6E for next generation technologies

6E devices and the 6GHz spectrum they operate in provide the following benefits for schools:

• Lower latency across the board and instantaneous network responses for real time applications.
• Faster data rates and designated bandwidth for users for improved user experience.
• Reduced network overcrowding due to 6E devices not using the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.

While the adoption of Wi-Fi 6E, the 6GHz frequency band, and the significant improvements these technologies can deliver are exciting, there are important strategies for CTOs to keep in mind as they prepare for the upgrade.

This is the first time in over a decade that a new frequency band has been made available. There could be members of a CTO’s professional team who have never participated in an adoption like this. It’s important to remember that there’s no rush, these technologies aren’t going anywhere, and a school district can’t be transformed overnight–nor does it need to be. Moving forward at a pace that makes the most sense for your district, making changes where they will have the most benefit first, testing for interoperability issues–all of this will ensure the adoption is seamless, delivering the best ROI possible.

CTOs’ teams must be able to:

• Analyze end user metrics to predict which schools or school areas need the upgrade first.
• Redesign AP deployment to better provide 6GHz connectivity.
• Analyze network performance to ensure redesigns don’t cause roaming issues.
• Continuously manage all possible security risks – a possibility during any transition.
• Compare network performance before and after the transition to ensure the desired benefits are delivered.
• Watch and analyze three frequency bands (2.4, 5, and 6GHz) 24/7.

CTOs who bring these capabilities onboard will personalize the transition process, ensuring the most rewarding experience for their unique schools.

Network automation for improved, worry-free performance

Ultimately, CTOs need to provide complete assurance that both wired, and Wi-Fi networks are reliable and optimized at all times. AI-driven network automation solutions provide this assurance. These solutions automatically detect, notify, and mitigate wired and Wi-Fi network problems using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Here’s why they are a major trend for educational institutions. They support:

• Connectivity for eLearning, online assessments, and emerging technologies with:
  • Constant, real-time monitoring and analysis of network behavior.
  • Automated historical analytics for long-term performance trends.
  • End user experience metrics so CTOs know whether the network is meeting educational needs.
  • Wired and Wi-Fi network tests.

• Reduced network downtime and fewer network issues thanks to:
  • Proactive identification of existing and potential wired and Wi-Fi network issues.
  • Elimination of network mysteries through the identification of the root cause of issues.
  • Automatic alerts to IT for all issues.

• Supported educators and staff because solutions:
  • Scale cost effectively, supporting hundreds to thousands of devices.
  • Provide remote, automated troubleshooting to cut down on travel for IT.
  • Deliver future-proofed optimization (if vendor agnostic).

Work with network automation solutions to restore time and energy to IT professionals and take the complexity out of network optimization.

Future-proofing the best way

School districts in 2024 are ready to be transformed by technology and reliable, optimized wired and Wi-Fi networks. CTOs that use automation, AI, and machine learning to understand their users’ needs and network behavior will support seamless connectivity and improved learning across their districts.

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

Since school buildings reopened after COVID closures, I’ve heard teachers say, again and again, that the older elementary children in their classrooms are just not the same.

I lead a small network of schools, and many of our current fourth graders remain dependent on adults’ opinions and find it hard to move from one problem to the next without reassurance. Our fifth graders can solve a basic math problem but often struggle to explain how to answer a word problem. Across fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, we’re seeing students have trouble with sharing, taking turns, and working with others — symptoms of the developmental milestones many children missed in recent years.

What exactly did they miss?

As an early childhood specialist who taught kindergarten through second grade for 12 years, I remember watching the progression of cognitive and social development throughout the early elementary school years.

At the beginning of kindergarten, my students would bunch together, crowding at the door, massing around me, all asking questions or wanting to show me the boo-boo on their finger. Sometimes, it seemed like they didn’t even notice that they weren’t the only child in the room. They had to learn how to exist in a large group.

Once they learned how to manage in a group, we began the work on interpersonal relationships, like how to share, respond to a question, and show empathy. Kindergarteners frequently respond to questions with unrelated statements of fact that are of interest to them. For example, if I were to ask the class, “What do you notice about the main character in this story?” they might say, “My uncle is getting a puppy this weekend” or “I had pancakes for breakfast.” All year, they progressed toward understanding that their perspective wasn’t the only view of the world.

My first graders did understand that there were other people and perspectives. This made them good at working with partners. They wanted to please the adults by following the rules at school, but their good intentions could fall by the wayside if they wanted something badly enough. Because they knew the rules but could not help but break them sometimes, first graders would sometimes lie. “No, I didn’t do it!” was a frequent refrain.

For first graders, the playground was a magical place full of fairies, knights, and superheroes, because all you needed was the right stick or flower or a little scarf tied around your neck to transform. These types of imaginary games are part of developing complex representational thought, which helps our minds visualize characters in novels, understand the symbols that stand in for equations in algebra, and think through a variety of outcomes so we can make strategic life decisions.

My second graders were terrified of making mistakes and froze up when what they were trying to draw didn’t keep up with their underdeveloped fine motor skills. They wanted a lot of reassurance. They wanted to be able to do the things the big kids did, but they weren’t quite sure how. They thrived on routine and working together to tackle complicated tasks, whether it was creating a class newspaper or garden, or running the school post office. Second grade was always my favorite because of that incredible industriousness.

Isolated at home during the pandemic, early elementary school students missed out on complex, make-believe play and had grown out of it by the time we all got back. I worry that this might be getting in the way of tasks that require symbolic reasoning. We see, for example, that our fifth graders can answer a factual question about something they’ve read but struggle to make reasonable inferences.

Many grades have had to go back a few years to teach students some of the more basic concepts. We have adopted a social-emotional curriculum that teaches children to recognize and name their feelings, how to calm themselves down, and how to explain to another person the impact of their actions on them.

There is so much to study about the impact of those two COVID years on learning that I have no doubt it will be the subject of Ph.D. dissertations for decades. But in the meantime, schools and educators are tasked with catching students up on what they missed. The New York Times recently published an article with a tool where you could type in your local school district and see how far behind it was in math and reading compared to the pre-pandemic years.

I believe in assessments. It is crucial to understand what your students know and still need to learn in order to teach them well. But it’s also important to remember that there is much more to child development than learning multiplication tables or the fundamentals of reading. Even as we gauge academic progress and gaps, we must acknowledge the other skills that so many of our students need to catch up on as well.

In our rush as adults to be over this pandemic, let’s not deprive our students of the time they need to explore who they are in relation to their peers. In turn, hard-working teachers and school leaders need grace as they try to figure out how to give every kid what they need and deserve at this unprecedented moment.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Related:
The pandemic is over–but American schools still aren’t the same
“Ambitious growth” is needed to accelerate learning recovery
For more news on COVID-related recovery, visit eSN’s Educational Leadership hub

Key points:

• Making summer reading a year-round project is critical part of a learning strategy
• States need to strengthen reading instruction policies
• How we can improve literacy through student engagement
• For more news on literacy, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

When I began teaching English as a second language (ESL), I had anywhere from seven to 13 different languages in my classroom because our district was in an area with a lot of recent immigration. It was an entry point for me to begin thinking about what a rich profession teaching is, along with how students develop their early reading skills, especially when they are learning multiple languages at once.

Today, I am the director of Literacy First, a program that the University of Texas launched almost 30 years ago with the mission of teaching students to read in the early grades. Literacy First fulfills its mission by offering a variety of support services, with a particular focus on achieving successful outcomes for growing readers, including one-to-one literacy interventions, teacher and staff training, instructional coaching, data-centered advising, and bilingual and culturally sustaining reading resources and interventions. One of the things I’ve learned a great deal about along the way is how to run an effective summer reading program for emergent bilingual students.

Here are three best practices that are effective regardless of the languages your students speak at home.

1. Encourage students to read at home by embracing their home language.

At Literacy First, we’ve always taught in Spanish. In fact, ours is the only program of its kind in the country that does early reading intervention and Tier II instruction in Spanish. We know from a couple decades of research that when children learn to read in their primary language, they are able to learn to read in additional languages more effectively.

If a teacher works on foundational skills such as phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension in Spanish with a student who is more comfortable in that language, those skills will transfer, building better English results over time and offering that student all the amazing assets that come with being bilingual.

It’s also important to remember that the majority of emergent bilingual students in the United States are actually simultaneous language learners already. Many of them were born in the U.S., and all of them now live here in this English-oriented country. Most of them aren’t starting from zero, so I suggest a nuanced approach to thinking about the strengths students bring with them. What is their full linguistic repertoire? How can we assess and understand those strengths across languages to teach more effectively? Ultimately, it means understanding that bilingualism is the goal rather than English proficiency alone, and that means there is no hurry to jump to English without instruction in other languages. Students will make progress—even on their ability to read in English—as they develop their home language skills.

Students in Texas schools speak more than 120 languages, with 88 percent coming from a Spanish language background. Beyond formal summer school that teaches multilingual development and encourages families to nurture home languages, access to books in those languages or books that reflect students’ cultural backgrounds (such as those in the Capstone virtual library) can also support their reading development.  

2. Provide a constantly refreshed diet of new books.

When I worked at Austin Independent School District, we really latched onto this study from literacy intervention expert James Kim that found students in grade 6 could beat the summer slide by reading just five books over the summer. Today in Austin, there’s still a campaign telling students and families to “Beat the summer slide, take the 5 book dive,” as they distribute books all over the city. Even that small number of books has a big impact, especially for students who don’t have access to enrichment opportunities.

If you’re looking at younger students, however, they really need more like five books each week, and they need to be voraciously gobbling down those books. They need appropriate reading material at their fingertips in any way possible. Sixth graders need chunky chapter books, but younger kids are going to read books that are sometimes just two or three dozen pages long. I also see with my own younger children that when we get back from the library, only 10 of the 20 books we brought back are actually interesting to them, and sometimes only one is engaging enough to read with a parent and then later on their own. Younger children really need a constantly refreshed diet of new books.

Weekly trips to the library are a great way to give them new books, but not all parents have the time or opportunity to visit the library regularly. Digital libraries are also an excellent solution that doesn’t require anyone to leave the house. My kids’ school district offers PebbleGo, which they love because it has a huge selection of books and articles, and because it provides built-in support, such as word definitions and the ability to switch between English and Spanish.

3. Build in touchpoints to maintain momentum.

It’s important to build excitement about your summer reading program before school is out. No matter how well that goes, however, students’ reading momentum will slow down after the first few weeks of summer. To keep students and their families focused on reading, be sure to have a few touchpoints planned. Mailing out a few more books is a great option, and a book bus that travels around the district can be a fantastic way to bring members of the school community together during the summer. Teachers who have strong relationships—and shared language backgrounds—with their students can be instrumental in encouraging and inspiring them to read over the summer by sending planned messages or convening events. However, teachers’ efforts should be compensated and supplemented by school, district, and community support.  

When I was with Austin ISD, we partnered with a local bookstore that did some promotional work for us and offered discounts to families. We also partnered with the libraries within the district as well as a digital library provider to ensure students had a vast library at their fingertips, no matter where they were. The donations and other help from those partners were really instrumental in making our summer reading programs work.

Finally, many schools wait until spring to plan their summer reading program, but making it a year-round project is the most effective way to make sure your students have as many books as you can get into their hands, give yourself time to build excitement, check in to maintain momentum, and help all of your students avoid the summer slide, no matter what language they speak at home.

Key points:

• The science of reading is key in student achievement–here’s what it is
• Implementing the science of reading ‘one bite at a time’
• How to improve literacy through the science of reading
• For more news on the science of reading, see eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

While high-quality literacy instruction has remained a cornerstone of education leaders’ priorities, this year, the science of reading has dominated classrooms and discussions around instructional strategies.

In short, according to the National Center on Improving Literacy, the science of reading is “research, over time, from multiple fields of study using methods that confirm and disconfirm theories on how children best learn to read.”

Teaching based on this research includes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It is not a specific program or intervention or phonics-based programs that drill phonics skills. And, as with all research, the science of reading is evolving–there is much more to be learned.

Here’s a look at some of the latest research, thoughts, and strategies, directly from classroom experts and industry veterans:

In districts across the country, educators are continuing to support students with post-pandemic learning recovery. Many students are still reading below the level appropriate for their grade–roughly one-third of fourth graders in the United States read at or below what’s considered the basic level. And unfortunately, even before the pandemic, reading achievement has been low over the past several decades. Here are 4 simple steps to help educators begin implementing the science of reading.

Conversations about the science of reading are happening primarily with elementary and early childhood educators. Those conversations are preventing further literacy injustice and disenfranchisement. But how are we addressing the ways that the system has failed our secondary students when they first learned to read? Here’s how a middle school ELA teacher is learning to support the students in her class who were passed along without receiving the literacy instruction they needed.

Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools is supporting all K-3 teachers with science of reading resources and practices. Educators are diving into the integration of the science of reading and the teaching of science using digital resources. This work, which was started through conversations with the Mississippi Department of Education, was recently presented to the district’s PreK- 3 teachers. Prince George’s County K-3 teachers are exploring three instructional ideas: Using video segments to build understanding of science concepts, using science words for phonological awareness and phonics activities, and developing digital activities to integrate background knowledge building and literacy skills. Learn more about the district’s work.

Educators across the country have been discussing the science of reading and working to align their materials and practices to this research into how students learn to read. In the coming year, that broad trend will continue, with a shift to looking beyond knowledge building as schools, districts, and states begin improving capacity and creating systems aligned to the science of reading. Here, Kari Kurto, National Science of Reading Project Director at the Reading League, takes a look at a few specific predictions about what that could look like in 2024 for policymakers, schools and districts, educators, and publishers. At the state level, policymakers and decision-makers will continue to develop guidance around the science of reading and evidence-aligned practices. Many states that have recently begun this work start with initiatives focused on building knowledge, which is a great first step. In the new year, more administrators and other educators will focus not just on building knowledge and ensuring their materials are aligned to the science of reading, but they will go beyond to examine hiring practices, multi-tiered systems of support, assessments, the science of learning and implementation, and more. Learn more about how different stakeholders will champion the science of reading.

A new NCTQ report, State of the States: Five Policy Actions to Strengthen Implementation of the Science of Reading, highlights five key policy actions states should take to strengthen teachers’ reading instruction and examines the extent to which states focus on them. The five policy actions are: Setting specific, detailed reading standards for teacher prep programs; reviewing teacher prep programs to ensure they teach the science of reading; adopting a strong elementary reading licensure test, requiring districts to select a high-quality reading curriculum; and providing professional learning for teachers and ongoing support to sustain the implementation of the science of reading. Read more about how states can strengthen literacy instruction training.

Key points:

• Careful planning, open communication, and strong partnerships are key parts of digital sustainability
• Balancing sustainability and innovation in education
• K-12 tech innovation is driving a paradigm shift in education
• For more news on digital sustainability, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub

I recently had the privilege of co-presenting a session on digital sustainability with UDT at FETC this past January. Meeting with other education technology and instructional leaders affirmed how multi-faceted and critical digital sustainability is for school districts right now.

My unique path to serving as Chief Information Officer for Orange County Public Schools has enabled me to experience our district’s digital transformation from multiple perspectives. I began at OCPS as a first-grade teacher before joining the district’s teaching and learning team, where I helped plan our five-year 1:1 device rollout for 280k students. In August 2023, I transitioned from teaching and learning to IT.

Given our district’s size, we distributed devices to 30 or 40 schools at a time beginning in 2014/2015. The year before a rollout, we’d begin training the teachers and upgrading any necessary infrastructure at the school level. By the time the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we were almost done with the rollout. However, this created an interesting dynamic. We had schools with devices that were 5 or 6 years old, schools with brand new devices, and classrooms with equipment approaching 6 to 7 years old. As we were finishing our 1:1 rollout, we also had to consider updating and refreshing all these devices.

This disparity made us realize that we needed to implement a robust digital sustainability strategy to deliver equitable and secure digital learning opportunities to all OCPS students.

To be successful, we have separated our approach into four key areas:

1. Devices: This includes distributing, collecting, replacing, and repairing devices, as well as giving schools the timeline needed to adjust to district decisions. It also involves managing accessories, like chargers, which students often lose. A laptop without a charger is essentially non-existent in your fleet, so we had to develop an in-depth plan for managing and replacing chargers.

Mitigating the impact of breakage rates has been a learning process. For example, we originally did not put our devices in cases. Introducing cases has led to a 50 percent drop in breakage. We have also changed our model to ensure students get their original device back after repairs, which encourages them to take better care of their devices.

2. Infrastructure: We need to think beyond the device and consider our entire digital infrastructure. If we do not have enough broadband to facilitate seamless learning experiences, our students will suffer. Additionally, as interactive whiteboards and other components age, we need to decide how we will pay for replacements.

3. Access: As CIO of OCPS, I am often reminded of the delicate balance that must be maintained between access and security. Our devices are not for IT; they are for our teachers and students. Our role in IT is to ensure these devices work and provide the access needed for effective teaching and learning. Teachers want quick access to resources, and we strive to provide that. However, we also have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our network and data. One way we achieve the balance is through our software request process. This process allows us to check that the requested site has a privacy policy that aligns with our district’s guidelines.

Communicating the ‘why’ behind our actions to teachers, parents, and other stakeholders is critical as we navigate the complex landscape of providing access to resources while maintaining security. We may need to convey it multiple times and in ways that parents and teachers understand, but it’s a crucial part of maintaining the balance between access and security.

4. Security: With the number of devices on a school district’s network, security is a massive concern and needs to be part of every conversation. The moment we power a device and start using it, we introduce risk. The sophistication of cyber threats is increasing, and schools need to adopt a layered approach to security.

No matter your size, school districts are going to need partners to help safeguard their digital learning environments and streamline their fleet management processes. Our own partnerships provide expertise that is not native inside our district and help our organization function more effectively.

As we move into 2024, we know we will be challenged every day. However, with careful planning, open communication, and strong partnerships, we are confident in our ability to sustain our 1:1 device program and continue to provide our students with the tools they need for success.