Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

It’s budget season: How are you preparing for the fiscal cliff?

Key points:

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.…Read More

How to direct a districtwide tech transformation on a budget

Key points:

Irvington Public Schools is an urban district with the hometown feeling of a place where everyone knows each other. Our student body is predominantly Black, but we are quite diverse and have many cultures represented among our students. Approximately 20 percent of our scholars speak English as a second language.

I have been with the district for 20 years, though I didn’t become the superintendent until April 2020. When I came into the office, I had a tech-focused vision for the future of our district, but the pandemic was beginning to force us to move in that direction anyway, albeit without the careful consideration and planning we would have preferred. I gave our technology department marching orders to get every student and every teacher on a Chromebook and trained in the Google Suite within two weeks. It was immensely stressful for them, but they got it done and we haven’t looked back.…Read More

Solving the IT staffing challenge in K-12 education

Key points:

Even in the best of times, K-12 school districts often have a tough time recruiting and retaining IT employees, as it can be hard for budget-conscious districts to offer salaries and benefits that are competitive with those in the private sector. This challenge is further magnified by low unemployment and the fact that private-sector businesses are also struggling to hire IT talent right now.

While labor shortages are finally easing in the wake of the pandemic, IT is an industry where employers are still scrambling for workers. According to USA Today, 62 percent of job openings in the information sector go unfilled every month.…Read More

How to find the right edtech tools for public schools

Key points:

Do public schools have the means to adopt the latest edtech for modern teaching? After all, the days of chalkboards and lightbulb-powered screen projectors are long gone. And with the popularity of smartphones and tablets, children are learning to interact with digital devices at younger ages.

Public schools must keep up with the modern times. This means investing in edtech to prepare kids for the real world.…Read More

4 back-to-school cybersecurity tips

Key points:

Due to budget and resource constraints, many schools and other academic organizations are only able to implement very basic cybersecurity tools and processes, and this leaves them extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks.

We’ve seen this play out over the past 12 months with high-profile attacks on school districts in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Tucson, Ariz., among many others. And, because cybercriminals can compromise school networks for big gains with very little effort, we expect attacks on education will only increase.…Read More

Are ransomware attacks the new snow days?

Key points:

In early January, the Des Moines Public Schools, the largest school district in the state of Iowa, fell victim to a ransomware attack that forced the district to take its network offline and students to miss more instructional time.

In addition to the disruption to operations, the district discovered that the attackers compromised the personal data of nearly 7,000 individuals, putting them at increased risk of identity theft and other crimes.…Read More

4 best practices to support and retain school leaders

Key points:

  • A culture of continuous learning helps leaders, teachers, and staff grow and develop throughout their careers
  • Mentorship programs and intensive training are two components of a well-rounded system that supports academic leaders
  • See related article: How to reimagine teacher leadership

For new school leaders, the first few weeks on the job can feel overwhelming. As a former principal, I know that leaders can only be effective when the right systems of support are in place. In fact, a recent research brief by RAND Corporation found that 16 percent of principals left their schools in the 2021-22 school year for a variety of reasons, including high workload, stressed work-life balance, threats to safety, political debates, budget constraints, and a lack of growth opportunities.

This research continues to highlight why it’s imperative that schools and districts create a culture of continuous learning so that leaders, teachers, and staff grow and develop throughout their careers. It also shows the importance of building a comprehensive leadership framework that includes transparent expectations and includes specialized support touchpoints – from onboarding to thoughtful professional development opportunities.…Read More

Investing in classroom collaboration tools? 3 things to know

Key points:

  • Flexibility and ease of use should be important parts of decision making
  • Meet today’s needs, but keep tomorrow’s needs in mind

Modern technological advancements affect virtually every area of daily life, and today’s educational institutions are looking to new digital tools to help improve student achievement and engagement while fostering collaborative learning environments for both in-person and remote learners.

To maximize a system’s effectiveness and ensure investments pay dividends for students and instructors, decision makers and school technology managers must maintain a strong understanding of all the available solutions, devices, and platforms that can meet their needs. While differences in location, age range, and budget naturally affect technology decisions and opportunities, there are several key factors central to any successful implementation.

Keep It Simple, Schools…Read More

What is computer science education lacking?

The evolving needs of the IT workforce are constantly discussed–even people who are far from it understand the constantly growing needs for computer science. And yet, U.S. high schools don’t consistently offer computer science education and IT classes.

Current situation

According to CSTA reports, a little over half (53 percent) of U.S. high schools offer a single computer science course–a fundamental subject critical to the nation’s economic and security health. Modest yet significant growth is being observed–in 2018 this index was 35 percent.…Read More