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.

An alarming number of educators are jumping ship

Key points:

While finding their work meaningful, a majority of education professionals experience burnout above the national average, according to a recent study. In fact, more than 20 percent plan to switch to a related field and more than 30 percent look to change careers altogether. 

Soliant, a healthcare and educational staffing company, published the report to help the industry better understand and address educator burnout, staffing challenges, and opportunities facing U.S. schools. …Read More

How AI will be Used in Education

Key points:

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize education, offering personalized learning experiences, innovative content creation, and efficient administrative support. As technology advances, AI in education becomes increasingly pivotal, transforming traditional teaching methods and preparing students for the dynamic challenges of the future.

How is AI used in education?

While many may cite disadvantages of AI in education, AI is employed in various ways to enhance learning experiences, foster individualized instruction, and streamline administrative tasks. Personalized learning is a key application, as AI algorithms analyze students’ performance data to customize educational content, ensuring tailored approaches that cater to diverse learning styles. Intelligent tutoring systems leverage AI to provide real-time feedback and guidance, assisting students in grasping concepts at their own pace.…Read More

How Does AI Help Teachers?

Key points:

AI in education is revolutionizing learning by becoming an invaluable aid to teachers. Beyond automation, AI enhances teaching with personalized support, content creation, and data-driven insights. Explore how AI is transforming the role of educators, offering innovative tools that amplify teaching effectiveness and cater to individual student needs.

How can AI help teachers?

AI tools for teachers can extend crucial support, going beyond mere automation to revolutionize the education landscape. Personalized learning assistance is a key aspect, as AI analyzes individual student data to provide tailored content and insights into learning preferences, aiding teachers in adapting their methods to meet diverse needs.…Read More

Ed Tech Company SuperDville Awards Over $25,000 In Microgrants!

NEW YORK, NY – SuperDville is proud to announce the winners of it’s first  SEL for Students who Learn Differently Microgrant 2023. SuperDville is a mission driven woman and minority owned and operated company which produces a video based social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum designed to empower 7-13-year-olds with learning differences. www.superdville.com 

“The response was incredible. Everyone demonstrated a true need and presented creative ways to support or rethink their approach to social emotional learning.” “We received so many thoughtful entries that we couldn’t select just five awards, “so we ended up providing seven full site licenses!” “This is not a nice to have instruction, SuperDville is an absolute must-have instruction, which targets the one-in-five student with dyslexia or other learning differences. .”SuperDville CEO Peggy Stern said. 

The entries all demonstrated great promise for transforming the teaching and learning community in schools, which have been hit so hard throughout the pandemic. …Read More

Teachers want AI in education–but need more support

Key points:

The majority of teachers are enthusiastic and eager about the potential of AI in education and incorporating AI in the classroom, but remain unsure of where to start, according to a new study from Canva.

What is the importance of AI in education?

Teachers recognize the transformative potential of AI tools for education, but still need support and professional development to effectively incorporate it into their teaching practices.…Read More

EmpowerU Honors Exemplary School Partners for Outstanding Impact on Student Mental Health 

MINNEAPOLIS –  EmpowerU, a leading national provider of mental health skills and support for schools, recently recognized five school districts for their longstanding commitment to improving student resilience and mental health. The districts, based in Minnesota where EmpowerU was founded in 2018, each worked with EmpowerU for more than five years to deliver vital support to students, leading to a marked improvement in student well-being. 

“EmpowerU was launched as an effective way to deliver mental health services to young people,” said Katie Dorn, co-founder of EmpowerU. “I am beyond proud of the work we are accomplishing with our district partners who leverage their Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to positively impact students who are struggling with non-academic barriers to their success. We congratulate these five districts that are shining hometown examples of the potential of what we do.” 

The recognized districts were: …Read More

5 ways to teach and assess learning in the age of AI

Key points:

There is a lot of excitement surrounding ChatGPT, the cutting-edge chatbot powered by OpenAI. Some experts believe this new technology can have a positive impact on teaching and learning, while others fret it may weaken the teaching of critical thinking and increase bias by spreading misinformation about different groups and cultures.

While both can be true, it is up to educators to create classroom conditions for students to use ChatGPT and other AI tools in a responsible way. Educators can draw on their long practice of nurturing student agency and authentic engagement, as they have always done. This approach goes even further when combined with teaching global competencies such as appreciation for diversity, perspective-taking, and global engagement, empowering students to take ownership over their learning. Educators can even tap student enthusiasm for new technology by assigning–and assessing student learning using–multimedia projects.…Read More

6 ways to support multilingual learners in STEM

Key points:

STEM education brings benefits to all students, especially multilingual learners (MLs) whose primary language is not English.

STEM can help with English language development by allowing students to engage with language in a variety of ways. The hands-on nature of STEM learning also makes concepts and vocabulary easier to grasp, and makes learning fun. …Read More

Transitioning to a workload approach in K-12 special education

Key points:

A recent 2022 Schools Survey conducted by American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) revealed that 78 percent of clinical service providers rely on the caseload approach to determine the number of students they served. Traditionally, this caseload approach has revolved around the number of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), Multi-Tiered System of Support/Response to Intervention (MTSS/RTI) and 504 plans.

Special education providers continue to use the caseload approach to guide them in counting the number of students they are expected to provide services to. School district administrators typically use these numbers to determine how they will distribute staff across schools to meet service delivery needs.…Read More

Controversy on whether growth mindset works will strengthen the theory

Key points:

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

All too often, education research falls short of giving educators on-the-ground actionable advice. However, a recent controversy around Carol Dweck’s well-known growth mindset gives me hope that we can move forward with research that can better inform and support practitioners and students.…Read More