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.

6 trends to watch in K-12 schools in 2024

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

Key points:

As we move through the beginning of 2024, parent power, rethinking assessments, and career and technical education (CTE) for every student are some of the trends rippling through K-12 education. …Read More

Friday 5: K-12 computer science trends

Key points:

K-12 computer science is essential, not just for students who may pursue computer science or STEM fields in college or the workforce. Computer science principles give students critical computational thinking skills that will serve them in any career field or professional endeavor.

Let’s take a look at K-12 computer science trends and where computer science education is heading across the country:…Read More

How to help students build critical success skills

Key points:

This article was originally published by SREB and is reposted with permission.

Communication, teamwork and problem-solving are clear priorities among success skills that employers seek, according to a new report by the Southern Regional Education Board.  …Read More

Carolina Certified Version of OpenSciEd for Middle School Receives All-Green Rating from EdReports

BURLINGTON, NC – Leading school science supplier Carolina Biological Supply Company announced that its Certified Version of OpenSciEd for grades 6 to 8 received all-green ratings from non-profit EdReports. The organization provides free reports and reviews online that help K-12 educators evaluate math, language arts and science instructional materials because high-quality content matters to teachers, to kids, and to their collective future. The materials are rigorously evaluated for alignment to standards and usability by teams of educators. EdReports’ content reviewers consist of outstanding classroom educators, district coaches, and state content leaders who deeply understand college-and career-ready standards and the importance of high-quality instructional materials. Read the full report on EdReports.org.

            In simple terms, the all-green rating from EdReports means that the Carolina Certified Version of OpenSciEd meets expectations for all three categories of review: Designed for the Next Generation Science Standards* (NGSS); coherence and scope; and usability. It further demonstrates that the enhancements Carolina made to its version of the program also meet expectations for alignment and usability.

  “As a non-profit science developer, OpenSciEd intentionally created an open-source science curriculum so that teachers could edit and adapt and localize the content for their students,” said Jim Ryan, Executive Director of OpenSciEd. “By making the OpenSciEd for grades 6-8 curriculum easier to use last year, the Carolina Certified Version paved the way for teachers to make these changes, while maintaining the high quality of the instructional materials. Working with Carolina as a certified partner resulted in another excellent version of our curriculum.”…Read More

The exposure gap is blocking students’ ability to envision future careers

Key points:

Students have the aptitudes (or natural talents) for the nation’s most in-demand career fields –including healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and finance– but they are not inclined to pursue those occupations due to a profound lack of exposure, according to The 2024 State of the Future U.S. Workforce Report from tech provider YouScience, which aims to solve the skills gap crisis for students and employers.

The report includes analysis of anonymized data from more than 540,000 YouScience Aptitude & Career Discovery assessments completed by U.S. middle and high school students across all 50 states in 2023.…Read More

iCEV Recognizes Putnam County Schools as the District’s Student Becomes the 100,000th Certification Earner on the iCEV Testing Platform

Lubbock, TX – Putnam County Schools in Tennessee is recognized by iCEV, a leading producer of Career & Technical Education (CTE) curriculum, industry certification testing, and data management, for having the 100,000th certification earner on the iCEV Testing Platform.

Serving more than 12,000 students across 22 schools, Putnam County Schools has long been recognized as a leader in promoting equitable access to CTE programs and career opportunities. In Putnam County Schools, CTE courses are aligned to relevant industry certifications that will help earners begin successful careers.

“It’s important that we provide equal access to all of our students,” said Jaclyn Vester, CTE Program Director for Putnam County Schools. “We want to make sure all of our students are leaving with the tools they need to be college and career ready.”…Read More

Discovery Education Enhances K-12 Platform with New Games, Interactives, Career Resources, and More to Nurture Student Curiosity  

Charlotte, NC — Global edtech leader Discovery Education today announced the addition of new games, interactives, career resources and more to its award-winning K-12 learning platform, Discove ry Education Experience. This exciting new content nurtures student curiosity and supports educators’ efforts to engage all learners more deeply in instruction. 

Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education Experience is a powerful K-12 learning platform that facilitates engaging instruction in any environment. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day. Through expanded, lasting partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Brightspace, and Clever, integrating Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform into existing Information Technology architecture is easier than ever. 

Among the new resources now available for use in pre-Kindergarten to 2nd grade classrooms are: …Read More

The 5 best ways to celebrate CTE Month 2024

This post on CTE Month originally appeared on iCEV’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

Key points:

As a career and technical education (CTE) teacher, you know the importance of preparing students for the workforce–no matter which CTE career cluster or pathway they follow.…Read More

Analytics in Action

This special episode of Innovations in Education highlights details from the recent webinar Analytics in Action: Innovative Approaches to Attract, Engage, Grow and Retain Top Talent. Panelists Kevin Agnello, Product Manager, Human Capital Analytics – Frontline Education and Keegan Bassett, Director of Human Resources – Queen Creek Unified School District (AZ) share insights on using analytics unique to their district to optimize recruitment processes, enhance employee engagement, and implement analytics to identify and nurture the best candidates.

Frontline HCM, a connected human capital management suite, equips schools with everything needed to support the entire employee lifecycle from recruiting to retirement. Built exclusively for K-12 education, it includes applicant tracking with proactive recruiting capabilities, seamless onboarding, connected time tracking and absence management functionality, professional learning and evaluation tools, and the ability to oversee benefits, compensation, and position management with automated workflows across the suite. Designed around the unique needs of K-12 and flexible enough to support state and local regulations for time tracking, performance evaluation, and hiring practices, Frontline’s HCM suite brings greater efficiency, productivity, and performance to school districts so leaders have more time to focus on what will most support great teaching and student learning.

…Read More

Trends and challenges impacting CTE in 2024–and beyond

Key points:

In 2024, career and technical education (CTE) is not simply an alternative for students whose future plans don’t include college. It’s a fundamental part of the K-12 experience and a viable career pathway for many students.

CTE lets students understand the relevance of what they’re learning in school. It exposes them to career pathways they might not have known about otherwise. It prepares them for rich and rewarding careers in high-paying, high-demand jobs, whether they go on to attend college or not.…Read More

Pearson’s Connections Academy Partners with HOSA–Future Health Professionals to Engage and Connect Middle and High Schoolers Early to Healthcare Careers

Columbia, Md. –  Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L) and its  Connections Academy, the fully online public school program serving K-12 students for more than 20 years, announced today their partnership with  HOSA–Future Health Professionals, a career and technical student organization (CTSO), to connect middle and high school students to healthcare careers. Through the partnership, Connections Academy will introduce students to HOSA’s immersive experiences that will supercharge their explorations of hundreds of healthcare occupations. 

Students will get hands-on experience in the healthcare industry, learn about growing opportunities in healthcare careers, as well as meet like-minded students from across the globe. HOSA students develop the skills prioritized by employers, according to  Pearson’s Skills Outlook, in leadership, communication and teamwork, as well as technical skills related to specific healthcare careers. 

Their experience builds self-confidence, motivation, and enthusiasm for their future in healthcare through developing a professional network from HOSA’s collegiate and industry partners, alumni, and peers, and through participation in community service and the organization’s nearly 100 annual healthcare-related competitive events at the local, state and international levels. …Read More

Tennessee’s Hardeman County Schools Begin New Year with New Digital Resources Supporting College and Career Readiness 

Charlotte, NC —Tennessee’s Hardeman County Schools (HCS) today announced a new phase in its partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education that is bringing new digital resources to students districtwide. Thanks to this new collaboration, teachers and students across HCS will have access to a suite of award-winning digital products that prepare students for college and careers and nurture their inherent curiosity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and all other subjects. 

Located in Southwest Tennessee, HCS’s approximately 250 educators serve nearly 3,300 students daily, providing a high-quality education in a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment that builds foundations for lifelong learning. These foundations include academics, social emotional skills, technological competencies, and career awareness. 

To support this mission, HCS sought a suite of flexible, standards-aligned digital learning resources that were easy to integrate into instruction and had a proven record of engaging students in STEM education and stoking curiosity in all other subjects. Following a careful review of available resources, HCS selected the following products for use in district classrooms: …Read More