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.

eSchool News Live at Transfr XR Futures

AI isn’t the only acronym poised to create vast improvements in the way we teach and learn. Last month, eSchool attended “XR Training: The Next Frontier of Learning,” hosted by Transfr Inc. The event featured many speakers including CEO Bharani Rajakumar (pictured above), developers, and users in the corporate, not-for-profit, and government sectors that use simulation software to enhance job training programs. 

Conversations touched on a wide variety of topics from the distinctions of spatial computing, to how XR can reduce the skills gap, to how its application can become a powerful force in underserved communities. It was a great opportunity to listen to some of the leading experts in the field, get our chance to try the gear firsthand and hear how the tech is already impacting lives. Scroll down for some highlights of the sessions and some examples of the simulations in action.

Extended reality (XR) is considered a catch-all term for augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies. The technology intends to combine or mirror the physical world with a “digital twin world” able to interact with it, which gives users an immersive experience by being in a virtual or augmented environment.…Read More

Leadership coaching as a catalyst for change

Key points:

Education is the key to unlocking opportunities and breaking the cycle of inequality. Yet, education leaders working in underserved communities face a daunting task as they confront disparities that hinder students’ access to quality education. To address these challenges, leadership coaching has emerged as a valuable tool–it’s like a secret weapon to unleash the potential of these brave education superheroes! By providing targeted support, guidance, and professional development, coaching can empower education leaders to navigate the complexities and catalyze transformative change in underserved communities.

For instance, picture this: When I, the brave Head of The Science Department at St. Anthony Charter School, first stepped foot into the low-income neighborhood, I knew I had my work cut out for me. The school’s infrastructure was so ancient that even the dinosaurs would have felt nostalgic! Our budget was probably smaller than the average kid’s allowance for a week, and the students were facing academic challenges, making it feel like I needed a time machine to fix everything.…Read More

How managed services empower edtech in small schools

Key points:

The ever-present issue with technology is its inevitable obsolescence. No matter how groundbreaking an innovation may be, there always seems to be a superior alternative just a few steps away. This perpetual evolution presents a significant challenge for enterprises and large companies, forcing them into a costly predicament. For smaller companies operating on limited budgets, keeping pace with technology often necessitates making sacrifices elsewhere. This is where the concept of managed services proves invaluable.

Similarly, many not-for-profit organizations, like school districts, can’t afford to stay on top of the latest technologies. Even before a fiscal year starts, administrators have already earmarked the district’s limited funding for necessities like operation budgets, salaries, and health and nutrition programs.…Read More

NWEA to Explore New Science Experiences for Students on Roblox

PORTLAND, Ore.–  NWEA – a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students – announced today its new initiative focused on collaborative and immersive education opportunities on  Roblox – a global platform bringing millions of people together through shared experiences. Utilizing a  Roblox Community Fund  grant, the organization will explore innovative ways to use 3D immersive experiences to engage students in the study of science and assess their achievements in the subject.

While assessments are vital in traditional coursework, the results only demonstrate one small piece of a larger puzzle of what students know and are capable of achieving. Current assessments often leave out non-academic skills like student-decision making or progress toward reaching a goal. This is especially true when exploring  Next Generation Science Standards.

“This collaboration allows us to explore science as a verb by looking at how students engage in solving science instead of science as a noun,” said Dr. Abby Andres, Vice President of the Future Impact and Growth team at NWEA. “We’re excited to create high quality science experiences that can lead to new (and richer) data, new measurement opportunities that are both academic and non-academic, and ultimately better insights for teachers.”…Read More

How are ELLs, students with disabilities IDed for gifted and talented?

States with formal policies around gifted and talented programs tend to identify more English learners and students with disabilities for those programs, according to a new study from NWEA, a not-for-profit research and educational services organization serving K-12 students.

The study uses data from the 2017-2018 Civil Rights Data Collection, the Stanford Education Data Archive, and the researchers’ own coding of individual states’ policies toward gifted and talented education.

A number of key themes emerged:…Read More

HMH to Acquire NWEA

Boston and Portland, Ore.—Learning technology company  HMH and  NWEA, a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students, announced today they have signed an agreement for HMH to acquire NWEA. Upon closing, NWEA will operate as a division of HMH, with its current offerings, including its flagship assessment—MAP Growth—remaining under the NWEA brand. NWEA assessment solutions will be integrated with HMH curriculum on HMH’s platform to create a combined offering that links interim assessment to instruction. HMH is a portfolio company of Veritas Capital, a private investment firm that focuses on companies that provide technology and technology-enabled solutions to government and commercial customers worldwide.

By combining NWEA’s assessments with HMH’s curriculum, HMH is expected to deliver a holistic solution for educators that helps them understand how students are growing academically and what areas need the most focus to maximize that growth. Most importantly, this solution will turn insights from assessments into content recommendations that help teachers address student-specific skill gaps and advance student learning.

“We are thrilled at the potential this acquisition brings for K-12 educators, at a time when the connection between instruction and assessment is increasingly critical for student success,” said Jack Lynch, CEO of HMH. “HMH and NWEA have great alignment in mission and long-term vision and share the collective belief in the transformative power of education. Both teams are deeply focused on helping all children learn and serve millions of K-12 educators and students across the globe.”…Read More

NWEA Shares Progress on Using AI to Identify and Remove Barriers Within Mathematics for Students with Visual Impairment

Portland, OR –   NWEA, a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students, today announced progress it has made toward creating an accessible and equitable math assessment for middle school students with visual impairments.

Last October, NWEA was awarded an  AI for Accessibility grant from Microsoft. The project, led by research manager, Dr. Elizabeth Barker, in collaboration with  Perkins Access  Digital Accessibility Consulting, the Governor Morehead School, and two key local experts: Sonja Steinbach, a math educator who works with students with visual impairments, and Neil Soiffer, an accessibility mathematics developer, aimed to create accessible assessment formats. NWEA has chosen to tackle this important challenge, wanting to ensure students with visual impairments benefit from accessible math and have equal opportunities in their studies.

Seventy-five percent of students who are blind or low vision are at  least one grade behind their peers. This is due to many access barriers that contribute to the lack of accessible math education. Classroom materials are not always adapted to formats such as braille, large print, materials suitable for a screen reader, auditory input, or a combination of these designs. Creating accessible formats for students with visual impairments is important for their learning and success, which is why NWEA is committed to addressing such barriers through the work of this grant.…Read More

North Carolina Education Corps and Littera Education Partner to Improve Reading Achievement for North Carolina K-3 Students

New York — The North Carolina Education Corps (NCEC) will partner with Littera Education to support and improve reading outcomes for thousands of North Carolina students who need to get back on track after more than two years of learning interruptions.

Launched as a joint project of the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Office of the Governor as a response to the pandemic, NCEC now works with state-level agencies and local school districts as an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit to recruit, train and support part-time literacy tutors. This year, Corps members will deliver high-impact tutoring to K-3 students in over 30 districts and charter organizations throughout North Carolina.

The partnership with Littera will give NCEC unmatched ability to track and assess the instruction. Littera’s Academic Support Platform simplifies scheduling and matching tutors with students; it also enables easy data aggregation, including what skills students covered and the length of sessions. A new mobile app allows tutors to instantly log feedback and session data from their phones, giving program coordinators continuous feedback as they support over 500 Corps members serving students across the state.…Read More

New Partnership Provides Texas Educators Easy Access to Critical Data

Portland, Ore., June 7, 2022 — NWEA — the not-for-profit, research and educational services provider serving K-12 students — in collaboration with the Region 7 Education Service Center (ESC 7) announced today a new partnership to better serve districts.  As a part of this initiative, MAP Growth data will transfer seamlessly into DMAC, enhancing this valuable tool used by Texas educators by providing quicker access to student data that supports instruction and student achievement.

The partnership was formed out of discussions around the need for a screener, used to determine which students may be struggling in a particular topic, across their 100 plus districts and, charter organizations.  MAP Growth (an interim assessment. which can measure academic growth and predicts performance on the annual STAAR state assessments) was selected, in part, due to its reliability and validity.  The rich data provided by MAP Growth allows districts to streamline their assessment programs, saving valuable time for instruction. Currently, this new integration is available to all ESC 7 districts who use NWEA MAP Growth assessments.

“We’re excited to have MAP Growth available for ESC 7 districts.  Our partnership will provide timely access to reliable data,” said Raquel Hamons, Senior Account Executive at NWEA serving Region 7. “We know there will be better outcomes for students when educators ground their decisions in high quality data and implement them with fidelity.”…Read More

Latest NWEA Research Shows K12 Educational Gaps Still Wide, but Show Signs of Stabilizing

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —  NWEA — a not-for-profit, research and educational services provider serving K-12 students — today released  new research that illustrates the scale and disproportionate nature of the disruption in student learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The research,  Learning during COVID-19: An update on student achievement and growth at the start of the 2021-22 school year, is the third in a series of research briefs by NWEA focused on understanding how the pandemic has affected student reading and mathematics outcomes.

The research examined   MAP Growth assessment scores from six million U.S. public school students in grades 3-8 from fall 2021 compared to students in the same grade in fall of 2019, the last quarter unaffected by COVID-19. The research found evidence of significant levels of unfinished learning, particularly in math, however, gaps between current achievement and pre-pandemic achievement have not increased since the end of 2020-21, which may indicate the impacts of the pandemic are stabilizing. 

Key findings include: …Read More

Lexia Learning Wins Gold Stevie Award in 2021 American Business Awards

BOSTON (May 13, 2021) – Rosetta Stone® English from Lexia Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the ELL/World Language Acquisition Instructional Solution category in The 19th Annual American Business Awards®.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Nicknamed the Steviesfor the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be virtually presented to winners during a live event on Wednesday, June 30.

More than 3,800 nominations – a record number – from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories. Rosetta Stone English was nominated for a Stevie Award in the Education and Education Technology category group.…Read More

National Study Shows Online Literacy Engagement Minimizes COVID Slide

A real-time national education study of more than one million students by two leading not-for-profit education groups has found that continued engagement with technology-enabled instruction during COVID-19 school closures has significantly reduced students’ loss of potential reading growth. The Successful Practices Network (SPN) and the Center for College and Career Readiness (CCCR) released these findings today, which are some of the very first published results using current data of students’ learning from Fall 2020. Recommendations to help educators accelerate learning are also included in the new study.

This unique analysis draws its finding from actual usage and performance data for students using Achieve3000 Literacy™ before and after schools closed on March 11 through September 30, 2020. Data for more than 1 million students using Achieve3000 Literacy, an online solution for differentiated and personalized literacy instruction in Grades 2-12, during the 2019 and 2020 school years, demonstrates:

Students Lost Only 12% of Potential Learning Gains…Read More