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.

More than a passion project, literacy advocacy takes a village

Key points:

The most effective advocacy programs often begin with a personal passion to make a difference.

When former National School Library Program of the Year librarian Marge Cox retired, she began volunteering at Youth Haven, a shelter designed to help abused and neglected children and teens in Southwest Florida. “I got involved with Youth Haven after a former Collier County Public Schools employee contacted me and said Youth Haven needed my skill set,” Cox told me. “They had boxes of books that had been donated to them and wanted to create a library. I had retired at the end of the 2020 school year and had been praying for God to show me my next adventure.”…Read More

The Ohio Department of Education Creates a Credential for the State’s Early Learning Teachers

ATLANTA – Cox Campus, the online learning community of the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Education (DOE) to create a customized early learning credential to transform teaching practices and child literacy outcomes throughout Ohio.

“Our partnership with the Ohio Department of Education is a significant step toward providing early learning educators with free evidenced-based courses and resources that will help the teachers build a language-centered and culturally responsive foundation for every child,” said Dr. Ryan Lee-James, Chief Academic Officer of the Rollins Center. “Early learning teachers are among the first to plant the seed of literacy with our young children. This credential builds the knowledge, skills and agency each teacher needs to build relationships of care that make way for deep reading brain construction, paving the path to opportunity and a life of self-determination.”

Cox Campus will provide three levels of credentials for Ohio teachers: emergent literacy aware (5 hours), emergent literacy informed (10 hours) and emergent literacy competent (15 hours).…Read More

Cox Business Brings High Speed Fiber Connectivity to Historical Jamestowne Island To Provide Virtual Explorations of the James Fort and Archaearium

30,000 students from 175 schools in 27 states have experienced the immersive demonstration powered by the new optical fiber connectivity

ATLANTA and JAMESTOWN, Va., April 16, 2021 — England’s first permanent colony in North America, Historical Jamestowne Island, is modernizing with the help of Cox Business. The 411-year-old staple in American history now has high-speed, optical fiber internet, enhancing the visitor experience – both on-site and virtually.

Today, Historical Jamestowne Island and Cox Business will present a virtual trip for King’s Grant Elementary School from Virginia Beach, VA. In attendance and making remarks will be Congresswoman Elaine Luria, who represents Virginia’s second district, Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni and Virginia Chief Broadband Advisor Evan Feinman.…Read More

Can your internet service provider help close the digital divide?

Darriale Bradley and her family spent many nights in the parking lot of fast food restaurants, but not because of the food. It was for the wi-fi. For Darriale, sitting in the parking lot was the only way she could do her online homework since she didn’t have a home internet connection. No child should have to go to such lengths just to do homework, and every child should have easy and affordable access to the Internet and the opportunity that access brings. Yet, sadly, Darriale is far from alone.

The digital divide is a reality for three out of four American families, meaning approximately eight million individuals under the age of 18 are living without internet access. According to Pew Research, 79 percent of surveyed middle and high school teachers report allowing students to access homework online with 76 percent allowing students to submit assignments online. However, only 18 percent of teachers reported the majority of students have access to the digital tools they need at home, which left those students without access to broadband at a significant disadvantage.

So, where does this leave these students and their families? In short, without an Internet connection you are both economically and educationally marginalized. Luckily, this can be solved and we, at EveryoneOn, with the help of partners, are working to help families connect to the digital world.…Read More