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.

4 simple ways to put the science of reading into practice

Key points:

In districts across the country, educators are continuing to support students with post-pandemic learning recovery. Many students are still reading below the level appropriate for their grade–roughly one-third of fourth graders in the United States read at or below what’s considered the basic level. And unfortunately, even before the pandemic, reading achievement has been low over the past several decades.

Districts incorporating the science of reading into their curricula are seeing improved student outcomes. However, because the science of reading refers to broad research in a variety of fields on how a child learns to read, practical applications have not yet been widely taught to educators and there is a sizeable gap between theory and action.…Read More

This heroic superintendent won’t quit in the pursuit of district excellence

The 2023 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards honors educators for their exemplary use of innovative edtech to support student learning. Profiled and interviewed here is winner Dr. Jesus Jara, superintendent of Clark County School District nominated by Edmentum.

Dr. Jesus Jara is a passionate educator who serves as Superintendent of Clark County School District (CCSD), the 5th largest school district in the nation educating more than 300,000 students – 64 percent of the student population in Nevada.

Since assuming the role of superintendent in 2018, Dr. Jara has been on a mission to move the district from pockets of excellence to an excellent school system, where every student can thrive. It was clear to Dr. Jara that, post-pandemic, his students were struggling.…Read More

And the winners of the 2023 K-12 Hero Awards are…

eSchool Media is pleased to announce the three winners of the 2023 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards, which honors educators for their exemplary use of innovative edtech to support student learning:

  • John Arthur, 6th grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Dr. Jesus Jara, superintendent of Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada
  • Tom Lamont, painting and design technology instructor at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT) in Massachusetts 

Winners were chosen for their commitment to education despite obstacles–including achievement gaps, teacher burnout, and funding–and their creativity and innovation in helping all students continue learning while ensuring students felt safe, empowered, and engaged.

Nominations were judged by a panel of education experts, including Laura Ascione, eSchool News editorial director, and Eileen Belastock, CETL, Belastock Consulting. …Read More

Clark County School District Gives Educators in 241 Elementary Schools Access to Lexia’s LETRS Professional Learning

BOSTON – Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada, has made Lexia LETRS ® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional learning programs available to most elementary schools in the district with a plan to continue expanding the program to additional elementary and early childhood teachers and administrators. Offered by Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group company, LETRS professional learning programs provide educators with the deep knowledge required to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading.

Developed by Dr. Louisa Moats and leaders in the field of literacy, the LETRS suite provides practical support with tools that are available 24/7—online and in print. It also offers professional learning sessions led by national LETRS experts. These sessions provide classroom application examples of the learnings and refine and extend participants’ understanding of the content. The LETRS suite consists of three professional learning programs:

· Lexia LETRS for Elementary Educators…Read More

Kindergarten class uses realistic dolls to teach sexual education

Last week, Shanghaiist posted pictures of young children learning about the human body by playing with dolls that feature very lifelike parts, including genitalia with pubic hair, reports the Huffington Post. According to ImagineChina, the agency that provided the images to the Huffington Post, the photos are from Yaolan Kindergarten, a school in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan province in central China. The pictures were taken in April. The dolls have, naturally, drawn criticism from some parents. “I am worried that it’s not good for the kids to know sexual knowledge so early,” one parent said, according to Shanghai Daily…

Click here for the full story

…Read More