MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Capstone, an innovative learning company merging children’s content with easy-to-use edtech tools for K-5 classrooms, libraries, and homes, has named Haygood Poundstone as Chief Revenue Officer. Poundstone brings over 20 years of experience in the edtech market in business development, revenue growth, sales strategies, and operations management to this newly created role at Capstone. Poundstone will oversee Capstone’s revenue generating sales including direct to schools, library, distribution, trade, and international business units in executing the publisher’s growth strategy.

Throughout his career, Poundstone has led top-tier sales teams to drive organizational revenue, performance, and profit. Most recently, he served as the Area Vice President of the East at Renaissance Learning where he led a large team of regional vice presidents, sales leaders, and direct sales professionals to reach aggressive goals.

After six years away, Poundstone rejoins Capstone where he was one of the founding employees of its business unit myON. Prior to his time at Capstone, Poundstone held a variety of leadership positions at Lightspan and PLATO (now Edmentum).

“We’re thrilled to welcome Haygood back to Capstone. He is a visionary leader with a commitment to leveraging technology and learning resources to enhance the lives of children. His insights and strategic thinking will be invaluable as we continue to expand our reach and impact at Capstone,” said Randi Economou, Capstone CEO. “Beyond his professional accomplishments, Haygood is known for his people focused leadership style. He believes in fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment, where every team member is valued and empowered. His dedication to nurturing talent and cultivating a culture of excellence will propel Capstone forward.”

“Inspiring successful and engaging learning experiences is at the heart of Capstone. That resonates strongly with me and reflects both the value Capstone brings to schools and industry partners as well as the motivation and passion of the entire Sales team. I’m looking forward to leading the effort to expand Capstone’s reach as we share the good news about what Capstone can help educators accomplish and learners can achieve,” said Poundstone.

Poundstone earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at Auburn University at Montgomery where he was an active member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Lambda Chi Alpha.

Poundstone began his new position on November 13 and reports directly to the Capstone CEO.

About Capstone

Capstone is the nation’s leading educational publisher of K-5 digital solutions, children’s books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at-home reading. Through print books, interactive eBooks, or the curriculum-connected learning tool PebbleGo, Capstone has a passion for inspiring students to learn and their communities to thrive. As a publisher of content for children, Capstone embraces the responsibility to celebrate and share the diverse voices and perspectives of our readers and communities. Capstone supports great teaching and learning with engaging content that values the work that educators do every day—helping students succeed. CapstonePub.com #LearningIsForEveryone  

Chicago, IL – Acceleration Academies, the nation’s leading provider of tech-enabled flexible education, announced today that Kelli Campbell will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer to accelerate growth and broaden impact to school districts and students.

Campbell spent 17 years at Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 school districts, and most recently served as President of the company. As a career EdTech executive, she brings a demonstrated history of success leading the sales and marketing, product development and operations functions for pioneering educational technology organizations. 

“After thorough succession planning and a comprehensive search process, the board is pleased to have found the best individual to take Acceleration Academies into its next stage of growth and expansion,” said Steve King, co-founder of Daniels & King Ventures, the main funding source for Acceleration Academies. “Kelli has a track record of strong leadership in the EdTech industry, established relationships with K-12 school districts, and success in private equity value creation. We are confident that Kelli is the right leader to accelerate the company’s growth opportunities.”

The change in leadership comes as Acceleration Academies is rapidly expanding its school district partnerships nationwide to provide a flexible, supportive and personalized program for students who are not experiencing success in a traditional high school.

“As our organization has matured and we are serving a record number of students, we are excited to welcome additional leadership expertise to help us reach the next level. We must support our accelerated growth so that we can serve more students and school districts, while maintaining the efficacy and integrity of our model,” states current CEO and co-founder Steve Campbell.

Co-founders Steve Campbell and Dr. Joseph Wise will remain actively involved in the business.

“Acceleration Academies is an extraordinary company that is positively impacting the lives of young adults who struggle in a traditional school setting,” said Kelli Campbell, Acceleration Academies’ incoming CEO. “Throughout my career I have championed equity in education. Acceleration Academies provides the necessary supports to help remove obstacles so that students can not only graduate from high school but be prepared for post-secondary and job success. I am tremendously excited for the opportunity to support the mission and help expand the number of students that we serve.”

About Acceleration Academies

Founded in 2014, Acceleration Academies is a national leader in re-engaging young adults not experiencing success in a traditional high school setting. We partner with school districts across the U.S. to offer dropout recovery and re-engagement services, credit recovery and a flexible, personalized alternative for students (and former students) to earn a customary district issued high school diploma. Our hybrid learning model and Cognia-accredited web-based curriculum allows students to receive in-person support at academy locations and work online anytime from anywhere. Students receive a dedicated social and emotional support system to remove impediments that have caused them to struggle in a traditional setting. Currently, Acceleration Academies has more than 5,000 students enrolled in 19 academies in seven states.

For more information visit: accelerationacademies.org

Rise Vision, the #1 digital signage software, is excited to announce the release of its newest case study featuring Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204 (CUSD 204). Indian Prairie CUSD 204, a large school district in Illinois, uses Rise Vision to bolster its school communication strategy and increase student engagement. This case study highlights how Indian Prairie has successfully implemented digital signage to communicate with its student body population.

Efficient communication to reach students effectively and engage them in critical announcements, events, and activities is a challenge in any school – but it’s even more challenging in a large school district with over 34 sites. Digital signage is a tool that makes disseminating information across any sized campus simple. Brian Grinstead, the Director of Technical Support Services, was looking for a cost-effective, user-friendly, and feature-rich solution to meet their evolving needs.

Indian Prairie CUSD 204 is a large, one-to-one school district with over 26,00 students and a significant number of devices to manage. Brian needed to ensure that the digital signage solution the district implemented wouldn’t be a burden on his team. Implementing digital signage through Rise Vision was a solution that didn’t require extensive management from the technology department and could be handled by the individual schools after the initial deployment was completed.

One notable aspect of the implementation was the seamless transition from the previous digital signage solution to Rise Vision. Brian Grinstead said, “The deployment was remarkably smooth, requiring minimal time and effort.”

This large school district has leveraged Rise Vision’s capabilities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its digital signage. While they have currently deployed Rise Vision in their four high schools, Brian commented that they would be extending digital signage to their middle and elementary schools in the future.

“Indian Prairie is a great testament to our goal of being simple to deploy and easy to use,” remarked Brian Loosbrock, CEO of Rise Vision, “The district needed a solution they could deploy and scale but that wouldn’t be a burden to their technology team.”

For more information about Rise Vision and how it can revolutionize communication within school, visit the company’s website.

ABOUT RISE VISION

Rise Vision is the #1 digital signage software solution for schools. Rise Vision helps schools improve communication, increase student involvement, celebrate student achievements, and create a positive school culture.

FALL RIVER – Fall River Public Schools announced an innovative new partnership with Ignite Reading to deliver virtual, one-to-one literacy tutoring for 300 first grade students in six schools this fall. Nationally, Ignite Reading’s students have recorded an average of over two weeks of reading progress per week, with no achievement gap for students of color, students with IEPs, multilingual learners, or students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. 

Ignite Reading officials joined Fall River leaders and students at Mary L. Fonseca Elementary today to showcase the nationally recognized program. The demonstration was followed by a Q&A session. Ignite Reading is now serving students in 60 schools across the commonwealth. 

“We’re thrilled to announce a new innovative collaboration with Ignite Reading. Given how participating students have bolstered their foundational reading skills in Massachusetts and nationally with Ignite Reading, we are optimistic that this program will supercharge literacy progress in Fall River,” said Stephanie Kennedy, Director of English Language Arts K-12 of Fall River Public Schools.

“Partnering with Ignite Reading has given us the opportunity to provide high-dose tutoring to our students in a way that would not otherwise be possible,” said Dr. Tracy Curley, Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer of Fall River Public Schools.

Ignite Reading pairs students with expert tutors who deliver daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction to help them master the key foundational skills that equip them to become independent readers.The one-to-one virtual program is seamlessly integrated into the school day and takes the burden off teachers by providing individualized instruction for every student. 

The company is now teaching thousands of students to read across eight states with further plans to expand nationwide. In addition to Massachusetts, Ignite Reading is partnering with schools and districts to serve thousands of students in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, and Oregon this fall.

“We’re excited to expand our collaboration with Fall River schools to equip hundreds of local students with enhanced literacy skills. Through Ignite Reading’s one-to-one tutoring model,  students nationwide are surpassing expected benchmarks, achieving more than two weeks of reading progress for every week in the program. In addition to improved literacy, we’re also witnessing a significant and positive social-emotional impact. It’s a privilege to serve Fall River’s exceptional students, families, and educational institutions,” said Jessica Reid Sliwerski, Founder & CEO of Ignite Reading.

About Ignite Reading 

Ignite Reading’s mission is to ensure that every student is a confident, independent reader by the end of first grade. The organization was co-founded by CEO Jessica Reid Sliwerski and Evan Marwell, Executive Chairman of Ignite and CEO of EducationSuperHighway. Ignite Reading pairs schools with a dedicated literacy specialist and a team of virtual reading tutors, all highly trained in the Science of Reading, who deliver 1:1 daily instruction to students focused on their specific decoding gaps. Ignite’s data-driven approach, provided by caring and skilled tutors, gives kids the know-how and confidence they need to thrive as fluent readers. The Ignite Reading program, delivered 15 minutes per day during a school’s literacy block, takes the burden of differentiated instruction off of teachers and has an impact immediately. For more information about Ignite Reading, visit: www.ignite-reading.com

About Fall River Public Schools

As an urban Gateway district in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the student population of the Fall River Public Schools (FRPS) is ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. Of the 10,987 scholars in Fall River Public Schools, 86% of students are identified as High Needs.  Of all students, 23.1% are English learners, 25.9% are students with disabilities, and 79.9% percent are economically disadvantaged.  Our student population is 44.1% white, 31.8% Hispanic, 11.9% African American,  8.7% multi-race/non-Hispanic, 3.3% Asian, and 0.2% Native American.

CALGARY, AB – SMART Technologies is proud to announce the launch of the company’s latest innovation for education: the SMART Board® RX series. This revolutionary display is designed with accessibility in mind and provides teachers with the tools they need to make learning more engaging for students, while saving precious time for teachers, too. This performance display comes with optically bonded glass and a multi-color stylus for an effortless inking experience, as well as leading student device integration, putting it in a category of its own.  

At the heart of the SMART Board RX series are the features and functionality, purposefully designed to help make classroom time higher quality time and engage all students in inclusive and accessible learning experiences. Most notably, the RX series comes with SMART’s exclusive Tool Explorer® technology that enables all students – including those with diverse learning needs – to actively engage with content and easily communicate with their peers and teachers.  

Tool Explorer digitally recognizes blocks that come in pre-programmed sets with images such as emojis that can help enable social and emotional learning. The blocks are also programmable, giving teachers or students the ability to program any image onto a block.  Tool Explorer provides a unique way for students to communicate and participate – including those students who are non-verbal, those who struggle to hold a pen or to write, and those who require or simply prefer different methods of communication. Tool Explorer is only available with the SMART Board RX series.  

The SMART Board RX series is Google EDLA certified, giving users native access to the Google Play store, Google Classroom, Chrome Browser, and other Google services so that teachers can have all their favorite apps at their fingertips. It comes with a completely refreshed embedded experience – iQ 4.0. The new version of iQ is designed to simplify workflows for teachers and make lessons engaging for students. 

The RX series also includes SMART’s exclusive ability for continuous differentiation of all interaction types, which enables multiple users to intuitively write, erase, and touch at the same time, without interfering in each other’s work for a truly collaborative experience. 

“The SMART Board RX series represents a major leap forward in classroom technology,” said Nicholas Svensson, CEO of SMART Technologies. “Our goal was not just to create another interactive display but rather an investment that helps to create inclusive, accessible classrooms that will stand the test of time.” 

The SMART Board RX series offers an array of features, including:  

• Android 13 for enhanced security and smooth performance, with expandable storage up to 576GB. 
• Optically bonded glass which provides a smooth, precise inking experience and unmatched viewing clarity. 
• Simultaneous Tool Differentiation so multiple students can intuitively collaborate at the display together.  
• An all-new multi-color LED stylus for easier color switching and simple, intuitive inking with color built right into the pen.  
• NFC and QR code-based sign-in with one-click sign-out for added security and convenience. 
• Integrated sound bar with two 20W speakers and a 15W subwoofer. 
• New environmental and air quality sensors including a particulate matter sensor and volatile organic compounds sensor. 
• All the software educators need, for free. 

The SMART Board RX is designed to serve districts for years to come. The RX series has an energy-efficient design that is designed to be a sound investment for many years. Automatic over-the-air updates keep customers up to date with new features, patches, and operating system upgrades—keeping pace with market trends and new options and features without spending budget on a new display. Schools and districts can get more out of their technology investment and continue to deliver high-quality learning experiences for years to come. 

About SMART Technologies ULC  

SMART isn’t just a leading tech company, but a connections company working tirelessly to create and advance technology that helps teachers, learners, businesses, and teams make meaningful connections every single day. The original SMART Board® launched in 1991, and has continued to innovate through Lumio, an award-winning cloud-based learning software. With a full range of products, including an impressive selection of easy-to-use interactive displays used by millions of businesses, educators and students around the world, SMART creates connections that matter. To learn more, visit www.smarttech.com. 

Malvern, Pa. and Bloomington, Minn. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Frontline Education, a leading provider of administration software purpose-built for educators in K-12, and Vanco, a leading solution for event planning, ticketing, fundraising and patron engagement, today announced an exclusive partnership that provides K-12 school districts with a seamless and secure way to sell tickets and manage registrations for school events, at no cost to the school districts.  

Vanco is a trusted provider of payment solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of K-12 schools and districts. With a focus on secure, efficient payment processing, Vanco enables educational organizations to streamline financial operations and improve the overall experience for families. Adding Vanco’s secure payment processing platform to Frontline’s comprehensive suite of solutions provides K-12 districts nationwide a powerful set of financial and business management capabilities.

“Our Vanco partnership brings K-12 school districts a secure payments solution for effortlessly administering events and transactions,” said Mark Friedman, Chief Marketing Officer at Frontline Education. “It’s exciting to empower schools to create memorable experiences for the communities they serve.”

Key benefits of the partnership include:

• Efficient Payment Processing: The solution streamlines payment processing, enabling districts to securely manage event transactions, including fees, donations, and registrations, in an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• Real-time Financial Insights: Districts will have access to advanced reporting and analytics, providing administrators with valuable insights to make informed financial decisions.
• Enhanced Security and Compliance: Vanco’s offering ensures that all financial transactions are conducted in a secure and compliant manner, providing peace of mind to districts and families alike.
• Seamless User Experience: The solution provides a seamless experience for end-users, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and reducing administrative overhead.

“Our collaboration with Frontline Education will bring our innovative, state-of-the-art event management platform to a broader audience, creating a synergy that will benefit both organizations and, more importantly, our customers – schools, parents and students,” said Faton Gjuka, Chief Revenue Officer at Vanco. 

For more information on the Frontline and Vanco partnership, or to start benefiting from the offering, please visit  here.

About Frontline

Frontline Education is a leading provider of school administration software, connecting solutions for student and special programs, business operations and human capital management with powerful analytics to empower educators. Frontline partners with school systems to deliver tools, data and insights that support greater efficiency and productivity, enabling school leaders to spend more time and resources executing strategies that drive educator effectiveness, student success and district excellence.

Frontline’s broad portfolio includes solutions for proactive recruiting and hiring, absence and time management, professional growth, student information systems, special education, special programs, Medicaid reimbursement, school health management, inventory control and asset management, payroll, benefits and financial management, and analytics solutions that help district leaders tap into their data to make more informed decisions for the benefit of their students and communities. Over 10,000 clients representing millions of educators, administrators and support personnel have partnered with Frontline Education in their efforts to develop the next generation of learners.

About Vanco 

Based in Bloomington, MN and Atlanta, GA, Vanco is the approachable, community-focused financial technology leader. Over 45,000 churches, schools, and community organizations trust Vanco to transform their giving, payment, and financial management experience so they can serve and inspire their communities to build a better tomorrow. Visit vancopayments.com to learn more.  

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — October historically has been a month of notable volatility in the stock market, with historic crashes like the 1929 Great Depression and Black Monday in 1987. These events have given rise to a sense of “Octoberphobia” among some investors. Lessons on these events and others are included in Common Sense Economics from Poptential, a comprehensive and free high school digital curriculum. Click to tweet.

“It’s never too early for teachers to engage students in discussions about the history of the stock market, its impact on economic growth or decline, and how it can potentially empower students to invest in their own futures,” said Julie Smitherman, a former social studies teacher and director of content at Certell, Inc., the nonprofit behind Poptential.

Poptential course packages boost student engagement by using a variety of pop culture media to illustrate concepts, including those taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late-night shows, and other sources. Lessons on the history of the stock market and how to invest in stocks are covered in the new 2023 Poptential Common Sense Economics e-book, including:

Investing for the future: Students can learn about the two broad categories of equity mutual funds—managed and indexed funds—in a chapter on investing. The material covers how a diverse holding of stocks over the long term can mitigate risk and offer attractive returns. This underscores the wisdom of using stock market investments as a retirement strategy.

The stock market is for small investors too: The Poptential November 15 Bell Ringer showcases that Investing in the stock market need not be intimidating. Investing in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offers individuals a pathway to participate in the stock market. A video clip explains the difference between these two investment vehicles.

Understanding stock market crashes: Poptential’s October 19 Bell Ringer explains how companies raise capital by selling stock and underscores that owning a company’s stock allows individuals to participate in the performance of that company, whether positive or negative. A video clip delves into historical market crashes, including their role in the 1929 Great Depression and the global recession of 2008.

Professionals profiting from market collapses: Throughout history, astute investment professionals have capitalized on market crashes. Those who can gauge the fragility of the financial markets and trade accordingly can profit from market downturns. This video clip from the movie “The Big Short,” featured in the Poptential March 16 Bell Ringer, highlights how investment professionals try to predict market swings and discuss strategies for profiting from market downturns.

Poptential course packages include everything instructors need to teach a subject, including lessons, e-books, bell ringers, quizzes, and tests. The curriculum is standards-based and developed by teachers.

Poptential is available via a digital platform that allows students to access lessons even in poor bandwidth environments. Course packages in American History, World History, U.S. Government/Civics, and Economics are available free at www.poptential.org.

About Certell, Inc.

Certell is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering a generation of independent thinkers. With over 100,000 users across the United States, Certell’s Poptential family of free social studies courses has garnered numerous awards, including recognition from EdTech Digest Awards, Tech&Learning, Tech Edvocate Awards, the National Association of Economics Educators, and Civvys Awards. For more information about Poptential and Certell’s mission, please visit www.poptential.org.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Tynker, the leading game-based coding platform that has engaged over 100 million kids, proudly introduces “Tynker Copilot.” Leveraging the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), Tynker Copilot empowers young innovators aged 6-12. It provides a seamless interface for these budding developers to transform their ideas into visual block code for apps and games. Additionally, when exploring existing projects, kids benefit from the tool’s ability to explain block code fragments, ensuring a deeper understanding. Tynker Copilot allows children to build confidence as they work with AI, laying a solid foundation for their future. With this launch, coding education takes a significant leap forward.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have excelled in text-based programming languages like Python and JavaScript. However, their application to visual block coding, the primary introduction to programming for many kids, had yet to be explored. Tynker is the first to bridge this gap. Our latest integration lets children quickly convert their ideas into block code, streamlining their initial coding experience.

Tynker introduction of the Copilot feature marks a significant industry milestone. Until now, the capabilities of LLMs have not been fully utilized for the younger age group. Tynker Copilot empowers children as young as 6 to input text commands like “Design a space-themed knock-knock joke” or “Teach me how to build a Fruit-ninja style game” and receive block code outputs with step-by-step instructions. Moreover, when debugging existing projects, students can submit block-code snippets and benefit from LLM-generated natural language explanations.

“Our ethos at Tynker is grounded in innovation and breaking boundaries,” stated Srinivas Mandyam, CEO of Tynker. “We’re exhilarated to channel the latest advancements in AI technology to serve our youngest learners, fostering an environment of curiosity and growth. While the potential for such a tool is vast, our prime objective remains to employ it as an empowering educational aid, not a shortcut.”

Developing Tynker Copilot posed challenges distinct from standard LLMs, which typically handle text-based code. Our focus was visual block coding tailored to kids’ unique programming preferences. With insights from millions of submissions in Tynker’s repository, ranging from pet dress-up games to platformer adventures and Minecraft mods, we fine-tuned Llama2. This rich, child-centric data helped us adapt the model to generate visual block coding programs, making Tynker Copilot a specialized tool designed around the creative tendencies of young coders.

“Bringing LLMs into Tynker’s dynamic visual block coding ecosystem presented unique challenges,” commented Kelvin Chong, CTO of Tynker. “We fine-tuned Llama2 with AI and ML techniques to align with young coders, supporting parallel scripts, visual actors, and kid-centric features such as Physics, AR, sound effects, and Minecraft modding. As coders grow, they’re naturally transitioned towards Python.”

All educators and home users will be notified when this innovative feature becomes generally available in the product. In the meantime, for more insights into its capabilities and to view examples of its potential use, visit the  Tynker blog

About Tynker

Tynker is a leading K-12 creative coding platform that empowers children worldwide to develop coding skills for designing animations, games, and a wide range of real-world applications. With a focus on critical thinking and problem-solving, Tynker’s acclaimed curriculum is used by 1 in 3 U.S. K-8 schools, 150,000 schools globally, and over 100 million kids across 150 countries. Partners include renowned brands like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and NASA. Accessible on computers and mobile apps, Tynker offers free and paid subscriptions. In 2021, Tynker was acquired by BYJU’S, the world’s largest edtech company. For more info, visit  www.tynker.com.

Washington, D.C. — Today, SETDA is pleased to announce the release of a cybersecurity resource focused on small, rural, and under-resourced districts. Developed by SETDA’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Collaborative—an active professional learning community consisting of state edtech leaders, affiliates, and corporate members—this resource is designed to identify essential resources, assess state-level K-12 cybersecurity advocacy initiatives, and craft policy recommendations to enhance cybersecurity readiness within these districts. 

In collaboration with Microsoft and the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX), this initiative underscores SETDA’s commitment to providing essential tools and guidance to support state educational agencies.

The publication, titled Small Districts, Big Hurdles: Cybersecurity Support for Small, Rural, and Under-resourced Districts, offers details on how state agencies and other support organizations are empowering their smallest districts to secure their data and networks. From detailing various funding sources to providing insights into statewide and regional partnerships and offering practical examples of cybersecurity training, the document is a must-read for everyone involved in helping districts improve their cybersecurity posture. It is the newest addition to SETDA’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Collection, available for access in their OER Commons site.

“As technology continues to reshape education, ensuring the safety and security of students’ data and school networks has never been more crucial. This publication is a testament to SETDA’s dedication to supporting state education agencies’ technology initiatives and equips state edtech leaders with the resources and tools needed to guide districts, especially those facing the greatest challenges,” said Julia Fallon, Executive Director, SETDA. “The Cybersecurity & Privacy Collaborative hopes that this document will help prevent breaches of student and educator data while offering strategies to support and improve cybersecurity readiness for small and rural schools.”

“The human impact of breaches is greater than lost time and money for districts, with potential life-long consequences for young people whose data may be compromised. Microsoft is committed to increasing access to cybersecurity tools to help schools address this challenge. I commend SEDTA for this focus on small, rural, and under-resourced districts ensuring that all students—regardless of location or context—can learn in safe and secure environments,” said Paige Johnson, Vice President Education Marketing, Microsoft.

About SETDA
SETDA is the principal association representing U.S. state and territorial educational technology and digital learning leaders. Through a broad array of programs and advocacy, SETDA builds member capacity and engages partners to empower the education community in leveraging technology for learning, teaching, and school operations. For more information, please visit www.setda.org.

BEAVERTON, Oregon — Vernier Science Education recently launched new resources to help science and STEM educators leverage the two upcoming eclipses—the “Ring of Fire” annular eclipse on October 14, 2023 and the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024—to create engaging learning experiences for students. In addition to sharing tips and best practices for collecting data during the celestial events, the company is offering certified eclipse viewing glasses so educators and students alike can safely observe the eclipses taking place.    

“The eclipses provide a perfect—and rare—opportunity for educators to teach students of all ages about real-world, scientific concepts related to light, temperature, electromagnetic radiation, and more,” said David Vernier, Co-Founder of Vernier Science Education. “During the eclipses, educators and students can use our glasses to observe the moon pass between the sun and earth, and they can use our technology to collect data and better understand what is happening in the world around them.”

The CE-certified eclipse viewing glasses can be purchased in class packs of 50 glasses (EC-GL50) on the Vernier website for $25.

Vernier Science Education is offering an array of helpful tips on how to collect data during the eclipse. This includes information on how to use applicable sensors, such as the wireless Go Direct^® Light and Color Sensor, Go Direct Weather System, Go Direct PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) Sensor, Go Direct Pyranometer, and Go Direct Surface Temperature Sensor, as well as a number of wired sensors designed specifically for the LabQuest^® interface.

Educators are encouraged to share data and pictures from their eclipse experiences on social media using the hashtag #VernierEclipse.

Educators can also access a compilation of reference materials about the eclipse from respected organizations such as NSTA and NASA, as well as safety recommendations and more on the Vernier Science Education website.

To learn more about eclipse resources from Vernier Science Education, visit https://www.vernier.com/eclipse.

About Vernier Science Education

For more than 40 years, Vernier Science Education has been committed to using our experience, knowledge, and passion to create the best and most reliable solutions for STEM education. Our comprehensive solutions include hardware, software, content, assessment, professional development, and technical support. At the heart of Vernier is our deep commitment to being an authentic and trusted partner to STEM educators. We are dedicated to partnering with educators and communities to build a STEM-literate society where students grow up to become knowledgeable citizens who can solve problems, fully contribute to their communities, and drive innovation. For more information, visit www.vernier.com.

BILLUND, Denmark — To celebrate the second annual World Play Day, LEGO® Education is inspiring teachers to experience purposeful play firsthand by giving students and teachers Permission to Play. 

Play is not just for the playground. It is a powerful tool for teaching that naturally engages students in the learning and builds the skills they’ll need in and outside the classroom like creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration.  

A new survey of K-8 teachers and students from LEGO Education found that nearly all (98%) of students say purposeful play helps them learn and the majority (96%) of teachers believe it’s more effective than traditional methods like lectures or textbooks. On top of that, almost 80% of students want more playful learning experiences in the classroom. 

Despite these benefits, 40% of teachers are incorporating play only once a week or less, and nearly half (47%) think they spend too much time on it.  

“Many teachers feel they can’t easily incorporate play into the classroom, so LEGO Education created the Permission to Play kit as that first step. Once you see students engaged and learning through play, it clicks and the question goes from how to how do we add more?” said Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Education Impact, U.S. for LEGO Education. 

Whether you are a teacher, administrator, or parent, get Permission to Play by visiting  Rebuild The World, where you can: 

• Take the Pledge: Commit to adding purposeful play to your own classroom or encourage teachers you know to add more play. 
• Download free activities: Bring purposeful play into your classroom with activities for you and your students to join in on the fun (can be used with or without LEGO Education products). 
• Track your play: Get your student(s) involved to see how much progress you’re making with a Color-By-Number template and “Learning in Progress” poster. 

“For nearly three decades, I used purposeful play in my classroom and have seen firsthand the impact it has on both students and teachers,” said Alicia Miller, a retired elementary school teacher from Evans, GA. “There are a lot of trends and products that have their place, but the biggest gamechanger for education is hands-on, playful learning. I encourage every teacher, principal, and parent to try a play-based learning activity with their students and see what joyful and meaningful learning should look like. Our students and teachers deserve to love learning again.” 

Take the pledge and download the Permission to Play Kit at  LEGOeducation.com/RebuildTheWorld.  

*The LEGO Education Survey was conducted by  Wakefield Research among 1,000 US K-8 students and 1,000 US K-8 teachers, split between those who teach/are enrolled in grade K-5 (500) and those who teach/are enrolled in grades 6-8 (500), between Sept. 13th and Sept. 19th, 2023, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data has been weighted. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. 

About

LEGO® Education offers a range of playful, hands-on STEAM learning experiences based on its comprehensive learning system for students in early learning, primary and secondary education, as well as through after-school programs and competitions. From the Early Learning portfolio to the LEGO® Learning System, these solutions create an active and collaborative environment where learners of all levels and abilities build their confidence, future-proof their skills and spark a lifelong love of learning.  

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2023 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.  

Pittsburgh, PA – In a groundbreaking move set to revolutionize elementary math education in the post-pandemic era, Carnegie Learning has launched ClearMath Elementary, its first core elementary math solution. Throughout four years of research in classrooms across the US, ClearMath Elementary has delivered exceptional results and, as it becomes widely available, is poised to become the most effective elementary math solution on the market today.

Play-Based Learning Develops Math Confidence

At the heart of this innovative blended learning approach is a simple yet revolutionary idea – play is central to learning. Through digital and print resources with highly engaging hands-on lessons, game-based software like the 2023 SIIA CODiE Award-winning MATHia® Adventure, and ready-made centers for collaboration, ClearMath Elementary empowers students to develop positive mindsets towards math, learn from each other, and focus on the journey of mathematics rather than just the solutions.

Helps Students Keep Up, Not Catch Up

A departure from the traditional “catch-up” approach, ClearMath Elementary uses a revolutionary “teach-teach-pause” method, giving students an opportunity to keep up with the material from the start and teachers the time to meet each student exactly where they are. Students are at the center of the learning process with classroom discussions, reflection prompts, and assessment check-ins, so teachers can monitor their progress in real time. With creative problem-solving and mental math routines, and imaginative MATHia Adventure digital games, mathematical thinking is intentionally interwoven throughout the day to make meaningful learning happen anytime – not just when it’s scheduled.

Tools Tailored to Teachers Makes Planning Easier

ClearMath Elementary offers a built-in comprehensive suite of instructional materials for teachers, so they can focus on teaching and student success, not planning. This “one-stop shop” was designed with teachers’ needs in mind, including implementation notes, interactive activities, embedded supports, hands-on learning materials, pacing guides, assessments, and more, all designed to empower teachers and boost their confidence in delivering high-quality instruction with ease.

“ClearMath Elementary is a continuation of our award-winning math solutions and a critical step in our ongoing commitment to redefining math education,” said Barry Malkin, CEO of Carnegie Learning. “Building on our 25 years of developing research-based instructional solutions, ClearMath Elementary is the most effective math solution for K-5 students on the market today. We are tapping into the power of play to foster inventive math thinkers and help students develop conceptual and procedural fluency, so they don’t just know what the answer is, they understand why it’s the answer.”

For more information on Carnegie Learning’s ClearMath Elementary, please visit carnegielearning.com/solutions/math/elementary-math-solution.

About Carnegie Learning, Inc.

Carnegie Learning is celebrating 25 years as a leader in AI-driven technology, curriculum, and professional learning solutions for K-12 education. Our award-winning math, literacy, world languages, professional learning, high-dosage tutoring, and MATHstream products deliver real and lasting results. Born from cognitive science research at Carnegie Mellon University, we are known for harnessing the power of data to improve student performance. Our range of products allows us to support more than 2 million students and educators in all 50 states and Canada. Named a Top Place to Work for seven years in a row, our employees are passionate about partnering with educators in the classroom. For more information, visit carnegielearning.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

ITASCA, Ill. – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today introduced www.CogAT.com, a new microsite to support Riverside’s CogAT® in the Classroom initiative. This online portal provides resources to transform Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) assessment data into tailored classroom instruction that enables all students to thrive. Designed for teachers, administrators and parents, CogAT.com’s tools support a positive learning environment by encouraging differentiated learning through a strengths-based lens.

“Data collected as part of the CogAT is extremely powerful, yet most school districts are not optimizing its use to better understand how all students learn, then applying that in the classroom,” said Dr. Joni Lakin, professor at the University of Alabama and co-author of the CogAT.  “Riverside’s CogAT in the Classroom initiative is making it easier than ever to use CogAT data effectively in the classroom to maximize student growth. On CogAT.com, we provide the tools that teachers, administrators and parents need to better understand the abilities of each student coupled with actionable strategies that will benefit every learner in the classroom.”

Using CogAT ability data and CogAT in the Classroom resources, educators can evaluate student potential using both abilities and achievement data and differentiate instruction based on students’ cognitive reasoning strengths. Infusing ability data into the classroom environment helps teachers build a holistic understanding of each student’s potential and create tailored classroom instruction to provide more opportunities for all students to excel.

CogAT.com includes resources for:

• Teachers – The Ability Profile Finder offers instructional recommendations and strategies for each unique Ability Profile. Sample lesson plans show how to infuse CogAT data into differentiated instruction. Teachers also can access resources that outline proven strategies for easily grouping students of like abilities, while providing best practices, case studies and on-demand mini-modules that show CogAT in the Classroom in action.
• Administrators – A Gifted Coordinator Toolkit highlights best practices for using ability data in a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), supporting emerging bilinguals in gifted education, and clustering and grouping students to maximize their learning. A Local Norms Tool enables administrators to calculate local norms in their district or school, giving more students the opportunity to receive advanced placement services. And an Ability and Achievement Tool combines multiple measures to identify gaps in student potential and performance.
• Parents – Articles on how to understand ability data, as well as what parents can do to support learners at home and foster student strengths.

“CogAT traditionally has been used to identify gifted students, but by assessing all students, we can understand their verbal, quantitative and non-verbal reasoning abilities to better target strengths and opportunities in a more equitable way,” said Monica Simonds, M.Ed., Director of Advanced Learning Programs and Services for the Richardson (Texas) Independent School District. “CogAT in the Classroom is helping us flip the script and move from deficit-based to strengths-based instruction, creating a more positive and effective learning environment for students and teachers.”

To learn more about the CogAT in the Classroom initiative, Riverside Insights has developed a series of on-demand webinars. CogAT.com will be home to a growing resource library designed to support teachers and leaders with actionable insights, make teachers’ lives easier and help educators understand the power of using CogAT data in the classroom for all learners. Visit www.cogat.com for more details.

About Riverside Insights

Riverside Insights, one of the nation’s leading and most long-standing developers of research-based assessments, is led by a powerful mission: to provide insights that help elevate potential and enrich the lives of students, clinical patients, employees, and organizations globally. For more information, visit www.RiversideInsights.com.

Washington Depot, Connecticut – Slooh, the pioneer in offering live online telescope feeds of the universe and an NGSS-aligned curriculum for school communities worldwide, recently launched the next generation of its online learning platform to make space exploration even easier and more engaging for students and educators alike. The upgraded platform includes enhancements to allow for more interactivity, personalization, and student-driven learning this school year and beyond.

“Slooh provides students, particularly those in Grades 4-8, with a one-of-a-kind experience centered around hands-on, age-appropriate experiential learning,” said Michael Paolucci, founder of Slooh. “From new learning activities to a more intuitive dashboard, the new enhancements flatten the learning curve for new users and emphasize creativity and self-directed learning as students discover the wonders of the universe and collect and analyze astronomical data in real time.”

For students, the platform allows for more interactivity and personalization as students complete Quest learning activities. This includes the ability for students to create custom posters depicting what they discovered using Slooh’s fully autonomous online telescopes. Also, students are now able to participate in independent study programs – focused on citizen science, science communications, and workforce development – designed by Slooh.

For educators, the platform features an improved, more intuitive dashboard and new support resources. This includes on-demand training and onboarding videos, situational awareness of Slooh’s live telescope feeds, and easy search and browse navigation to Slooh’s learning activities. Additional improvements allow educators to easily assign these learning activities and monitor student progress, as well as integrate Slooh with popular learning management systems including Schoology, Brightspace, and Google Education.

This fall, a third observatory in Australia will be coming online to provide 24/7 viewing access to the night sky. It will join Slooh’s two other user-controlled robotic telescopes in the Canary Islands and Chile, which provide the ability for students to view celestial phenomena, capture and analyze observational data, and participate in gamified learning through the company’s patented technology.

“We know studying space can open students’ eyes to potential STEM pathways and careers, so we want as many students as possible, regardless of their location or demographics, to have access to space observatories,” said Paolucci. “We look forward to supporting students across the nation and beyond this school year and can’t wait to see the different stars, planets, moons, nebulae, and celestial events they discover.” 

To learn more about Slooh, visit www.slooh.com.

About Slooh

Slooh brings the wonders of space exploration to the public, at school and at home. For almost 20 years, the company has provided the ability to view space phenomena, capture observational data, and engage in gamified learning through its patented user-controlled network of online telescopes and standards-aligned curriculum for upper elementary through post-secondary students around the world. Slooh is funded in part by a National Science Foundation grant. To learn more about Slooh, visit https://www.slooh.com.