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.

Reflection Sciences Appoints Isaac Van Wesep as Incoming Chief Executive Officer

MINNEAPOLIS (PRWEB) — Reflection Sciences, the executive function company, has appointed  Isaac Van Wesep as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 1. The appointment will drive innovation, growth and the pursuit of the company’s mission to ensure every child gets the executive function support they need to achieve academic, career and personal success.

Van Wesep has a deep understanding of education technology and a passion for improving educational outcomes for all children. His expertise will be instrumental in guiding Reflection Sciences as it continues to lead the growth of cognitive science tools to enhance learning, curriculum and child development.

“After working closely with Isaac over the last two years, it’s clear he has the vision, energy and executive function skills to build on Reflection Sciences’ leadership in executive function,” said Co-Founder and Board Director Stephanie Carlson, Ph.D. “The science is now very clear that executive function skills significantly predict student achievement in core areas such as math, literacy and social-emotional skills. Measuring and improving executive function skills is the way forward to support student success.”…Read More

4 ways to build engineering into your curriculum

Key points:

  • Engineering doesn’t have to be intimidating
  • Engineering helps students learn the mechanics of their world

Engineering is arguably one of the most useful and relevant subjects in our schools today. Its impact on our world cannot be overstated. Engineers are the ones who help humanity reach the moon, explore the depths of the ocean, assist in the treatment of serious illnesses, and even design many of the games our students play.

Unfortunately, engineering can often feel like a separate unit or idea that teachers need to explain. With many of today’s educators already feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities of teaching, finding ways to seamlessly integrate engineering into the curriculum is essential for both teacher and student success.…Read More

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6 keys to effective tutoring

Key points:

  • For tutoring to work, students have to show up
  • Finding a curriculum designed for tutoring is important to program success

As educators continue to work to accelerate learning for students following the pandemic, many are turning to tutoring to provide support. Tutoring is one of the most effective math interventions available for students, but the quality of tutoring varies widely.

Here are six keys to ensuring your students are receiving the best tutoring available.…Read More

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AI writing tools can be disruptive–here are 5 ways to counteract their influence

Key points:

  • Educators should clearly communicate rules and expectations for AI
  • It’s also worth keeping an open mind and learning a bit more about how AI tools work

The discussion around the influence of AI writing on education has never been so active – all thanks to the launch of ChatGPT last year. The tool is so advanced compared to other writing tools of its kind that a lot of people instantly started using it for all kinds of ethically ambiguous purposes.

Educators are concerned about the influence AI will have and how its negative effects could be detrimental to education. Without further ado, here’s how to counteract the disruptive influence of AI writing on education.…Read More

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Riverside Insights and Thrively Team Up to Help Children Discover Their Inner Genius

ITASCA, Ill. – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today announced a partnership with Thrively, a personalized learning platform for K-12 students aimed at helping children everywhere discover their inner genius. The partnership will enable educators to discover students’ unique strengths, interests and aspirations to build the skills they need for success in the classroom and beyond.

Adding Thrively to Riverside Insights’ offerings provides educators engaging resources to complement Riverside’s researched-backed assessments and insights. The Riverside Insights’ CogAT(R) (Cognitive Abilities TestTM ) measures verbal, quantitative and nonverbal reasoning skills, providing multiple perspectives on cognitive abilities and student potential for learning. The Thrively assessments, also research-based, help students develop self-efficacy and confidence to unlock their strengths, learning styles, habits and personality. Riverside and Thrively assessments, used in combination, maximize student understanding and engagement and create a comprehensive strengths-based profile for students K-12.

“Riverside Insights and Thrively share the same goal of giving all students the tools and confidence they need to thrive in the classroom and succeed in life after graduation,” said Matt Tebbe, Group General Manager, Riverside Insights. “Our research-based assessments empower educators with the knowledge to help each learner, while the Thrively platform helps to unlock the students’ potential and increase overall classroom engagement.”…Read More

3 ways to improve access to speech-language therapy

Schools today are facing a harsh reality: there is a chronic shortage of qualified speech-language pathologists (SLPs). As an SLP and clinical director who has worked with school districts across the country, I’ve watched this problem grow over the years. This, compounded with large amounts of paperwork and high caseloads, makes it difficult for SLPs to manage their workload, contributing to many students not getting the services they need.

Despite long-term efforts made by school administrators to help students and SLPs surmount service barriers, it’s clear that in-school speech-language therapy initiatives could still use a boost.

Here are three things administrators can do to improve student access to speech-language therapy.…Read More

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3 ways MDM helps fight school cyberattacks

Last September, the Los Angeles Unified School District was hit by a ransomware attack at the start of the new school year. The second-largest educational district in the country, with more than 600,000 students and 25,000 employees, had its email taken offline and other internal systems affected by the cyberattack. When the district chose not to pay the ransom, sensitive employee data was posted online. While this attack may seem extraordinary because of its size and scope, digital security breaches like this are happening at educational institutions across the country. And school districts need to take defensive action against cyberattacks now before it’s too late.

With school districts across the U.S. being targeted by cyberattacks, the need for robust, cost-effective cybersecurity support is not just important–it’s now considered essential. But many local governments and educational institutions remain unprepared for this type of active threat. A recent report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on the K-12 school cybersecurity landscape found that close to 50 percent of the school districts in the country have neither the staff nor the budget to adequately protect their IT infrastructure.  

As schools look for solutions to bridge this security gap, one easy and cost-effective method they should consider is the adoption of mobile device management (MDM) platforms. A small number of schools are currently using this solution to their advantage. This includes public schools like the Interboro School District in Prospect Park, PA, which employs MDM to manage a fleet of iPads used to supplement classroom instruction. Interboro uses MDM to ensure the tablets are secure and functioning properly, the students using them are staying safe online, and the costs associated with maintaining the devices are minimized.…Read More

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Why STEM is more important for students than ever

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has long been a popular acronym in education circles. Providing teachers with the tools and techniques to deliver these subjects to students has never been more important. In this podcast, Lauren Tarshis, SVP Editor-in-Chief & Publisher, Classroom Magazine Division, Scholastic Magazines+, and Patty Janes, Vice President, Science, Math, and Art at Scholastic, break down how one of the world’s great curriculum providers approaches STEM subjects and provide insights on how teachers can integrate these concepts into everyday teaching and learning.

5 ways to help educators experience more joy

I was recently working with middle school educators and asked them about the biggest challenges they are facing. Without skipping a beat, they said dealing with discipline issues, students who at times just don’t seem to care, and their own lack of motivation.

This made me think about the struggles of maintaining a positive school culture, how students often do not get what they need, and how exhausted these educators must be. Whether we are talking about life in general or education specifically, it’s very difficult to adjust, see different perspectives, and find joy when you are in the thick of it.

But, it’s not impossible.…Read More

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