EdTech Today

Nothing about the ongoing attempts to solidify post-pandemic learning will be easy. On this episode of EdTech Today, Maggie Hallbach analyzes the machinations and relationships amongst government, industry, districts, and parents and explains how it is at least possible.

Verizon recently released findings from its Look Forward study on how Americans have adapted to life one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and what they think it will look like a year in the future. The study, conducted with Morning Consult, combined with Verizon network data suggests permanent lifestyle changes in the workplace, a sustained larger appetite for streamed content, a comeback for phone calls, and a more equal mix of online and in-person shopping as the new norm.

“The pandemic has forced all of us to face challenges we never considered,” says Kyle Malady, Chief Technical Officer at Verizon. “A year into the pandemic, data usage on Verizon networks remains at almost 31% above pre-pandemic levels, a clear indicator that internet consumption and the acceleration of technology adoption are major byproducts of this moment. We’ve seen the shift to digital jump ahead 5-7 years.”

Work

As companies shifted from in-office to work-from-home, many have invested significant resources into technology to ensure the continued operations of their business. Survey data suggests that many employees who have acclimated to remote work are not in a rush to go back to an office full-time. In fact, half agree that they would consider changing jobs to continue remote or hybrid work.

Use of collaboration tools like video conferencing on Verizon’s networks, is still a remarkable 2872% above pre-pandemic levels. Traffic across secure networks (VPN) also remains 91% higher than pre-pandemic volumes.

Over half of employed adults say they are currently working remotely at least part of the time (54%), nearly twice the share who say they were doing so before the pandemic began (28%).

Among those who’ve worked at least partially remotely at some point in the last year, about 7 in 10 say they would like to be working remotely at least 1-2 days per week a year from now (69%). Just 1 in 4 hope to return to in person work full-time (25%).

Remote workers largely say they tend to be more mobile when they’re working remotely (75%). 2 in 3 say they plan to take advantage of remote work to travel or work from places other than their home when the pandemic has subsided (67%).

Kids and Learning

Parents are optimistic about their children’s return to the classroom next year. One of the lasting impacts of the pandemic on education could be the availability of different options for how children attend school.

A large majority (77%) say it is likely that most children will be attending school fully in-person a year from now, and nearly half (49%) expect K-12 students will have the option to attend classes online at least part time even when COVID-19 is no longer a concern.

This flexibility may not be well received by everyone though: 58% expect K-12 schools to move classes online during inclement weather, rather than canceling classes. For many, “snow days” may soon be a relic of the past.

Parents with children under 18 overwhelmingly express that they have been more lenient with screen time throughout the pandemic (72%), and most say they will keep more relaxed screen time rules even after the pandemic ends (57%).

Streaming

Today, traffic on major streaming sites is currently 21% above pre-pandemic levels according to Verizon network data, supporting the finding that the nation has a larger appetite for streaming. Discussing TV and streaming content has helped adults connect with friends and family during the pandemic (44%). Those who currently stream content largely anticipate that they will be spending more or the same amount of time that they are now watching content through streaming services a year from now (82%).

2 in 3 US adults say that recently they have been spending at least 3 hours per week watching live TV (67%). More than half (59%) say the same about watching content through a streaming service.

Nearly half of adults (47%) say they have subscribed to a new streaming service since the start of the pandemic. Most say they have binge watched shows at least once or twice (70%).

While there is no final verdict on American’s preference to “binge watch” versus watch episodic content, Gen Z prefers to binge (47%).

Most US adult households currently subscribe to a cable or satellite television service (62%). Nearly 1 in 4 say they’ve cut the cord (23%). Among millennials, 1 in 5 say they have never subscribed to a cable or satellite television service (21%).

Gaming

Mobile gaming really took off during the pandemic. 46% of respondents report that they have purchased or downloaded a mobile game at least once since the pandemic started; while 36% report doing the same for a computer or console game.

Nearly a third of respondents said that they spend 3 or more hours a week playing games on their mobile devices (31%)

About a third of adults who’ve spent time online gaming (32%) and talking to friends or family via video calls (32%) say they were spending more time doing these activities in the early months of the pandemic than they are now, while nearly half say they were spending about the same amount of time as they are now (45% and 46%, respectively).

Staying Connected

Newer technology may get the headlines about record data usage, but the old fashioned telephone call spiked during and after lockdowns. As the pandemic first took hold, Verizon network data showed phone calls increase by 20% as people were connecting more over the phone than in person. That percentage has remained steady with current phone calls coming in at almost 19% above pre-pandemic times. Today the duration of those calls also remains significantly higher, with people talking almost 29% longer on calls.

Nearly 1 in 3 adults say they either upgraded or considered upgrading both their home internet bandwidth (32%) and their mobile data plan (32%) within the last year. Younger generations and those who are working remotely are more likely to say so compared to their counterparts.

Among adults who use messaging apps, video calls, and social media to communicate, nearly 1 in 3 anticipate they will be using each respective form of communication more a year from now than they are now.

The strongest increase in reported usage from before the pandemic to during the pandemic is observed for video calls (21% to 26% for friends; 25% to 31% for immediate family).

Retail

While online, contactless payments and non-traditional shopping experiences were not born of the pandemic, the last year has expanded Americans' familiarity and use of them. Most adults say they were shopping mostly in person pre-pandemic (60%), while just over a third say the same now (37%). Adults surveyed anticipate that a year from now, they will be shopping in person and online equally (42%).

1 in 4 adults say they’ve recently shopped mostly online (24%), while 1 in 3 say they’ve recently shopped through an equal mix of in person and online (34%).

About 1 in 3 adults say they either used or heard about contactless credit cards (36%), contactless mobile payments (33%), and grocery delivery services (38%) for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 1 in 5 adults anticipate they will be using self-checkout (23%), contactless credit cards (24%), and contactless mobile payments (22%) more a year from now than they are now.

Only 16% expect they’ll be shopping mostly online a year from today, a 6-point increase from before the pandemic, and an 8-point drop from today.

Verizon commissioned this poll conducted by Morning Consult on March 12 to March 14, 2021 among a national sample of 3,000 adults in the United States. The interviews were conducted online and the data was weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region.

For Andy Pass, this moment in time is an opportunity to improve everything—from the way the edtech industry works, to the way educational content is created, to the way in which we teach and learn. In this wide-ranging episode, he touches on all these points and more. For example, the company recently posted an example of the changes education publishers should follow. An excerpt is below:

Publishers face an uphill battle when it comes to remaining profitable these days. Still, opportunities to maintain and improve profits exist. Per a survey by Gutenberg Technology, 37% of industry leaders believed, “the market will still be interested, and there will be no end for paper textbooks.” That’s great news! However, 63% believe the decline in paper textbooks will continue to come. Yet, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital content. Leaders can follow these six strategies to succeed.

Educational Publishers can Review Their Digital-First Strategy

Many leaders may find their digital-first strategy needs a tune-up. Yes, creating digital learning materials is a revenue generation strategy. Yet, a new line of digital products comes with upfront costs. A cash-strapped publisher may have to weigh costs carefully. With planning, significant costs can be avoided in content development. Digital-first strategies work. Besides that, industry leaders who invested in digital-first strategies posted gains in 2020.

Focus on quality, content development rather than quantity

Therefore, going digital without a strategy risks creating a lot of low-quality digital content. Low-quality content sullies reputations. Also, poor quality content erodes customer trust. Still, the impulse to create a new line of products to maintain is there. Most importantly, revisions to print materials are costly. Also, houses that design digital-first can then follow up with print. This advantage avoids the high printing costs of revisions. Likewise, the educational institution gets to deliver the latest developments in research to their students.

Educational Publishers can Invest in Talent

Besides that, creating new content means using new tools. Today’s online authoring tools are easier to use than those from days of old. Often instructor-led materials do not convert one-to-one into digital learning materials. Furthermore, most legacy content will need to be reviewed and revised. Educational publishers will need to identify unconscious bias and under-representation in legacy content. Then, teams will need to revise legacy content into new content. Hiring outside consultants to facilitate the process pays off for publishers.

Produce Lean Workflows

Most importantly, content development teams need to look at their workflows. In-house workflows become cluttered. These inefficiencies slow down content development, and revisions get mired in the system. Not only that, these outdated workflows stunt innovation. Again, leaders may find hiring outside facilitators to guide their team through the process to yield better results.

Educational Publishers Can Take advantage of Existing OER

Moreover, publishers who use free open educational resources (OER) can cut their overhead costs. They can pass this savings on to students. Publishers can shrink costs by adding existing core content topics to their catalogs. However, curated OER content may help publishers navigate the current market. Content development can focus on the creation of new content.

Understand how to use Change After a Crisis

Still, schools are ripe for change. The pandemic quickly forced some educational institutions into the digital learning world quicker than expected. Despite many barriers, they made it happen. Most importantly, not all educators hated digital life. Not all students failed in online sessions. Many thrived. As a result, publishers have a window of opportunity. Publishers who developed the groundwork pre-crisis were rewarded handsomely for their investment.

In sum, the market is changing. Predicting what to do and when to do it is difficult than usual. As a result, leaders must fall back on successful management tools. Setting up a digital strategy, timely or not, is important. Houses cannot risk creating low-quality content. Also, content creation teams need the software tools to do the job. Besides that, leaders can create lean production workflows. Educational publishers have an opportunity to take advantage of the post-pandemic window. The psychological barriers to online education are lower for parents, students, educators, and administrators. Publishers can be aggressive. Lastly, leaders need to invest in the skill development of staff. Together, these priorities can help publishers to remain profitable.

For Michael Huseby, CEO and Chairman of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.(BNED), navigating a $1.5B operation through the most dramatic upheavals in the history of higher education was a difficult, but ultimately fulfilling, challenge. In this episode, Michael provides a state-of-play for the university systems rocked by the past two years and offers up some steadying and hopeful guidance when it comes to the future.

The company's latest research report, COLLEGE 2030™: Transforming the Student Experience. features insights from college students, faculty members and campus administrators, and provides a comprehensive view of the current state of higher education and an exclusive outlook on the decade ahead. “The pandemic did not change the path for higher education, but it did change the speed at which we’re traveling on that path,” said Michael P. Huseby, CEO and Chairman, BNED. “Within the next 10 years, we will see a transformation of the student experience – from admissions through graduation – that will ultimately create a better, more inclusive and smarter world.”

The Rise of Flexible, Personalized Learning

The pandemic has prompted colleges and universities to revisit traditional methods of teaching and engaging students. And though the abrupt, nationwide switch to online and hybrid learning presented many challenges, it also served to emphasize that students do not all learn in the same way or at the same pace, and that for many, online learning can offer much-needed flexibility. As one community college student explained, “Not everyone is a traditional student with the same amount of time and resources.”

While in-person learning will always maintain its value, technology will allow the future of higher education to become more accessible, and more desirable, to students. In fact, 69% of students said more flexibility for attending classes and completing coursework was a key need.

“Online learning can be a great tool for extending the flexibility of education, but it can also be a challenge for many students who have limited access to technology or who struggle with learning through a screen,” said Lisa Malat, President of Barnes & Noble College. “As schools continue to invest and improve their digital learning systems, we’ll see students have more flexibility in choosing the class formats that work with their schedules and preferred learning styles, opening up possibilities for students who are caregivers or in the workforce.”

Enhancing the Value of Education

While online offerings are expected to increase options for students in the near future, today, they are raising questions about the value of education. Already under scrutiny before the pandemic, tuition costs have become a source of strain between students and institutions. While about six in 10 of all respondents agreed that schools need to focus more on affordability, agreements broke down when looking at payments. While 94% of all students think schools should charge less for online classes, less than half of faculty (41%) and administrators (43%) say the same.

Crossing that divide will require institutions to shift their focus and learning models to where students are most focused today – career development. A majority (84%) of students feel that access to career development services is important to achieving success, and 47% say they want their schools to offer more career planning. Students also recognize the value of rounding out their learning outside of coursework, with 41% pointing to the opportunity to build soft skills as an essential value driver for education. On this, faculty and administrators agree, with many pointing to the expansion of micro-credentialing programs and lifetime learning options as ways to get students there.

A Seamless Student Experience

As students’ academic life becomes more tailored to their personal needs, so will their lives on campus. The pandemic has highlighted just how crucial college services can be to getting a students’ education off on the right foot, but it also highlighted how disjointed the delivery of these services can be. Providing students with the practical skills that enable lifelong learning and growth – and enhance the value of education – goes well beyond the classroom. To ensure students’ success, it should be on every school’s to-do list to develop a “Community of Care” – an umbrella of seamless student support that includes faculty advisers, mental health professionals, success coaches and peer mentors, all acting in a collaborative, integrated manner to guide each student through their college (and life) experience.

“Students, above all, want to know that they’re being heard. And we’re seeing colleges and universities increasingly take that into account as they work to balance the short-term challenges of the pandemic with the long-term needs of higher education growth. No one group can determine what the future of higher education will be – it will take students, faculty and administrators working together to build the new framework for learning in the U.S.,” said Huseby.

Download the full report here.

Survey Methodology

Barnes & Noble College Insights™ conducted online quantitative surveys 1,438 college students, 323 faculty members (department heads, professors, adjuncts, instructors, and teaching assistants), and 104 administrators (presidents, vice presidents, provosts, CFOs, deans, and other academic leadership) across the U.S. in November 2020 to better understand how each group is reshaping the future of higher education following the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it accelerated.

While the idea of providing mental health assessment and services for all students was a nice thought for most districts up until March, 2020, it wasn't always a central focus. As with so many other aspects of education post-pandemic, that concept has been turned inside out. On this episode of EdTech Today, Christine Nicodemus, co-founder and COO of Ascend and now Chief Product Officer at Aperture Education, details the news of her company's recent acquisition.

Aperture Education, the leading provider of researched-backed social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments for K-12 schools, purchased Charlotte-based Ascend, creator of goal-based student engagement software, last month. The acquisition allows Aperture to expand its SEL offerings for high school by providing districts and out-of-school-time programs with a mobile-friendly software platform to engage students in their own social and emotional learning. The new platform provides students with access to Aperture’s DESSA-Student Self-report, which students use to assess their own SEL skills, as well as access to real-time results and goal-based SEL strategies. The acquisition also marks a period of significant growth for Aperture which now serves nearly 1 million students and 42,000 educators in nearly 500 school districts.

“Social and emotional learning is a fast-growing segment of the education industry, and the pandemic has created even more urgency around the need for reliable, data-driven SEL programs that engage students, especially in high school. Anyone who has or teaches a high school student knows there are unique challenges in helping students improve their SEL skills – from block scheduling to a lack of dedicated time for teachers and students to focus on SEL, as well as a lack of time to train teachers how to incorporate SEL strategies into their daily instruction,” said Jessica Adamson, CEO of Aperture Education. “Ascend’s gamified, goal-setting platform provides the student-engagement piece to help schools get the data they need, and makes it easier to integrate SEL into the school day. Now, with Ascend, we are able to provide an even more well-rounded SEL assessment solution to support students and teachers at the high school level.”

Aperture Education, based outside of Charlotte in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is home to the education industry’s most well-regarded social and emotional learning assessment, the DESSA. Cited in more than 100 research publications, the DESSA is used by school districts and out-of-school-time organizations to measure students’ social and emotional competence in areas such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making.

Ascend, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, creates gamified SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based) goal-setting software for schools and out-of-school time programs. Its unique enterprise platform connects all stakeholders in a student’s personal growth: program administration, student mentors and advocates, and the students themselves.

Aperture’s new platform, the Aperture Student Portal draws on the strengths of each company. It gives high school students the ability to take the DESSA self-assessment and receive immediate feedback about their personal social and emotional strengths and growth opportunities and lets students set goals and take on gamified challenges related to their social and emotional growth and other areas of their lives. This solution motivates students and gives program administrators data that incorporates student voice.

“Aperture is a leader in the SEL assessment industry because of its foundation in research-based tools and together Aperture and Ascend provide a one-stop-shop for SEL assessment, reporting, and strategies for high schools and out-of-school time organizations,” said Christine Nicodemus, co-founder and COO of Ascend.  “By having reliable data and understanding students’ personal goals, program administrators can make better decisions about their high school SEL programs, how best to support those students and find creative new ways to engage with them.”

The company has announced several new company partnerships in the past few years and in March 2021 became the sole recipient of a contract with the Connecticut State Department of Education to provide its SEL assessment statewide.

One of the things that should never go back to normal post-pandemic is traditional professional development. In this episode, Adam Geller, Founder and CEO of Edthena, details how new technologies behaviors give teachers more agency over their professional learning. Is this the end of sit and git?

As part of the company's focus on the educator, Edthena last month announced this year’s honorees for the Teacher Leader Impact Awards which recognizes the outstanding achievements of teacher leaders nationwide. All nine of the honored educators were nominated by an administrator in their district for making a measurable impact on others and creating positive lasting change.

“We were blown away by the truly remarkable accomplishments and contributions of teacher leaders from across the country,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “From supporting students and fellow teachers to spearheading school-wide initiatives, all of the honored educators exemplify true leadership and are so deserving of this recognition.”

This year’s Teacher Leader Impact Award recipients are:

Tasha Jones of Putnam County Charter School System in Eatonton, GA

Daniel Miller of Fairfax County Public School System in Falls Church, VA

Stacy Musick of Chambersburg Area School District in Chambersburg, PA

Meagan Pryor of Keller Independent School District in Keller, TX

Desire Roberts of Nampa School District in Nampa, ID

Jill Taylor & Holden Rowe of Broken Arrow Public Schools in Broken Arrow, OK

Marisa Specht of Griffith Public Schools in Griffith, IN

Alicia Stevens of Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township in Indianapolis, IN

“This year teachers have worked so hard to ensure students feel safe, respected, and have their social and emotional needs met, all while working to meet rigorous academic expectations,” said Alicia Stevens, honored teacher leader from Indiana. “ALL teachers have done a phenomenal job to make this year happen. It is truly an honor to be chosen for this award!”

During the nomination process, district-level administrators provided a summary of the nominee’s achievements and a description of why the nominee is deserving of this recognition.

“Daniel is a lead teacher by nature and creates a learning ecosystem that is second to none. I have never seen anybody who creates community while at the same time topping the charts on test scores,” noted a Fairfax County Public School System administrator in the nomination of Daniel Miller. “There is no doubt he leads with inclusion, equity, and opportunity at the core and that is transformational.”

To learn more about the Teacher Leader Impact Award and this year’s winners, visit https://teacherleaderimpact.org/.

Todd Zipper believes there will always be a place for a bachelor's degree. But don't think that will ever be enough. In this episode, The president of Wiley Education Services predicts a microverse of education institutions that will continually support lifelong education and points to a truly hybrid classroom of the future.

“This pandemic has shed light on the importance of providing flexible, outcomes-focused learning experiences to students, while also proving the dire need for more jobs central to this crisis – specifically those in healthcare and social work,” said Zipper.

Wiley Education Services, part of John Wiley and Sons Inc. (NYSE: JW-A) (NYSE: JW-B), recently signed five new university partnerships including University of Montana, New Mexico Highlands University, New York University, Spring Hill College, and – marking further momentum globally – Lebanese American University. Across these five new university partners, Wiley will support 27 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral online programs in a variety of high-demand disciplines like healthcare, social work, business, and computer science. “We look forward to partnering with each of these institutions to build online programs that clear the path to success in today’s most vital and in-demand career fields,” says Zipper.

Lebanese American University 

Lebanese American University (LAU), with campuses in Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon, has contracted with Wiley to launch eight graduate programs in business, computer science, engineering, nursing, and education disciplines. LAU will take advantage of a tailored approach with Wiley, utilizing a full suite of online program management services, as well as course development on a fee-for-service basis.  

“With COVID-19 and an unprecedented monetary and financial crisis in Lebanon, we see our partnership with Wiley as one of our most strategic decisions toward perpetuating LAU’s mission in Lebanon and in the Arab world,” said Michel E. Mawad, M.D., President of Lebanese American University.

University of Montana

University of Montana (UM) located in Missoula, Montana, has signed with Wiley to launch a Master of Social Work (MSW) program in August 2021. As part of this partnership, UM will receive Wiley’s full range of service offerings including market research, marketing, enrollment, instructional design, faculty support, and retention.

“Here at UM, we aim to provide students of all types with broad access to a quality education,” Seth Bodnar, President of University of Montana shares. “Our partnership with Wiley allows us to further this goal. We look forward to working with Wiley to reach new students far and wide. Beginning with our online Masters of Social Work program, we are excited to give students access to programs that help our students do good in the world.”

New Mexico Highlands University

New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) in Las Vegas, New Mexico, has tapped Wiley to launch 10  academic programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN), business programs, MBA, MSW and others. NMHU will take advantage of Wiley’s full suite of offerings including market research, marketing, enrollment, and retention, including clinical placement support.  

“New Mexico Highlands has been a recognized longtime leader in social and economic mobility for our students, and we’re excited to expand our reputation through our partnership with Wiley, offering a new and innovative portfolio of online programs,” stated Sam Minner, President of New Mexico Highlands University. “We are confident our partnership will positively change the lives of many more people across the country.”

New York University – Wagner School of Public Service

New York University (NYU) Wagner, located in New York City, will engage with Wiley in a fee-for-service partnership to provide enrollment and retention services and customized 24/7 technology support for their online Master of Health Administration program. 

“NYU Wagner’s inaugural online degree program, which launched only two years ago, is excited to enter its next phase,” said David Gastwirth, Director of Online Education of NYU Wagner. “We aim to build on the momentum achieved to date, growing enrollment while also enhancing program quality and impact. By working with Wiley, we are confident that we can recruit the most highly qualified and diverse healthcare professionals into our graduate program and provide them with an exceptional student experience.”

Spring Hill College

Spring Hill College, located in Mobile, Alabama, has partnered with Wiley to launch 16 undergraduate and graduate programs in business, healthcare, education, and computer science and liberal arts – the first seven of which are launching in Fall 2021. As part of this partnership, Willey will provide a full array of student lifecycle and academic solutions including market research, marketing, enrollment, retention – including clinical placement support – instructional design, faculty support, and faculty development. Additionally, Spring Hill has contracted with Wiley on a fee-for-service basis to manage the redesign of their website. 

“Spring Hill College continues its focus on implementing new programs, technology, and partnerships that will help ensure success for students after graduation,” said Dr. Joe Lee, President of Spring Hill College. “Our partnership with Wiley brings our online academic programs to a wider audience, including working adults who aren’t able to attend our in-person classes. This partnership just made sense as Wiley is as committed as we are to improve course quality, increase student engagement, and keep us true to our mission, culture, and tradition to educate leaders.”

Wiley Education Services’ continuous growth – coupled with its recent acquisition of training and job placement company mthree and launch of tuition benefits solution Wiley Beyond – demonstrates the company’s strategy to deliver innovative, tech-enabled products and services that unlock human potential by enabling the success of the world’s learners and professionals.

For more information, please visit www.edservices.wiley.com/why-partner.

Never has there been so great of a disruption in education than the past school year. Likewise, never has there been such an opportunity going forward, according to Keith Kreuger, CEO for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). In this episode, Keith follows the money and lays out specific steps the industry can take to ensure that lofty ideas like digital equity and personalized learning turn into practical realities as soon as possible.

More than 80 education technology leaders from 37 states this spring virtually for meetings in Washington, D.C. with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Education (ED) policymakers to discuss their COVID-19 pandemic experiences and advocate for actionable policies that support digital learning.

This was the second of a two-part 2021 virtual advocacy fly-in and happened just as President Biden announced a more than 40 percent increase in ED base funding as part of his $1.5 trillion budget and schools across the country prepare to utilize the $7.1 billion that was allocated to the FCC for a new Emergency Connectivity Fund in the latest COVID-19 relief package.

In the first part during February, participants spoke with Members of Congress and their staff about how to safely transition to a post-pandemic world, connect all students and close the “homework gap,” fund professional development to help educators leverage technology for learning, and protect student data privacy. The conversation continued on Wednesday, April 14, as the group met with the FCC regarding student connectivity needs and talked to senior ED staff about the implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) and annual funding to support digital learning.

Key outcomes from these discussions include:

Federal leaders learned about state and local strategies and need to connect students to broadband and equip them with learning devices during, and beyond, the pandemic;

Summit participants learned about the ED’s plans for supporting the implementation of the ARP; and

Collaboration among local, state, and federal leaders to meet students’ and educators’ digital learning needs increased.

“We are thrilled to see Congress, the Department of Education and the FCC taking action to help close the homework chasm that students and teachers nationwide continue to face. Our virtual fly-in participants were keen to discuss everything from student data privacy to professional development funding with these key policymakers to help shape edtech policy moving forward and advocate for equitable access to advanced learning technologies,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.

“The American Rescue Plan’s investment in the education system and the President’s FY22 budget request provide an unprecedented opportunity for leaders and educators to envision a new, post-pandemic era that leverages technology as an essential vehicle for effective learning and equitable supports. ISTE, our partner organizations and virtual fly-in participants look forward to continuing to collaborate with federal policymakers on these issues,” said Ji Soo Song, Senior Policy Advisor at ISTE.

“Connecting all students and teachers to digital learning opportunities — no matter where they live — has been, and will remain, a top priority for SETDA's members. Now more than ever, we need strong local-state-federal partnerships focused on closing the digital divide once and for all. Our members deeply appreciate this invaluable annual opportunity to exchange ideas with SETDA's school district and federal partners,” said Julia Fallon, Executive Director of SETDA.

“SIIA and our education technology member companies are thrilled to partner with CoSN, ISTE and SEDTA to bring our real-world experiences of the past year to Congress, the Department of Education and the Federal Communications Commission. Throughout the pandemic, our members stepped up to provide the tools to facilitate the rapid switch to distance learning, the transition to hybrid learning and the switch to safe learning in the classroom. We are thankful that policymakers have been so responsive to the needs of learners, educators and edtech providers by passing the American Rescue Plan and other relief bills over the past year. We look forward to continued collaboration as these laws are implemented and we address longstanding inequities exacerbated by the pandemic,” said SIIA President Jeff Joseph.

This year’s annual summit, led by CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking), ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education), SETDA (the State Educational Technology Directors Association) and SIIA (the Software & Information Industry Association), took place virtually for the second year in a row due to the impact of COVID-19.

In her career as an educator and administrator in DC Public Schools, Kerri Larkin worked through a variety of challenges that affected that community. In her new role, she intends to take those experiences to a wider population of students. In this episode, Kerri itemizes the lessons learned during the past two school years and divines some best-case scenarios.

Lexia Learning, a Cambium Learning Group company, last month announced the appointment of Kerri A. Larkin to the position of Senior Education Advisor, Education Partnerships, effective immediately. Larkin will serve as a thought partner and advisor for school districts across the country as they design and scale specialized academic programs based on student strength and need. She will also serve as an advisor for Lexia team members.

“The addition of such a strong special education leader to our team is part of Lexia’s ongoing commitment to support the needs of school districts striving to help every student to read, write and speak confidently and proficiently,” said Lexia President Nick Gaehde. “Kerri has demonstrated a clear vision for individual and team development, program execution, strategic planning and student-centered outcomes. Her insights will be invaluable to our company and our customers.”

Larkin comes to Lexia from the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) where she served as Senior Deputy Chief of Specialized Instruction for five years. During her tenure, she led the implementation, facilitation and monitoring of special education services for students from age 3 through 22.  As a leader in a large urban district, Larkin and her team leveraged DCPS and national data to illuminate the urgency of institutionalized racism within the special education system in order to dramatically decrease its impact on children with IEPs and their families.

As a result of Larkin’s innovations regarding district staff’s strategic collaboration, professional development and investment in evidence-based practice, students with disabilities made double-digit gains in reading and math on the NAEP assessments. In addition, those students also showed regular annual growth in proficiency on both Partnership for the Assessment of College & Career Readiness (PARCC) evaluations and the Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA).

Previously, Larkin served as the Director of Academic Programs for DCPS’ Office of Special Education from 2011 to 2016. Under her, District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) exam scores increased by 10 points in a single academic year. Between 2011 and 2015, students in fourth grade made the third largest gains in the nation. Students in eighth grade made the fourth largest gains.

Before that, Larkin served as a DCPS master educator, a project director for the Literacy Cooperative Partnership at George Washington University, and a teacher at Anacostia High School in Washington, DC.

Larkin said, “Every single student, every single day, has the ability to read, write and speak with confidence. I am thrilled to join a team that measures success in student access to evidence-based instruction, a team that is committed to deep, sustainable partnerships with teachers, schools and systems.”