Don't call it COVID loss. For Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates, a better phrase would be "unrealized learning," something that was happening even before the pandemic, especially in underserved communities. In this episode of EdTech Today, he breaks down the data his CA has processed and offers some solutions for students going forward.

The company recently released an updated version of their C.O.P.E. mental health planning framework to help districts implement mental health supports students need due to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had (and continues to have) on student social-emotional health.

C.O.P.E. 2.0 incorporates over six months of national mental health data as well as the hands-on experience gleaned from ESS' partnerships with school districts during the fall 2020 semester. The framework includes a re-thinking of the key areas of focus for districts, and a refreshed checklist of actionable items to support student and staff mental health.

The past 18 months have been one long experiment for Catherine Cahn, CEO of Twig Education. Shifting history courses to a remote platform in a matter of weeks is one thing, but hands-on chemistry labs? In this episode of EdTech Today, Catherine details how they have effectively reinvented the way their curricula and creation tools are produced and delivered as well as what these pivots will mean post-pandemic when it comes to student agency and inclusion.

Microsoft last month announced a new five-year commitment to help bridge the “Disability Divide” the gap in societal inclusion for people with disabilities. Given the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities, the commitments focus on talent development (employment and education), workplace culture (hiring), and accessible technology. On this episode of EdTech Today, Mike Tholfsen details Microsoft's efforts and speculates the effects post-pandemic.

As with many aspects of edTech, gaming technologies have been utilized and applied at an incredibly accelerating rate. In this episode, David supplies a state-of-play for gaming and education from the k-12 level through professional learning and handicaps the progress of everything from AR and VR to artificial intelligence.

organizational performance improvement, recently announced the acquisition of Strive, a San Francisco-based EdTech startup, which has developed and markets an innovative, state-of-the-art learning deployment platform.

The acquisition accelerates FranklinCovey’s ability to help clients predictably achieve employee behavior change at scale through its All Access Pass. Strive’s intuitive, social learning platform will enable seamless integration and deployment of FranklinCovey’s best-in-class content, services, technology, and metrics to provide highly engaging and impactful learning experiences for maximum impact.

AT&T announced last month it will invest $2 billion over the next 3 years to help address the digital divide. This renewed commitment to the communities they serve combines AT&T's low-cost broadband service offerings with community investment. And it builds on the company's contribution of $1 billion over the last 3 years toward helping the nation's most vulnerable communities.

Will the recent worst of times for US students bring about the best of times in the near future? That is the expectation John Harrington, CEO of Funds for Learning, holds. In this episode, John lays out clear short-term strategies for distributing the FCC’s $7 billion fund to help school districts pay for at-home devices and internet connectivity and long-term hopes for digital equity solutions.

If there is one thing that is certain amidst all this uncertainty, physical classrooms will never be the same. In this episode, Grant Woods, VP of Marketing for Aver Information, discusses some of the innovative ways educators and students used their tech during the early days of the pandemic and how the company has developed new tools to improve the new dynamics of anytime, anywhere learning.

After one of the most challenging years in the history of the U.S. education system, district leaders from across the country are cautiously optimistic about the future. This finding comes from a new report from Cambium Learning Group, which reveals results from a survey of more than 100 PreK-12 district leaders across the country. In partnership with research firm Hanover Research, the results show that although there were significant challenges, 75 percent of district leaders believe the COVID-19 pandemic has put them in a better position to solve problems than ever before, signaling that the acceleration of digital tools and need to confront equity issues head-on has made the industry more adaptable.