EdTech Today

On this episode of EdTech Today, host Kevin Hogan sits down with Knittel to gain insight on how Social Emotional Learning will become a big part of educations future.

Her company, 7 Mindsets, the pioneer in delivering social emotional learning (SEL) solutions that include mindsets, equity and multicultural pedagogy, is taking on an expanded role in the SEL delivered by Stride, Inc., one of the nation’s leading virtual/online education providers. 7 Mindsets will now provide SEL courses and curriculums, leadership training and teacher professional development throughout the entire Stride, Inc., system for the next three years.

7 Mindsets and Stride, Inc., alliance began in 2014. At that time, 7 Mindsets provided services for four schools designed to help struggling students that were on the verge of dropping out. Three years later, Stride, Inc., added 11 more schools to the 7 Mindsets roster. With the expanded partnership, 7 Mindsets is now serving all of Stride Inc.’s schools and over 120,000 students, up from just 27,000 students in 2019.

“Stride, Inc., is the largest virtual school organization in the United States, and we are very pleased to be an integral part of their expanding SEL program,” said 7 Mindsets President, Lupita Knittel. “We know that our age-appropriate, culturally-relevant curriculum is not only engaging but as an adaptable, digital curriculum it’s the perfect resource for a virtual school environment.”

The 7 Mindsets program is a proven, research-based SEL solution that helps districts and schools sustain positive school cultures rooted in relationships. What sets 7 Mindsets apart from other K-12 SEL programs is that it nurtures the mindsets of educators first, and then students, empowering each member of the school community to live a life of purpose, passion, and meaning. The 7 Mindsets program includes a comprehensive web-based curriculum, professional development and ongoing coaching designed to nurture the social emotional health of teachers and provide training needed for everyone to succeed. The curriculum can be configured to work with any school schedule for both on-site and virtual learning.

In addition to the web-based curriculum, 7 Mindsets is providing professional development for Stride, Inc.’s 4,000 teachers throughout the country. They are also coaching their leadership team, showing them what to monitor and how to coach the schools’ administrators in turn.

“One of the things about 7 Mindsets that really impressed us was that they devote time to developing the social emotional competencies of the teachers and to giving administrators tools for continuously providing adult social emotional learning opportunities,” said Faith Shanholtzer, Vice President of Curriculum, Instruction and Strategic Programming in Stride’s Office of Teaching and Learning. “Those skills and tools not only help create a great learning culture for our students, but they also empower our educators to stay connected to their work in a deep, meaningful way. Our students learn virtually, but this partnership will ensure that they feel psychologically connected and grounded even during these unprecedented times.”

In this episode of EdTech Today, he offers insights on how to accomplish this challenge and touches on other new realities including, the future of assessment and better techniques for teaching.

As schools continue to grapple with remote and hybrid learning setups, educators are concerned about academic impacts from COVID-19 school closures. To help K–12 educators address unfinished learning in mathematics, plan for distance learning, and support families, Illustrative Mathematics (IM) has announced a series of IM Certified COVID-19 response resources, which can be accessed at www.illustrativemathematics.org/distance-learning.

Based on IM K–12 Math certified by Illustrative Mathematics, COVID-19 response resources will help teachers engage students with grade-level math content and set them up for success in math in 2020–21 and beyond. The resources and supports will ensure accessibility for all learners and invite them back to the mathematics in a way that is welcoming, supportive, and centered around community.

Unfinished Learning

Adaptation packs for IM K–5 Math beta and IM 6–12 Math will help teachers pace instructional time with a focus on unfinished learning. These just-in-time resources will seamlessly integrate with the curriculum’s scope and sequence. Cool-down supports will also provide tools to address newly discovered unfinished learning.

In addition, on-demand professional learning videos for IM K–5 Math beta, IM 6–8 Math, and Algebra 1 will highlight key mathematical ideas to help teachers make choices to address unfinished learning.

Distance Learning

Distance learning resources will help educators shift instruction online while engaging students with grade-level content and supporting their social-emotional learning needs. In addition, a new IM Community Hub will provide an online community where educators can create, share, and get resources to support distance learning with IM K–12 Math.

In collaboration with SchoolKit, IM will also offer video lessons for students for IM 6–8 Math and Algebra 1. The lessons will be broadcast on local PBS stations and will be available on Vimeo.

Family Support

IM family support resources, such as IM Talking Math prompts and family support materials for IM 6–8 Math and IM 9–12 Math, will help families discuss and work on math together.

In this episode of EdTech Today, he offers insights on how to accomplish this challenge and touches on other new realities including, the future of assessment and better techniques for teaching.

As schools continue to grapple with remote and hybrid learning setups, educators are concerned about academic impacts from COVID-19 school closures. To help K–12 educators address unfinished learning in mathematics, plan for distance learning, and support families, Illustrative Mathematics (IM) has announced a series of IM Certified COVID-19 response resources, which can be accessed at www.illustrativemathematics.org/distance-learning.

Based on IM K–12 Math certified by Illustrative Mathematics, COVID-19 response resources will help teachers engage students with grade-level math content and set them up for success in math in 2020–21 and beyond. The resources and supports will ensure accessibility for all learners and invite them back to the mathematics in a way that is welcoming, supportive, and centered around community.

Unfinished Learning

Adaptation packs for IM K–5 Math beta and IM 6–12 Math will help teachers pace instructional time with a focus on unfinished learning. These just-in-time resources will seamlessly integrate with the curriculum’s scope and sequence. Cool-down supports will also provide tools to address newly discovered unfinished learning.

In addition, on-demand professional learning videos for IM K–5 Math beta, IM 6–8 Math, and Algebra 1 will highlight key mathematical ideas to help teachers make choices to address unfinished learning.

Distance Learning

Distance learning resources will help educators shift instruction online while engaging students with grade-level content and supporting their social-emotional learning needs. In addition, a new IM Community Hub will provide an online community where educators can create, share, and get resources to support distance learning with IM K–12 Math.

In collaboration with SchoolKit, IM will also offer video lessons for students for IM 6–8 Math and Algebra 1. The lessons will be broadcast on local PBS stations and will be available on Vimeo.

Family Support

IM family support resources, such as IM Talking Math prompts and family support materials for IM 6–8 Math and IM 9–12 Math, will help families discuss and work on math together.

Ethan Fieldman may be CEO of the biggest edtech company of which you have never heard. His 10-year-old organization, with no sales or marketing teams, works in partnership with schools, school districts, colleges and universities, state education agencies and others to offer online learning support for more than 1,000,000 students each year. In this episode of EdTech Today, Ethan shares ideas and insights for education at all levels—everything from improving access and preventing cheating.

Study Edge recently announce the expansion of its online Tutor Matching Service (TMS) to the entire State of South Carolina in January 2021. Tutors have been flocking to TMS, including those from Chegg Tutors which recently announced its January 2021 shutdown. The TMS platform is so easy to use, parent-friendly and tutor-friendly, it’s being launched in several other states in the Spring, in addition to South Carolina in January.

Time and again, Study Edge has led the movement around best practices in tutoring aimed at long-term academic success and real outcomes for students. Tutor Matching Service is the tutor management platform of Study Edge, a learning science company committed to improving outcomes in STEM for the entire education continuum, from K-12 to college and beyond. Over the past decade, Study Edge’s Tutor Matching Service and GoBoard, the leading whiteboarding application built specifically for online tutoring, have become the tutoring resources of choice for more than 500 US institutions, both K-12 and higher education. Study Edge’s legacy is the trust of students, parents and educators who recognize their commitment to closing the gap in the US education system, with integrity at the forefront.

The pandemic heightened the gap in education, especially for students with little access to social capital and those struggling to cope in the virtual environment. The education market saw a vast emergence of tutoring platforms that left students overwhelmed with options, and parents feeling pressured to pay high fees for private tutoring. Platforms from other countries, with little understanding of the US education system, further annexed employment opportunities from seasoned American tutors.

“We are excited and honored to be working with the Department of Education, colleges and universities, school districts, tutors, parents, and others across the State of South Carolina to launch this and other initiatives,” said Ethan Fieldman, CEO of Study Edge

“Colleges can opt-in at no cost, and allow their students to work as online tutors to help pay bills during this time of high unemployment. For many colleges, Tutor Matching Service is actually a source of much needed revenue, as a $3 per-hour training and certification fee can be collected by TMS and remitted to the institution. There’s even a data dashboard for each college, with many customizations and parameters. Most importantly, though, we all know that the best way to learn is to teach. So, the tutors get to cement their knowledge of the subject matter while providing the low-cost academic support that is so desperately needed across the state during the pandemic.”

School districts can also get involved, if they choose. Administrators can allow teachers to work as online tutors at night and on weekends, to supplement their income while combating the COVID slide. Especially in middle school and high school math, online tutoring has been shown to have an impact on overall student performance. Just as with colleges, school districts can also add a $3 per-hour certification fee, which TMS remits back to the district.

For parents, this service to directly connect with South Carolina college students and teachers is certainly the least expensive way to find a high-quality online tutor. Unlike private tutoring companies that typically markup tutors’ wages by 100% to 200%, the new statewide matching service takes nothing from the tutors and tacks on just a simple 10% service fee. This fee covers credit card fees and other payment and technology costs. In fact, there are many highly-effective tutors available now for less than $15 per hour.

Ethan Fieldman may be CEO of the biggest edtech company of which you have never heard. His 10-year-old organization, with no sales or marketing teams, works in partnership with schools, school districts, colleges and universities, state education agencies and others to offer online learning support for more than 1,000,000 students each year. In this episode Ethan shares ideas and insights for education at all levels—everything from improving access and preventing cheating.

Study Edge recently announce the expansion of its online Tutor Matching Service (TMS) to the entire State of South Carolina in January 2021. Tutors have been flocking to TMS, including those from Chegg Tutors which recently announced its January 2021 shutdown. The TMS platform is so easy to use, parent-friendly and tutor-friendly, it's being launched in several other states in the Spring, in addition to South Carolina in January (www.TutorMatchingService.com/SC).

Time and again, Study Edge has led the movement around best practices in tutoring aimed at long-term academic success and real outcomes for students. Tutor Matching Service is the tutor management platform of Study Edge, a learning science company committed to improving outcomes in STEM for the entire education continuum, from K-12 to college and beyond. Over the past decade, Study Edge's Tutor Matching Service and GoBoard, the leading whiteboarding application built specifically for online tutoring, have become the tutoring resources of choice for more than 500 US institutions, both K-12 and higher education. Study Edge's legacy is the trust of students, parents and educators who recognize their commitment to closing the gap in the US education system, with integrity at the forefront.

The pandemic heightened the gap in education, especially for students with little access to social capital and those struggling to cope in the virtual environment. The education market saw a vast emergence of tutoring platforms that left students overwhelmed with options, and parents feeling pressured to pay high fees for private tutoring. Platforms from other countries, with little understanding of the US education system, further annexed employment opportunities from seasoned American tutors. 

"We are excited and honored to be working with the Department of Education, colleges and universities, school districts, tutors, parents, and others across the State of South Carolina to launch this and other initiatives," said Ethan Fieldman, CEO of Study Edge. "Colleges can opt-in at no cost, and allow their students to work as online tutors to help pay bills during this time of high unemployment. For many colleges, Tutor Matching Service is actually a source of much needed revenue, as a $3 per-hour training and certification fee can be collected by TMS and remitted to the institution. There's even a data dashboard for each college, with many customizations and parameters. Most importantly, though, we all know that the best way to learn is to teach. So, the tutors get to cement their knowledge of the subject matter while providing the low-cost academic support that is so desperately needed across the state during the pandemic." 

School districts can also get involved, if they choose. Administrators can allow teachers to work as online tutors at night and on weekends, to supplement their income while combating the COVID slide. Especially in middle school and high school math, online tutoring has been shown to have an impact on overall student performance. Just as with colleges, school districts can also add a $3 per-hour certification fee, which TMS remits back to the district. 

For parents, this service to directly connect with South Carolina college students and teachers is certainly the least expensive way to find a high-quality online tutor. Unlike private tutoring companies that typically markup tutors' wages by 100% to 200%, the new statewide matching service takes nothing from the tutors and tacks on just a simple 10% service fee. This fee covers credit card fees and other payment and technology costs. In fact, there are many highly-effective tutors available now for less than $15 per hour. 

For years before the pandemic (BP), Dr. Monica Burns went from school to school, airport to airport, to help educators make the most of new technologies in the classroom. Now restrained to Zoom calls, she still has a unique perspective of what thousands of teachers are experiencing during this crisis. In this episode of EdTech Today, Monica explains how the edtech industry and school district leaders can help them.

Dr. Monica Burns is a Curriculum and EdTech Consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and Founder of ClassTechTips.com. As a classroom teacher, Monica used one-to-one technology to create engaging, standards-based lessons for students. Monica has presented to teachers, administrators and tech enthusiasts at numerous national and international conferences including SXSWedu, ISTE, and EduTECH. She is a webinar host for SimpleK12 and a regular contributor to Edutopia.  Monica is the author of Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality: A Scannable Solution for Your Classroom (Corwin Press, 2016) and #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scannable Formative Assessment with Technology (Corwin Press, 2017).

When she can, Dr. Burns visits school across the country to work with PreK-20 teachers to make technology integration exciting and accessible. She also provides support to organizations using technology to reach children and families in need. Her mission is to help educators place tasks before apps and promote deeper learning with technology. You can find out more about working with Monica, and her books and resources, by visiting ClassTechTips.com.

EdTech Influencer Kevin Hogan leads conversations on the future of teaching and learning.

In this episode of Edtech Today, Kevin Hogan sits down with the Managing Director of OpenStax, Daniel Williamson, to discuss his organization's efforts to offer openly licensed textbooks integrated with personalized learning technology.

Driven by the belief that everyone should have access to knowledge, OpenStax has published 42 titles for college and high school courses across science, math, social sciences, business and the humanities disciplines since 2012. It has served over 14 million students with its resources, with more than 36,000 instructors from across the world adopting an OpenStax textbook. Every book in its library is available free — forever — to students and independent learners.

When OpenStax first entered the textbook market, instructors did not widely use open educational resources as core course materials. At that time, traditional textbook publishers controlled nearly the entire course materials market. A single new textbook could cost upwards of $300, and a growing number of students were foregoing their required course materials because they were so expensive.

“When we first launched OpenStax in 2012, there was a lot of excitement but also a lot of skepticism,” said Richard Baraniuk, the Victor E. Cameron Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice and the founder and director of OpenStax. “Many wondered if we could meet the quality standard that faculty were looking for. Now, we’re trusted by tens of thousands of educators. We’ve supported millions of students. And we’ve saved those students more than $1 billion that they have reinvested in their education, their communities, their families and more.”

OpenStax has contributed to the widespread popularity of open educational resources by publishing comprehensive, peer-reviewed textbooks that are openly licensed, allowing for adaptation to fit the context of any classroom. The positive disruption in the textbook market that has led book prices to decline has been attributed to OpenStax’s work.

“We’re witnessing a moment in the education community where growing numbers of students, educators and administrators expect more from their educational materials,” said Daniel Williamson, managing director of OpenStax. “We are not alone in our understanding that free is the only price point that works to level the playing field for every student, and that flexibility affords learners and educators the academic freedom necessary to innovate in the classroom.”

Now used in 60% of degree-granting institutions in the United States, OpenStax textbooks have had a positive impact on the lives of countless college and high school students.

“Having free and unlimited access to the textbook assigned for my general chemistry sequence saved me hundreds of dollars, and I can continue to brush up on the topics in the years to come because I didn’t have to return the book,” said Veronica Mucciarone, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, in a survey conducted by OpenStax on student experiences with its resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am so incredibly grateful for this site.”

“I was trying to go beyond the classroom,” said Drew Carter, a student at Cal Poly Pomona, of his experience using OpenStax to supplement his assigned course materials. “Using the OpenStax textbook alongside the resources I was being given in class really helped me comprehend the information. What excites me is not only what OpenStax has already done, but what the open community can do in the very near future.”

OpenStax also supports independent learners like Connie Taylor, who is interested in going back to school to pursue a master’s degree in statistics. She hasn’t taken a math course in two decades and recently decided to brush up on her skills. With limited resources at her local library, she was able to rely on OpenStax to review and practice algebra and trigonometry.

When high school biology teacher Linda Bray was hired for the spring 2020 semester, she couldn’t have guessed what she would be up against. The pandemic interrupted her life, the lives of her students and her teaching plans midway through the semester. “If it had not been for OpenStax and the teacher resources that were available, I do not know what I would have done,” she said.

According to Tutor.com, one of the oldest online tutoring websites, it has reached twenty million one-to-one tutoring sessions.

For decades, efforts to reduce the racial divide on test scores has relied on federal funding to supplement efforts to boost scores among minority students, and this has seen results.

However, regardless of race, the fact is that rich and poor Americans are living, learning, and raising children in increasingly separate and unequal worlds. The income gap is huge, has not narrowed in 50 years, and leads to a large gap in test scores. For high school children, this gap averages four years between students from the highest 10% and lowest 10% income levels.

The gap starts in kindergarten and continues to widen through the eighth grade. Generally called the achievement gap, it is really an OPPORTUNITY GAP.

Students in poverty generally have fewer opportunities to succeed. They are less likely to have two parents at home; their parents are less likely to have a higher education. Children living in poverty generally attend schools with less experienced teachers, are less likely to have books in the home, and are more likely to have food insecurity and home life disruptions. Every one of these opportunity gaps have been shown to hurt learning progress and outcomes.

Two other situations slow down learning progress.

Ubiquitous learning loss experienced by low-income students over the summer

Recent analysis of reading tests given to most low-income students finds that learning loss over the summer varies dramatically. Our experience at Kids Read Now confirms this. Kids, regardless of race, income, or English language proficiency at home, can and do achieve markedly higher learning gains over the summer when parents are engaged, ensure kids read the books that they choose and we provide, and set time to discuss those books.

Talking about books, using the Discovery Sheets inside every book we mail boosts skills significantly. Each Discovery Sheet has questions and activities specifically written for the book. They ask kids to compare what they read with other knowledge they have and different characters they know (text-to-text and text-to-world), to discuss their feelings and experiences (text-to-self), and to go beyond the covers to write and draw stories that spring from the book to the world beyond (imagination/creativity).

Independent research shows that for less than 10 cents a day, kids in our program increase reading scores by 1-2 months over summer. The COVID-19 extended out-of-school time and difficulties with remote learning make this type of mailed reading intervention even more critical.

Rapidly growing dependency on screen time replacing reading time

Tweens spend 5-6 hours a day on screens and teens 7 hours or more on screens. We endorse a simple helper here: #ClickCaptionsON! is a great way for students in 4th grade and beyond to continue reading via captions while absorbing screen content. A dozen studies have shown this will build their reading abilities. Watching a show with captions on for just 30 minutes is the equivalent of reading 30 pages of a 5th grade book.

Closing the opportunity gap begins by having schools using parents as viable, valuable learning resources. Building and focusing on parental engagement processes are proven to work. These “parent training interventions” cost far less than traditional intervention programs that have not narrowed the gap in 50 years.

For more information, contact us.