School districts ask for dismissal of teacher union lawsuit challenging Best and Brightest bonuses

January 24, 2018 | 226 views

Thirty-eight school districts sued by the Florida Education Association in September say the state's Best and Brightest teacher bonus program isn't their idea, and they shouldn't be held accountable for its existence. The districts have asked the U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida to dismiss the case against them. If anything, they contended, the teachers should pursue their case against the Florida Department of Education."The School Districts serve only a ministerial role in the State Program, giving FDOE the names of eligible teachers pursuant to the specific criteria and guidances handed down by the state and acting as a 'pass-through' for the scholarship funds. Thus, the Court should dismiss the School Districts and Plaintiffs should seek relief against FDOE only," the districts' lawyers wrote in their filing.

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National Student Clearinghouse

The mission of the National Student Clearinghouse is to serve the education and workforce communities and all learners with access to trusted data, related services, and insights.We help educational institutions improve efficiency, reduce costs and workload, and enhance the quality of services they provide to their students and alumni, lending institutions, employers, and other organizations.

OTHER ARTICLES
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

How to use an LMS to simulate the publishing process with undergrads

Article | July 15, 2022

As a quick side note, the saying should be “publish in English or perish”, but we will tackle multilingualism in the academic world on a different occasion. While in some contexts the constant pressure to publish may have its disadvantages – the first that comes to mind being that it favors quantity over quality – it is not hard to understand why publishing is so important in the academic world. Publishing your results is essential for the advancement of science. As a researcher, you read what others have done in your field and then you try to identify how you might contribute with a novel approach, a clever solution, or a different idea.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

10 European EdTech startups changing the face of education in 2020

Article | August 4, 2022

Edtech has changed the face of learning and the whole concept what a school is. A decade ago, a university was an old building in the city where you went to get an education – nowadays there are MOOCs available online, with enrollment numbers skyrocketing. Coding used to be reserved for talented IT professionals – now kids learn to code before they even know the alphabet. Virtual reality was a Star Trek-like feature that we only saw in the movies – today it’s a highly efficient classroom tool.

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

Is education the new currency?

Article | November 15, 2022

To prosper in an era of technological disruption we’re told we need to become lifelong learners, and to nurture skills like creativity, adaptability and emotional intelligence. But there’s often little guidance on how to do this; navigating the bewildering array of educational options at our fingertips can be a daunting task. What if there was a way to quantify the value of each university module, training course or career choice, and map how they would shape your skills and the opportunities available to you?

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HOW MUCH SHOULD YOUR ONLINE EDUCATION COST?

Article | February 10, 2020

Digital learning is more than a fad. It has become a preference. The interest in online education has grown significantly over the last decade. Enrollment has been increasing by 17% annually, and one out of every three college students has taken an online course. There’s much to love about online education. It’s a convenient way to attend class, and digital learning offers many of the perks you’d see in a traditional classroom, like socialization and student response opportunities. Online education has the additional benefit of engaging students through gamification and simulations. The only thing amiss about the online education experience is the price. Online education is expensive.

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Spotlight

National Student Clearinghouse

The mission of the National Student Clearinghouse is to serve the education and workforce communities and all learners with access to trusted data, related services, and insights.We help educational institutions improve efficiency, reduce costs and workload, and enhance the quality of services they provide to their students and alumni, lending institutions, employers, and other organizations.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

University of Nebraska Omaha Adds YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform To Suite of Ed-Tech Tools

businesswire | March 27, 2023

Part of the University of Nebraska System, the University of Nebraska Omaha has bolstered its commitment to accessibility by adding YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform to the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform and Zoom Connector, both of which were deployed last year. The University serves more than 15,000 students at its Omaha campus. YuJa Panorama replaces the college’s previous digital accessibility tool to provide a comprehensive, streamlined approach to delivering accessible, engaging video and media content to students. In addition, YuJa Panorama will help course creators pinpoint and correct accessibility issues, as well as improve the learning experience by driving inclusivity as a key and measurable objective. YuJa Panorama integrates directly with Canvas, the institution’s learning management system. “At YuJa, we work to help institutions streamline their educational technology with a single, comprehensive and scalable suite of tools that can help instructors and students be successful,” said Nathan Arora, Chief Business Officer at YuJa, Inc. “We’re always pleased when one of our customers sees value in one of our products and expands to meet more technology needs institutionally.” ABOUT YUJA, INC. YuJa is a leader in ed-tech solutions. Our platforms provide organizations of all sizes with the tools to educate, engage, inspire and collaborate. We serve learning enterprises within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate. We have legal headquarters in Delaware with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Canadian offices in Toronto.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Procare Solutions Launches Integrated Assessments for Child Care Centers to Track Young Children's Growth and Development

PRnewswire | March 23, 2023

Procare Solutions is pleased to offer a new way for child care centers to bolster their educational offerings by including integrated assessments within Procare's classroom management capability. With the release of Vine Assessments™, Procare Solutions has become the only provider of child care management software to offer integrated proprietary early childhood assessments for children from birth to 5 years old at no additional cost. Vine Assessments is an integrated framework that gives early childhood educators and staff a way to clearly articulate the growth and development of children in their care. It includes clear and easy childhood assessments that align with all 50 state standards and provides developmental continuums with 21 goals that apply to children from birth to age 5 as they prepare for kindergarten. "When early childhood educators can provide a robust assessment to their children and families, it elevates the learning and development of the children in their care and helps transform their businesses into true early childhood education programs," said Jon Pollock, chief product officer of Procare Solutions. With 91% agreement rate among child care professionals, Vine Assessments are easy to use and understand. Child care centers are leading providers of early childhood education and are at the forefront of addressing delays to help young learners recover from setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Children born during the pandemic are scoring lower on average on tests of gross motor, fine motor, social and problem-solving skills compared with those born before COVID-19, studies have shown. In addition to learning delays, many of these children are talking, walking and interacting later and less frequently. "Children need age-appropriate assessments well before entering kindergarten, as well as assessments that teachers of all experience levels can conduct accurately and without additional stress during their already busy days," said JoAnn Kintzel, CEO of Procare Solutions. "We are continually looking for ways to help centers foster the growth of children in their care, which is something Vine Assessments can help achieve." "The list of 21 goals is a solid list that providers will find familiar and useful. The numbering system is very intuitive and helpful for navigating the instrument," said Dr. Kristen Burmester, director of administration and operations of the early childhood education program at the University of California at Berkeley. Teachers using Procare will be able to tie their lessons and observations directly to the appropriate Vine Assessment indicator from the web-based software and Procare child care mobile app. The simplicity of the Vine Assessments for teachers is what won over Melissa L. Hood, director of early childhood education at the Calvert School in Baltimore. Her center uses Vine Assessments for all 150 kids at their two centers. "Assessments provided by the state were too cumbersome and more suited to elementary school-aged children," she said. "They sometimes were 15 pages long and too difficult for parents to decipher." A childhood assessment conducted through Vine Assessments offered a better alternative. "It's to the point, it's accurate, it relates to age-appropriateness," she said. "Our teachers like Vine Assessments much better than the state-provided assessments." About Procare Solutions For more than 30 years, Procare Solutions has been the leading provider of child care management software, family engagement, integrated payment processing, technology and services. Procare is used by two out of three child care businesses that use child care management software. The company supports more than 37,000 child care centers, preschools, daycares, after school programs, camps and related facilities with comprehensive software that has the power to manage every aspect of their business, enrich classroom and family interactions, and automate the payment process. Procare offers web-based, on-premises and cloud-hosting solutions and supports customers of all sizes from single-center operations to complex multinational enterprises.

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CORPORATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING

StrongMind(SM) Rostering Earns 1EdTech Certification for OneRoster® 1.1

StrongMind | March 21, 2023

StrongMind recently earned the 1EdTech™ certification for OneRoster® 1.1 for its StrongMind Rostering product. With OneRoster, schools can securely and reliably exchange roster information, course resources, and grades between learning tools, platforms and systems, saving educators time in their already busy days. Using OneRoster to reduce the administrative burdens of ensuring the technology works, gives educators the space and time to leverage their tools to create more impactful and personalized learning experiences. StrongMind is invested in the mission of 1EdTech, as a Contributing Member of the member-led, non-profit ed tech organization that is accelerating the digital transformation of learning. As such, StrongMind prioritizes privacy and security for student data and interoperability among systems, leading to ease of use for StrongMind products by schools. StrongMind Rostering helps teachers and administrators easily share student information between different education programs, such as class rosters, grades and enrollment data. With StrongMind Rostering, districts and schools can save time and reduce errors because it utilizes the 1EdTech One Roster specification, making it easy to use and ensuring security of student information. Schools can say goodbye to manually transferring data between systems and hello to seamless information exchange with StrongMind Rostering. "We are excited to announce the adoption of the OneRoster specification for our StrongMind Rostering product, which will enhance our product's interoperability and streamline data management for educators, ultimately improving student outcomes," said Derek Neighbors, Senior Vice President Technology, StrongMind. "To earn this certification, StrongMind had to put in the work and not only say they complied with the OneRoster standards but prove they made it work," said 1EdTech Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Rob Abel. "With this certification, it will be easier for StrongMind's customers to get the data they need when and where they need it." About StrongMind StrongMind partners with schools for forward-thinking solutions to address unique challenges. With engaging digital curriculum and SEL, a suite of edtech tools, services, and clear insights, we maximize student achievement and help schools thrive. With multiple Digital Promise Research-Design certifications and more than 60 awards, we innovate into the future.

Read More

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

University of Nebraska Omaha Adds YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform To Suite of Ed-Tech Tools

businesswire | March 27, 2023

Part of the University of Nebraska System, the University of Nebraska Omaha has bolstered its commitment to accessibility by adding YuJa Panorama Digital Accessibility Platform to the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform and Zoom Connector, both of which were deployed last year. The University serves more than 15,000 students at its Omaha campus. YuJa Panorama replaces the college’s previous digital accessibility tool to provide a comprehensive, streamlined approach to delivering accessible, engaging video and media content to students. In addition, YuJa Panorama will help course creators pinpoint and correct accessibility issues, as well as improve the learning experience by driving inclusivity as a key and measurable objective. YuJa Panorama integrates directly with Canvas, the institution’s learning management system. “At YuJa, we work to help institutions streamline their educational technology with a single, comprehensive and scalable suite of tools that can help instructors and students be successful,” said Nathan Arora, Chief Business Officer at YuJa, Inc. “We’re always pleased when one of our customers sees value in one of our products and expands to meet more technology needs institutionally.” ABOUT YUJA, INC. YuJa is a leader in ed-tech solutions. Our platforms provide organizations of all sizes with the tools to educate, engage, inspire and collaborate. We serve learning enterprises within all sectors, including higher-ed, K-12, government, healthcare, non-profit and corporate. We have legal headquarters in Delaware with primary U.S. offices in Silicon Valley, California, and Canadian offices in Toronto.

Read More

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Procare Solutions Launches Integrated Assessments for Child Care Centers to Track Young Children's Growth and Development

PRnewswire | March 23, 2023

Procare Solutions is pleased to offer a new way for child care centers to bolster their educational offerings by including integrated assessments within Procare's classroom management capability. With the release of Vine Assessments™, Procare Solutions has become the only provider of child care management software to offer integrated proprietary early childhood assessments for children from birth to 5 years old at no additional cost. Vine Assessments is an integrated framework that gives early childhood educators and staff a way to clearly articulate the growth and development of children in their care. It includes clear and easy childhood assessments that align with all 50 state standards and provides developmental continuums with 21 goals that apply to children from birth to age 5 as they prepare for kindergarten. "When early childhood educators can provide a robust assessment to their children and families, it elevates the learning and development of the children in their care and helps transform their businesses into true early childhood education programs," said Jon Pollock, chief product officer of Procare Solutions. With 91% agreement rate among child care professionals, Vine Assessments are easy to use and understand. Child care centers are leading providers of early childhood education and are at the forefront of addressing delays to help young learners recover from setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Children born during the pandemic are scoring lower on average on tests of gross motor, fine motor, social and problem-solving skills compared with those born before COVID-19, studies have shown. In addition to learning delays, many of these children are talking, walking and interacting later and less frequently. "Children need age-appropriate assessments well before entering kindergarten, as well as assessments that teachers of all experience levels can conduct accurately and without additional stress during their already busy days," said JoAnn Kintzel, CEO of Procare Solutions. "We are continually looking for ways to help centers foster the growth of children in their care, which is something Vine Assessments can help achieve." "The list of 21 goals is a solid list that providers will find familiar and useful. The numbering system is very intuitive and helpful for navigating the instrument," said Dr. Kristen Burmester, director of administration and operations of the early childhood education program at the University of California at Berkeley. Teachers using Procare will be able to tie their lessons and observations directly to the appropriate Vine Assessment indicator from the web-based software and Procare child care mobile app. The simplicity of the Vine Assessments for teachers is what won over Melissa L. Hood, director of early childhood education at the Calvert School in Baltimore. Her center uses Vine Assessments for all 150 kids at their two centers. "Assessments provided by the state were too cumbersome and more suited to elementary school-aged children," she said. "They sometimes were 15 pages long and too difficult for parents to decipher." A childhood assessment conducted through Vine Assessments offered a better alternative. "It's to the point, it's accurate, it relates to age-appropriateness," she said. "Our teachers like Vine Assessments much better than the state-provided assessments." About Procare Solutions For more than 30 years, Procare Solutions has been the leading provider of child care management software, family engagement, integrated payment processing, technology and services. Procare is used by two out of three child care businesses that use child care management software. The company supports more than 37,000 child care centers, preschools, daycares, after school programs, camps and related facilities with comprehensive software that has the power to manage every aspect of their business, enrich classroom and family interactions, and automate the payment process. Procare offers web-based, on-premises and cloud-hosting solutions and supports customers of all sizes from single-center operations to complex multinational enterprises.

Read More

CORPORATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING

StrongMind(SM) Rostering Earns 1EdTech Certification for OneRoster® 1.1

StrongMind | March 21, 2023

StrongMind recently earned the 1EdTech™ certification for OneRoster® 1.1 for its StrongMind Rostering product. With OneRoster, schools can securely and reliably exchange roster information, course resources, and grades between learning tools, platforms and systems, saving educators time in their already busy days. Using OneRoster to reduce the administrative burdens of ensuring the technology works, gives educators the space and time to leverage their tools to create more impactful and personalized learning experiences. StrongMind is invested in the mission of 1EdTech, as a Contributing Member of the member-led, non-profit ed tech organization that is accelerating the digital transformation of learning. As such, StrongMind prioritizes privacy and security for student data and interoperability among systems, leading to ease of use for StrongMind products by schools. StrongMind Rostering helps teachers and administrators easily share student information between different education programs, such as class rosters, grades and enrollment data. With StrongMind Rostering, districts and schools can save time and reduce errors because it utilizes the 1EdTech One Roster specification, making it easy to use and ensuring security of student information. Schools can say goodbye to manually transferring data between systems and hello to seamless information exchange with StrongMind Rostering. "We are excited to announce the adoption of the OneRoster specification for our StrongMind Rostering product, which will enhance our product's interoperability and streamline data management for educators, ultimately improving student outcomes," said Derek Neighbors, Senior Vice President Technology, StrongMind. "To earn this certification, StrongMind had to put in the work and not only say they complied with the OneRoster standards but prove they made it work," said 1EdTech Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Rob Abel. "With this certification, it will be easier for StrongMind's customers to get the data they need when and where they need it." About StrongMind StrongMind partners with schools for forward-thinking solutions to address unique challenges. With engaging digital curriculum and SEL, a suite of edtech tools, services, and clear insights, we maximize student achievement and help schools thrive. With multiple Digital Promise Research-Design certifications and more than 60 awards, we innovate into the future.

Read More

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