RISE 2019: DeVos calls $5B school choice proposal 'critical' for nation's students

educationdive | April 12, 2019

Nearly two months after U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos unveiled her latest school choice-centered proposal, she addressed an audience of hundreds Thursday on why its companion legislation needs to pass in Congress.Speaking at the 2019 Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE) and sitting alongside Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz — who introduced Senate Bill 634 at the end of February — DeVos said Education Freedom Scholarships (EFS) "will ultimately mean a better education for more kids." "We’ve encouraged people to think very broadly about what school choice can mean," she said, calling the initiative "critical in continuing to ... boost the momentum to offer more choice for more kids."Under the proposal, taxpayers can choose to contribute to the program in exchange for dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits, meant to foster choice, that are capped at $5 billion annually. The credits would be for private donations to scholarship-granting organizations, and states could use the funds for dual enrollment, private schools, homeschooling and more.

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ChildCare Education Institute Launches PROF110: Family-Teacher Conferences

Globenewswire | May 17, 2023

ChildCare Education Institute® (CCEI), one of the largest online training providers dedicated exclusively to the early care and education workforce, is pleased to introduce its newest course, PROF110: Family-Teacher Conferences. Family-teacher conferences are essential for maintaining an effective educational program. Research has shown time and time again that family involvement is one of the critical factors in a child’s school success. For many families, the family-teacher conference is a valuable time to connect with the teacher and classroom, other than brief interactions during drop-off and pick-up. Family-teacher conferences provide an opportunity for families to share their expectations and better understand the teacher′s practices and goals. For the teacher understanding the family′s expectations and the child′s home culture makes it easier for the teacher to adjust the curriculum to make it more culturally relevant for the child. In the end, families and teachers must be flexible and keep the child′s best interests in mind. Often, teachers can improve the effectiveness of their program for everyone by incorporating aspects of the home culture of different children into the curriculum. “Families and teachers can learn a lot by sharing and comparing their viewpoints,” says Leslie Coleman, Education Director for CCEI. “Ultimately, this exchange benefits the child, as teachers and families gain valuable information and can adjust child-rearing and teaching styles to help meet the child′s specific needs.” Well-managed family-teacher conferences strengthen essential partnerships between teachers and families that ultimately benefit our youngest learners. In this course, participants will learn the primary goals of family-teacher conferences along with strategies associated with planning for, conducting, and following up after conferences. In addition, the course will cover recommended practices for sharing assessment results with families, including when and how to make referrals to early intervention agencies. PROF110: Family-Teacher Conferences is a two-hour, beginner-level course and grants 0.2 IACET CEU upon successful completion. Current CCEI users with active, unlimited annual subscriptions can register for professional development courses at no additional cost when logged in to their CCEI account. Users without subscriptions can purchase child care training courses as block hours through CCEI online enrollment. About ChildCare Education Institute, a StraighterLine Company ChildCare Education Institute® provides high-quality, distance education certificates and child care training programs in an array of child care settings, including preschool centers, family child care, prekindergarten classrooms, nanny care, online daycare training and more. Over 200+ English and Spanish child care training courses are available online to meet licensing, recognition program, and Head Start Requirements. CCEI also has online certification programs that provide the coursework requirement for national credentials including the CDA, Director and Early Childhood Credentials. CCEI, a Council for Professional Recognition approved training partner, is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and as an IACET Accredited Provider, offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard.

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ONLINE EDUCATION

Ellucian Partners with SenecaLab to Expand Digital Transformation for Higher Education in Panama

PRnewswire | May 19, 2023

Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, today announced a partnership with SenecaLab, a Panamanian company that has been selected by Forbes as one of the 30 promising businesses in Central America, to successfully resell Ellucian solutions in Panama and in other parts of Latin America. This partnership will broaden Ellucian's reach in Latin America, introducing best-in-class products and services, with the help of SenecaLab's deep expertise in the region. In collaboration with SenecaLab, Ellucian will help colleges and universities meet and exceed their strategic goals and drive student success across Panama. Ellucian solutions allow higher education institutions to focus on learning the needs of students by simplifying complex registration, enrollment and administrative processes. For faculty and staff, Ellucian enables greater visibility and transparency supporting data-driven decision making across institutions. "Ellucian is the leading provider of technology to higher education institutions in North America, and together with SenecaLab's unique knowledge of Panama's education system and expertise with both local and regional regulations, we will help scale digital transformation for higher education in Panama," said Jeff Dinski, Chief Strategy and Corporate Developement Officer, Ellucian. "Standardizing and unifying data will make it easier for institutions across the country to plan and share information to ensure greater student experiences and access to education." "Digital transformation is a priority for higher education institutions, and SenecaLab is pleased with this alliance. It will allow us to accompany higher education institutions, because we understand their challenges, and contribute in areas such as change management, leadership, and processes that end up being decisive in the success of institutional modernization. Together, with the most flexible, secure and proven Ellucian technology, as well as best practices from the best universities in the world, we will lead them to effectively develop their full potential," said Adriana Angarita, CEO and Founder, SenecaLab. About Ellucian Ellucian powers innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,900 customers across 50 countries, serving 22 million students. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, including data-rich tools for student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners and user community of more than 45,000 provides best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes. About SenecaLab Panamanian company that develops educational projects based on technology for competitiveness and measurement of educational quality in Latin America. We design solutions to empower human beings and connect them with society. Integrated by professionals with extensive experience in higher education, we accompany institutions through their processes aimed at their success.

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Echo360 Launches Innovative EdTech SaaS Platforms Across Echosystem

PRnewswire | April 11, 2023

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