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Teach For America draws fire over school strike guidance

Educationdive | February 19, 2019

Long-standing tensions between traditional public schools and Teach for America (TFA) ramped up last week, when confusion over the nonprofit's guidance on a potential teacher strike had critics claiming the group opposes teachers’ unions, The Associated Press reported.In light of a possible strike in Oakland, California, next week, hundreds of TFA alumni called out the educator placement program for suggesting that if the 58 corps members in the Oakland district participate, they could lose thousands of dollars in AmeriCorps award money promised to them at the end of their two-year obligations, according to the AP. However, TFA spokesman Jack Hardy said there was a misunderstanding and that TFA was considering supplementing the AmeriCorps award if it were to be at stake.AmeriCorps, a federal service organization that bans strikes, said the decision on how to handle picket lines is up to TFA, which Hardy said doesn't take a position on union activity. But for one TFA participant in Oakland, the organization's neutral political stance makes him "frustrated ... when not participating in the strike is a political decision," he told the AP. Over the last few decades, Teach for America has come under some harsh criticism. The program is designed, it says, to address educational inequity by finding “outstanding leaders who commit to expanding educational opportunity, beginning with at least two years teaching in an under-resourced public school.” But some critics say the two-year commitment increases teacher turnover rates in schools that can least afford it. In a 2015 study, roughly 90% of TFA teachers reported they did not plan to stay in education long-term, and today, 34% of alumni serve as P-12 teachers. Additionally, as the AP writes, "critics say its existence contradicts the teaching establishment, which values experience and longevity."

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Anthology's Blackboard Learn Earns Finalist Spot in SIIA EdTech CODiE Awards 2023

PRnewswire | May 31, 2023

Anthology, a leading provider of education solutions, today announced that its market-leading Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard Learn, has been named a finalist in the Best Learning Management System category of the prestigious SIIA EdTech CODiE Awards 2023. Developed in collaboration with educators, Blackboard Learn features a modern, intuitive, and personalized interface designed to engage learners. With time-saving tools and a streamlined design, it facilitates easy and efficient teaching and learning from any device and empowers learners and instructors with in-line data and actionable insights to help them drive improvement. "Following extensive customer engagement and collaboration, we have significantly invested in the next generation of Blackboard Learn. We turbocharged development to create powerful new features that meaningfully deepen the learning experience for both instructors and learners around the world," said Anthology Chairman and CEO Jim Milton. "Achieving recognition as a SIIA EdTech CODiE Awards 2023 finalist is affirmation that our team's dedication to providing the most intuitive and empowering educational experience is paying dividends." More than 200 new features in Blackboard Learn are powering the next generation of learning experiences. Informed by data, features like Holistic Student Overview provide a comprehensive view of a student's activity, progress, and performance. For instance, expanded visibility allows instructors to quickly identify at-risk learners and proactively support them when they need it most. Blackboard Learn was the first LMS to market with built-in features that empower self-expression and has transformed the test-taking experience with tools to reduce test anxiety like the ability to hide timers, reminders for unanswered questions, question filtering, and auto-save functionality. Blackboard Learn provides instructors with greater control over test displays and behaviors, enhancing assessment experiences through inline file rendering and customized feedback visibility. "The 2023 CODiE Award finalists highlight the products and people who are out in front, leading their industries forward," said SIIA President Chris Mohr. "These honorees continue the proud tradition of CODiE Award finalists recognizing the most impactful products, services, and leaders of their time, setting a foundation for the next generation of innovators. Congratulations to all who received this well-earned acknowledgment." About Anthology Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, supporting more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community through Anthology Intelligent Experiences™, we help learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals by offering over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. About the SIIA CODiE™ Awards The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to celebrate the vision, talent, and advances in building quality products in the Tech Industry. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for Leading Innovation and Achieving Excellence. About Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) SIIA is the only professional organization connecting more than 700 data, financial information, education technology, specialized content and publishing, and connects learners and educators. Our diverse members manage the global financial markets, develop software that solves today's challenges through technology, provide critical information that helps inform global businesses large and small, and innovate for better communication across the information ecosystem.

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WIN Learning works with JAGTN to help high school students learn career-focused soft skills

PRnewswire | May 03, 2023

Tennessee high school students can now learn essential soft skills to boost their chances for career success, thanks to WIN Learning and Jobs for America's Graduates Tennessee (JAGTN).WIN Learning is a national leading developer of career readiness solutions, and it is partnering with JAGTN, a non-profit organization helping students graduate, to strengthen the future workforce with soft skills training. WIN Learning is proud to partner with JAGTN to offer students in the 2022-2023 school year the opportunity to earn the National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Credential. JAGTN is classified as a College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) course through the Tennessee Department of Education. "WIN's mission has always been to ensure that learners have the necessary skills to succeed in life and in their careers," said founder and CEO Teresa Chasteen-Dunn. "We are excited about this opportunity to help Tennessee students build their soft skills and set themselves up for future success." Students will work through the WIN Essential Soft Skills courseware, which comprises blended online and offline solutions helping learners develop and demonstrate attitudinal and behavioral skills essential to success in the workplace and school. The WIN Essential Soft Skills Courseware consists of four modules: Communicating Effectively, Conveying Professionalism, Promoting Teamwork and Collaboration, and Thinking Critically and Solving Problems. These competencies are a key component of WIN's comprehensive approach to preparing students for success and providing future employers with workplace-ready candidates. At the end of the class, students will take WIN Learning's National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Assessment, a career-contextualized assessment that goes beyond the concept knowledge evaluated by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests and other academic end-of-course and college entrance exams. The WIN assessment measures students' ability to apply the foundational workplace skills required across all occupations and industries. The National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Credential correlates to the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET Content Model Framework, the nation's leading source of occupational data, and is endorsed by the National Work Ready Council, a national nonprofit workforce development, training, and advocacy organization. About WIN Learning Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career readiness solutions to help business, industry, workforce and districts prepare pathways for students' and job seekers' futures, whether they are college, trade school, military or workplace bound. WIN's e-learning solutions include academic and employability skills courseware, assessments, and nationally recognized credentials endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council .To date, more than 10 million students worldwide have participated in the specialized career-driven courseware and education intervention initiatives as well as career readiness certification programs. About JAGTN Since 1981, JAGTN's mission is to identify students who face barriers to graduation, guiding each one toward post-secondary education, a meaningful career, and a productive adulthood, with a purpose to improve young lives forever. JAGTN serves 31 schools across 20 Tennessee counties.

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Academic Programs International Introduces Fare Finder™

PRnewswire | June 05, 2023

Academic Programs International (API), the experiential learning organization leading advances in education technology and career-accelerating experiential programs globally, has announced a new app called Fare Finder™ that offers students and faculty significant savings on airfare for all educational travel. Available through the APIConnect platform, the Fare Finder app is just one of the many new technology solutions API is launching as the company works to reduce the financial barriers that prevent students from participating in experiential programs, such as study abroad anglobal internships. Students using Fare Finder can choose from a wide variety of discounted rates for their education-related travel with major airlines. In addition to lower prices, Fare Finder provides: • Access to more favorable terms and conditions, such as increased schedule change flexibility and free baggage, in most cases • 24/7 assistance so students will always be supported if an emergency arises • Ability to hold flights and share itineraries ahead of purchasing to allow time for trip planning • Comprehensive search and sort filters, such as price, quickest route, most sustainable/greenest route, and more • A simple booking process that allows students to compare options and book a flight in just a couple of minutes • Upon arrival, airport pick-up service through API concierge "All students and faculty can use the Fare Finder app to access discounted airfare for their educational travel needs," said Patrick Vogt, CEO. "The APIConnect platform and our Fare Finder app are key pieces of the puzzle allowing us to achieve our purpose of encouraging students of all ages to learn through experience. This is why we are actively building apps that support all students — beyond just those participating in API programs. Making educational travel more affordable will increase access for all. Whether it is travel from home to college, travel for a study or intern abroad program with any provider, travel for a college exchange program, or travel by faculty members for research or to educational conferences, Fare Finder can serve them all. With the help of Fare Finder, we hope that millions of students will be able to gain an experience they otherwise thought they could not afford." About Academic Programs International (API) Academic Programs International (API) encourages students of all ages to embark on a lifelong experiential educational journey that enriches lives, communities and organizations and helps every student, college and company to achieve their goals. Through the creation of APIConnect, an experiential education technology platform, the company helps colleges, universities, and students create and discover learning experiences customized to meet their needs. APIConnect offers a vast library of destinations, accredited courses, internships, and original programming geared toward maximizing students' college experiences so they are better prepared for the workforce upon graduation. Based in Austin, TX, API sends thousands of students on hundreds of programs every year, both virtually and in nearly 70 cities in 26 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East.

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Anthology's Blackboard Learn Earns Finalist Spot in SIIA EdTech CODiE Awards 2023

PRnewswire | May 31, 2023

Anthology, a leading provider of education solutions, today announced that its market-leading Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard Learn, has been named a finalist in the Best Learning Management System category of the prestigious SIIA EdTech CODiE Awards 2023. Developed in collaboration with educators, Blackboard Learn features a modern, intuitive, and personalized interface designed to engage learners. With time-saving tools and a streamlined design, it facilitates easy and efficient teaching and learning from any device and empowers learners and instructors with in-line data and actionable insights to help them drive improvement. "Following extensive customer engagement and collaboration, we have significantly invested in the next generation of Blackboard Learn. We turbocharged development to create powerful new features that meaningfully deepen the learning experience for both instructors and learners around the world," said Anthology Chairman and CEO Jim Milton. "Achieving recognition as a SIIA EdTech CODiE Awards 2023 finalist is affirmation that our team's dedication to providing the most intuitive and empowering educational experience is paying dividends." More than 200 new features in Blackboard Learn are powering the next generation of learning experiences. Informed by data, features like Holistic Student Overview provide a comprehensive view of a student's activity, progress, and performance. For instance, expanded visibility allows instructors to quickly identify at-risk learners and proactively support them when they need it most. Blackboard Learn was the first LMS to market with built-in features that empower self-expression and has transformed the test-taking experience with tools to reduce test anxiety like the ability to hide timers, reminders for unanswered questions, question filtering, and auto-save functionality. Blackboard Learn provides instructors with greater control over test displays and behaviors, enhancing assessment experiences through inline file rendering and customized feedback visibility. "The 2023 CODiE Award finalists highlight the products and people who are out in front, leading their industries forward," said SIIA President Chris Mohr. "These honorees continue the proud tradition of CODiE Award finalists recognizing the most impactful products, services, and leaders of their time, setting a foundation for the next generation of innovators. Congratulations to all who received this well-earned acknowledgment." About Anthology Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, supporting more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community through Anthology Intelligent Experiences™, we help learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals by offering over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. About the SIIA CODiE™ Awards The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to celebrate the vision, talent, and advances in building quality products in the Tech Industry. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for Leading Innovation and Achieving Excellence. About Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) SIIA is the only professional organization connecting more than 700 data, financial information, education technology, specialized content and publishing, and connects learners and educators. Our diverse members manage the global financial markets, develop software that solves today's challenges through technology, provide critical information that helps inform global businesses large and small, and innovate for better communication across the information ecosystem.

Read More

CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS

WIN Learning works with JAGTN to help high school students learn career-focused soft skills

PRnewswire | May 03, 2023

Tennessee high school students can now learn essential soft skills to boost their chances for career success, thanks to WIN Learning and Jobs for America's Graduates Tennessee (JAGTN).WIN Learning is a national leading developer of career readiness solutions, and it is partnering with JAGTN, a non-profit organization helping students graduate, to strengthen the future workforce with soft skills training. WIN Learning is proud to partner with JAGTN to offer students in the 2022-2023 school year the opportunity to earn the National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Credential. JAGTN is classified as a College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) course through the Tennessee Department of Education. "WIN's mission has always been to ensure that learners have the necessary skills to succeed in life and in their careers," said founder and CEO Teresa Chasteen-Dunn. "We are excited about this opportunity to help Tennessee students build their soft skills and set themselves up for future success." Students will work through the WIN Essential Soft Skills courseware, which comprises blended online and offline solutions helping learners develop and demonstrate attitudinal and behavioral skills essential to success in the workplace and school. The WIN Essential Soft Skills Courseware consists of four modules: Communicating Effectively, Conveying Professionalism, Promoting Teamwork and Collaboration, and Thinking Critically and Solving Problems. These competencies are a key component of WIN's comprehensive approach to preparing students for success and providing future employers with workplace-ready candidates. At the end of the class, students will take WIN Learning's National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Assessment, a career-contextualized assessment that goes beyond the concept knowledge evaluated by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests and other academic end-of-course and college entrance exams. The WIN assessment measures students' ability to apply the foundational workplace skills required across all occupations and industries. The National Work Readiness Essential Soft Skills Credential correlates to the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET Content Model Framework, the nation's leading source of occupational data, and is endorsed by the National Work Ready Council, a national nonprofit workforce development, training, and advocacy organization. About WIN Learning Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career readiness solutions to help business, industry, workforce and districts prepare pathways for students' and job seekers' futures, whether they are college, trade school, military or workplace bound. WIN's e-learning solutions include academic and employability skills courseware, assessments, and nationally recognized credentials endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council .To date, more than 10 million students worldwide have participated in the specialized career-driven courseware and education intervention initiatives as well as career readiness certification programs. About JAGTN Since 1981, JAGTN's mission is to identify students who face barriers to graduation, guiding each one toward post-secondary education, a meaningful career, and a productive adulthood, with a purpose to improve young lives forever. JAGTN serves 31 schools across 20 Tennessee counties.

Read More

CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS

Academic Programs International Introduces Fare Finder™

PRnewswire | June 05, 2023

Academic Programs International (API), the experiential learning organization leading advances in education technology and career-accelerating experiential programs globally, has announced a new app called Fare Finder™ that offers students and faculty significant savings on airfare for all educational travel. Available through the APIConnect platform, the Fare Finder app is just one of the many new technology solutions API is launching as the company works to reduce the financial barriers that prevent students from participating in experiential programs, such as study abroad anglobal internships. Students using Fare Finder can choose from a wide variety of discounted rates for their education-related travel with major airlines. In addition to lower prices, Fare Finder provides: • Access to more favorable terms and conditions, such as increased schedule change flexibility and free baggage, in most cases • 24/7 assistance so students will always be supported if an emergency arises • Ability to hold flights and share itineraries ahead of purchasing to allow time for trip planning • Comprehensive search and sort filters, such as price, quickest route, most sustainable/greenest route, and more • A simple booking process that allows students to compare options and book a flight in just a couple of minutes • Upon arrival, airport pick-up service through API concierge "All students and faculty can use the Fare Finder app to access discounted airfare for their educational travel needs," said Patrick Vogt, CEO. "The APIConnect platform and our Fare Finder app are key pieces of the puzzle allowing us to achieve our purpose of encouraging students of all ages to learn through experience. This is why we are actively building apps that support all students — beyond just those participating in API programs. Making educational travel more affordable will increase access for all. Whether it is travel from home to college, travel for a study or intern abroad program with any provider, travel for a college exchange program, or travel by faculty members for research or to educational conferences, Fare Finder can serve them all. With the help of Fare Finder, we hope that millions of students will be able to gain an experience they otherwise thought they could not afford." About Academic Programs International (API) Academic Programs International (API) encourages students of all ages to embark on a lifelong experiential educational journey that enriches lives, communities and organizations and helps every student, college and company to achieve their goals. Through the creation of APIConnect, an experiential education technology platform, the company helps colleges, universities, and students create and discover learning experiences customized to meet their needs. APIConnect offers a vast library of destinations, accredited courses, internships, and original programming geared toward maximizing students' college experiences so they are better prepared for the workforce upon graduation. Based in Austin, TX, API sends thousands of students on hundreds of programs every year, both virtually and in nearly 70 cities in 26 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East.

Read More

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