ONLINE EDUCATION
Fearless Futures | November 18, 2022
Today, Fearless Futures, an international diversity, equity and inclusion training and consultancy firm, announces the launch of its premier E-learning program, E-learning: Foundations to Inclusion and Equity, which educates participants on how to build inclusion and equity into their organization. Known for its transformative virtual and in-person trainings, Fearless Futures expands the accessibility of its educational offerings with this E-learning tool, enabling smaller companies, as well as corporations with teams too large to make instructor-led live training for all feasible, to advance their own anti-oppression learning in a cost-effective manner and at their own pace. Through the program, Fearless Futures pushes e-learning to a higher level of effectiveness by keeping participants deeply invested through engaging facilitators and short chapters, while also preserving the gravity of the subject matters. Unlike typical online DEI trainings, which are mainly intended to avoid workplace litigation and therefore set a very low bar in terms of actual education, this program covers the foundational concepts of systemic oppression, intersectionality and equity. The studio-produced experience, which includes interactions, engaging animations and historical footage, is slightly over two hours and structured in 17 bitesize video chapters, interspersed with activities. Foundations to Inclusion and Equity is available globally in English with captions in different languages upon request and accessible on computers and mobile devices.
"Making intersectional equity and inclusion education available to a large audience has always been a driving force of our organization and we are thrilled to now offer a tool that expands accessibility as well as affordability,We believe that everyone has a right to this education, which is key to achieving profound change. Now, from the palm of their hands or within their homes, folks can participate in the in-depth analysis required to understand intersecting oppressive systems that exist in our workplaces with our E-learning tool."
Hanna Naima McCloskey, founder and CEO of Fearless Futures.
Initially developed to support schools' DEI efforts in 2014, Fearless Futures was founded by Hanna Naima McCloskey, now a seasoned facilitator and educator, to give students the tools to engage with the nuance and complexity of oppression. Following the organization's initial success, Hanna expanded Fearless Futures' teachings to cater to leaders in the corporate world in 2016, a demographic in urgent need of anti-oppression training. Since then, Fearless Futures has served employees of all levels, from c-suite leadership to junior staff working in organizations across a variety of industries including technology, finance, media and more.
About Fearless Futures
Fearless Futures is a diversity, equity and inclusion training and consultancy firm that facilitates transformative learning experiences by actively challenging the root causes and intersections of inequities as well as their lived realities. The firm serves daring companies across sectors including tech, finance, media and more who are unafraid to engage in courageous analysis and actions and are committed to deep change across their organizational ecosystems. Fearless Futures envisions a world in which each person and organization possesses and actively practices the skills and tools to design equity into their everyday lives in service of affording access to freedom, legitimacy, dignity, safety and belonging for those who live with inequity. Founded in the UK in 2014 by Hanna Naima McCloskey, Fearless Futures specializes in globally relevant, robust analyses of inequities in the workplace and how they produce unequal and harmful outcomes for marginalized groups, applying its intersectional methodology to design equitable policies and processes.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Penda Learning | November 16, 2022
Penda Learning, a Learning 2020 company, announced today that it has finalized an agreement with Scantron for the use of more than 14,500 assessment items in 11 assessment banks that span all science disciplines. These items will be used to expand the assessments currently available with Penda Science — a game-based science curriculum for grades 3–8, physical science, environmental science, and biology. — to include all NGSS performance expectations and state-specific science standards. Unlike traditional assessments, Penda Science interactive assessments challenge students to achieve high scores that earn them points to unlock virtual worlds, customize their avatars, and more. Teachers and administrators can use the line item analysis data to pinpoint learning gaps and personalize instruction within the Penda Science platform for small groups and individuals to help students achieve science mastery.
"This agreement will dramatically accelerate the development of comprehensive assessments within Penda Science. High-quality, validated assessments are critical for teachers to make informed decisions about instruction and intervention in order to support science learning success for all students. We are excited to be able to offer students a more interactive and engaging assessment experience and educators the reliable data they need."
Brad Baird, President/CEO of Learning 2020
The new assessment development is slated to be completed by April 2023. Assessments will be available for diagnostic, formative, and summative purposes. Also new to the Penda assessment suite will be a "quick check" assessment for teachers to use before, during, or after a unit to gauge student learning in order to plan or modify instruction to align with student knowledge.
About Learning 2020
Learning 2020, parent company to Penda Learning, is dedicated to identifying pressing, unfilled needs within the K-12 education market and developing technology solutions that solve these challenges in innovative and cost-effective ways that will positively impact teaching and learning. Formed in early 2019 by Brad Baird and Bill Tudor, experienced education technology entrepreneurs, Learning 2020's current focus is on ensuring all students have access to high-quality STEM instruction whether learning at home or in school.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Learning A-Z | January 12, 2023
Learning A-Z, a subsidiary of the Cambium Learning Group, has announced the addition of its totally redesigned Writing A-Z® product to its superior range of learning solutions. Writing A-Z is a new and improved curriculum option for K–5 students that draw on the Learning A-Z principles of valuing the teacher at the center of the classroom. In addition, the platform provides teachers with customizable, user-friendly tools that foster excellent student results.
In addition, Learning A-Z has, for the first time, made a Teacher Grant Program available to K–5 educators interested in discovering new and innovative ways to improve student writing achievement. The winners of the grants will receive a one-year subscription to Writing A-Z. The application deadline for awards is January 31, 2023, and grants will be distributed on February 10, 2023.
Lisa O'Masta, President of Learning A-Z, said, "Writing is an essential part of K–5 education and deeply connected to the instruction of literacy." She further added, "The most recent NAEP writing scores show that nearly ¾ of students in grades 8-12 are not writing at a proficient level. Because students write daily and the practice is a foundation of their educational experience, we've recognized the need for new writing tools that are even more innovative and easy to use and are committed to delivering these tools into the hands of teachers."
Using Writing A-Z, teachers assist students in the development of their writing abilities through research-based education. Writing A-Z combines best practices for teachers with guided practice for students to facilitate writing achievement in the classroom. Lesson plans that are simple to apply, digital writing and grammar practice, and continuous professional learning are some of the elements that make Writing A-Z a comprehensive and user-friendly writing solution for K–5 education.
About Learning A-Z
Learning A-Z is an emerging provider of literacy-focused PreK–6 education technology solutions. The company's products combine traditional teacher-led instruction with technology-enabled resources to make teaching more efficient and effective, practice more personalized and accessible, assessment more automated and strategic, and learning more proactive and informed. Its award-winning digital products, such as Raz-Kids and Reading A-Z, are used by more than 12 million students in over 170 countries.
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