“Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.” —Roger Lewin
Chicago, IL - October 8, 2015 – Today, Sunburst announced Speakaboos for School, a new initiative bringing the award-winning digital reading motivation platform to elementary schools across the country through the Sunburst network.
SAN FRANCISCO, October 5, 2015 – Just in time for the newest school year, schools in the state of Washington became eligible to receive Medicaid reimbursement for speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and other related services delivered online—such as those provided by PresenceLearning—just as they do for such services delivered onsite to eligible students.
Europe then Australia to have access to Apperson’s award-winning assessments
Charlotte, N.C. – Oct. 2, 2015 – Assessment leader Apperson is bringing the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), an assessment and intervention system that addresses students’ social and emotional (SEL) skills to the United Kingdom through its partnership with Hogrefe Ltd., Europe’s leading publisher of psychology journals, books and psychometric assessments. Based in Oxford in the UK, Hogrefe supplies a wide range of assessments for use in clinical psychology, health, social care and education. Hogrefe Ltd. offers Apperson its first reach into the European market.
BEAVERTON, Oregon, September 30, 2015 – As a founder and CEO of Vernier Software & Technology since its inception 34 years ago, David Vernier has nurtured a company that started as an engaging summertime endeavor. Over the years, Vernier has grown into a leading science education company focused on supporting teachers and helping students better understand scientific concepts. It is with this same excitement and consideration that he has decided to name John Wheeler, long-time employee and co-owner, as the company’s new chief executive officer (CEO). Wheeler, who has been instrumental in the company’s product development and growth, will work closely with David to provide Vernier customers with the industry-leading service and products they deserve and expect.
Read more: David Vernier Passes the CEO Torch to the Company’s Partner and CTO John Wheeler
Chicago, IL – September 29, 2015 - Advocates of 21st century skills favor student-centered methods for learning complex concepts like math, but suggest practice does make “perfect.” Research suggests that math mastery is an acquired skill refined through consistent practice, and that making math practice student-centered is the real need of the day.
Twelve million students use Splash Math’s award-winning program to practice math. “When we reached around 5 million students, we figured that this level of viral interest indicated a real demand to explore the creation of a more methodical approach to teaching math for schools,” says Joy Deep Nath, VP Partnerships and Co-founder of Splash Math. “Our individualized approach toward math practice can help students in all K-5 classrooms. Being based here in Silicon Valley, it is obvious to us how important STEM skills are for students. Employers want to see lifelong learners who are able to solve complex problems and this starts with a strong foundation in math.”
Cincinnati, OH (September 29, 2015) –Several consecutive years of making budget cuts combined with a recent state budget appropriation resulted in staff reductions and left Wayzata Public Schools evaluating whether to continue with its plan to implement new programming to strengthen their safety and regulatory compliance processes or to scale back expenditures. To decide if the programming was worth the expense, Wayzata Public Schools piloted PublicSchoolWORKS’ Student Accident Management System with district nurses and the Online Staff Training System with the administrative team this past school year with extremely positive feedback. As a result, Wayzata Public Schools will begin a full implementation of the Student Accident Management System and the EmployeeSafe Suite this year.
Read more: Wayzata Public Schools Improves Student and Staff Safety with PublicSchoolWORKS
Education innovators bring hands-on, imagination-based programming lab experience to early learning instructors
Chicago, IL – September 28, 2015 - In order for coding and computer programming instruction to have a positive impact on early learning classrooms, the teaching methodology needs to embrace important social, emotional, and motor-sensory best practices set by NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children).
Sunburst and Wonder Workshop have partnered to release three solutions for K-12: Wonder Pilot, Wonder Class 24, and Wonder Class 30. The Wonder Pilot program provides K-5 classrooms with (3) sets of “Dash & Dot” robots, the software apps and a Wonder Teacher Kit, including the curriculum and necessary accessories suitable for small group instruction. Wonder Workshop recommends a ratio of one robot set for every three pupils.
Read more: Wonder Workshop Partners with Sunburst Digital on K-12 Instructional Program
SAN FRANCISCO, September 28, 2015 – PresenceLearning, a San Francisco-based telemedicine company that delivers live, online clinical services such as speech and occupational therapy in schools nationwide, was named a top five finalist in Salesforce’s Small Business Big Impact Contest, which recognizes distinctive businesses with fewer than 100 employees that demonstrate excellence in innovation, leadership and impact. Out of a total of 659 applicants, the five finalists were awarded the opportunity to pitch their stories to celebrity judges and industry insiders at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce event for a chance to win a grand prize valued at $25,000. During the pitch session at the conference, judges Russell Simmons, Lisa Chow, Daniel Debow and Kristina Shen selected the winning company.
SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, 2015 – Managing classroom behavior, especially when reacting to the behavior is the only form of management, can be challenging in classrooms containing students with behavioral and mental health needs. To provide educators with evidence-based preventative disciplinary approaches, PresenceLearning is hosting the “Positive Behavior Strategies: The Real Road to School Climate Change” webinar on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 10 AM PST/1 PM EST. During the live 90-minute webinar, positive behavior intervention expert Dr. Daniel Crimmins and early intervention specialist Dr. Michael Gamel-McCormick will describe these alternative approaches and how they can improve student achievement and school culture for employees, students and families. This is the second of three webinars in the “Real School Climate Change” fall 2015 webinar series presented by PresenceLearning.
Salem, Oregon, September 24, 2015—The Oregon State Board of Education announced that it has approved the adoption of Curriculum Associates’ Ready and i-Ready Common Core Mathematics program for use in K–5 classrooms across the state of Oregon. Built for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the program received a perfect evaluation score during the Oregon Instructional Materials Evaluation Process conducted by the Oregon Department of Education. According to the department, the product received this score based on its alignment to the Oregon Common Core State Standards in Mathematics.