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Tag: literacy

  • Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: PepsiCo Foods North America and LNESC Partner to Bridge the Digital Literacy Divide

    Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: PepsiCo Foods North America and LNESC Partner to Bridge the Digital Literacy Divide

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    PLANO, Texas – PepsiCo Foods North America (PFNA) is proud to announce a $150,000 investment to enhance digital literacy training across the nation through its partnership with LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC). This initiative comes as a critical response to a staggering statistic: 32 million Americans lack essential digital skills. [1]

    To address this gap, PFNA’s investment emphasizes the importance of fostering digital skills from an early age and across generations to unlock educational and economic opportunities, in line with its key business priorities. Since 2022, PepsiCo has donated over $500,000 to LNSEC’s Pathways to Uplift and Empower through Novel Technology and Education Services (P.U.E.N.T.E.S.) program, which provides vital training and educational support for families equipping them with the skills, resources, and tools needed to be successful in a digital environment.

    With PFNA’s support, the P.U.E.N.T.E.S. program has reached 450 participants across six U.S. cities, creating transformative learning environments that equip families with essential technology skills – including a San Antonio family whose six-year-old son is part of the bilingual program. Melody Urbina found it not only helped from an education standpoint, but it created new opportunities for her to bond with her son and strengthened the family’s connections with the school and their community.

    According to Urbina, “The program is about more than just technology. We’ve created a strong network with other families. The program has facilitated communication across different cultures and generations, which is especially important in Hispanic communities.” Through the program, families participate in cohorts, encouraging intergenerational involvement and creating a safe space to learn valuable computer skills. Families gain familiarity with the digital tools needed to engage with and monitor their child’s academic progress, empowering them to practice new skills together at home.

    Alongside fostering a sense of community and belonging, the program is demonstrating measurable impact. Upon completion of the program, results show:

    • Over 90% of participants have increased confidence with technology.
    • Over 90% of participants feel comfortable using technology to learn new skills.
    • 92% of participants feel comfortable using an electronic device to perform basic computer functions (e.g., email, office applications, etc.).

    “As someone who immigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela, I am incredibly proud of our partnership with LNESC and our shared passion to create sustainable economic opportunities for underserved communities,” said Antonio Escalona, SVP, Emerging Business at PepsiCo Foods North America. “Putting people and their experiences at the forefront is essential to our business success. We take great pride in our efforts to enhance digital literacy, and we’re excited to continue supporting this impactful initiative.”

    This newfound digital literacy opens doors to economic opportunities and enables parents to interact effectively with school officials and other community stakeholders.

    Participants are granted access to the vast world of opportunity available through technology, bridging the digital divide and enriching lives in previously unattainable ways.

    “Continuing this partnership with PFNA means so much for our students and families,” said LNESC Executive Director Richard Roybal. “Hearing stories from participants of how they’ve benefitted from these resources is what it’s all about. Together, we’re making a transformative impact on so many families, and we’re excited for what’s to come.”

    To learn more about LNESC and the P.U.E.N.T.E.S. program, go to www.LNESC.org/programs/puentes. 

    About PepsiCo  
    PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s®, Doritos®, Cheetos®, Gatorade®, Pepsi-Cola®, Mountain Dew®, Quaker®, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

    Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

    About LNESC

    LULAC National Educational Service Centers, Inc. (LNESC) was established in 1973 by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to provide educational programming to high-need students throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Throughout 16 education and technology centers, LNESC has served over 621,000 students, sent 160,000 students on to college, and awarded nearly $31 million in scholarships. LNESC’s results are made possible by a network of dedicated field staff, top-notch teachers, over 90 school partners, and the support of LULAC – the nation’s largest membership-based Latino organization. LNESC works to change lives and build Latino communities, one student at a time.  www.LNESC.org

    [1] DigitalUS Coalition, 2020

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  • TEACHER VOICE: Here’s why teachers should help students develop logic and reasoning skills early on – The Hechinger Report

    TEACHER VOICE: Here’s why teachers should help students develop logic and reasoning skills early on – The Hechinger Report

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    As a special education teacher, I often encountered students who struggled with solving math problems. Many would simply add all the numbers they saw without grasping what the problems were actually asking.

    To help, I introduced keywords like “all together” for addition and “difference” for subtraction.

    However, this approach fell short when students focused solely on the keywords, missing the problem’s context. Today, elementary school teachers share similar struggles with their students.

    The issue isn’t just about teaching math; it also involves addressing gaps in literacy. Reading skills are closely related to children’s ability to solve math problems. And, as much as early literacy development plays a critical role in developing problem-solving abilities, early numeracy strongly predicts overall academic success, including literacy development: Research has found that literacy and math development are intertwined.

    Yet, pre-K teachers spend an average of only 2.5 percent of their day on numeracy skills — a gap that underscores the need for teaching approaches that bridge math and literacy.

    Teachers must do more to help students build foundational cognitive skills, such as logic and reasoning.

    Related: Our biweekly Early Childhood newsletter highlights innovative solutions to the obstacles facing the youngest students. Subscribe for free.

    Integrated teaching can help students view math and English language arts as complementary disciplines that help them solve real-world problems. It could lead to better academic outcomes and a richer understanding of the world. Unfortunately, most elementary schools teach math and English language arts separately.

    One way that teachers can address these comprehension gaps is to initially remove numbers from word problems and encourage students to read through the entire problems before they add or subtract. By solving “numberless word problems,” students can visualize and grasp the context before computing.

    We can also use the power of storytelling. In my classroom, I incorporated engaging literature into math instruction to help my students better understand word problems. We used “Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream,” a Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book by Cindy Neuschwander, to explore multiplication concepts; the book’s illustrations helped students identify repeated addition and multiplication and allowed them to recognize similar scenarios in math problems. Incorporating math through storytelling helps children better understand and remember math concepts and also improves their confidence and reduces math anxiety. By building on the critical skills students need to excel in math and ELA, we can better equip them to apply math to real-world problems.

    Here is what this approach encourages:

    • Improved comprehension: Stories and real-world scenarios promote a better understanding of math concepts, making abstract ideas more accessible.
    • Math visualization: Using descriptive writing and storytelling to explain math concepts, such as measurement and fractions, gives students a tangible reference for math principles as they exist in the world.
    • Vocabulary development: Just as students learn new words in ELA, with math storytelling they learn math vocabulary to enhance their understanding of the math concepts needed to solve problems.
    • Critical thinking skills: When students analyze problems from various perspectives and use language to describe them, they’re better equipped to apply problem-solving skills across disciplines.
    • Contextualized problem-solving: By establishing context through literature, students are able to construct meaning to solve other problems.

    Administrators should encourage training for teachers and provide resources that effectively blend math and ELA. Supporting a curriculum that encourages the teacher to be a facilitator — rather than a sage on a stage — will encourage more students to talk about math, draw upon their language skills and solve problems together.

    Here are some approaches educators can use to blend instruction to challenge students and enhance math and ELA skills:

    • Project-based learning: Assign hands-on projects that require mathematical analysis and language arts skills, such as reviewing datasets, creating infographics and writing interpretations.
    • Collaborative learning environments: Ask groups of students to work together to solve complex problems that require mathematical reasoning and effective communication. Their work could include debates or reviews of written mathematical explanations.
    • Literature-based mathematical discussions: Read books that incorporate mathematical themes or concepts and include a character who uses math to solve problems; such books can spark lively debate and serve as a springboard to discuss how math applies to real life.

    These strategies strengthen the connection between math and ELA and promote deeper learning and engagement for all students.

    Related: You probably don’t have your preschooler thinking about math enough

    Using an integrated approach with literature also provides a level of comfort for teachers. Not surprisingly, most elementary school teachers didn’t choose their profession due to a deep love of mathematics — and some may suffer from math anxiety themselves. Teachers can model problem-solving beyond the classroom by expanding what it means to teach math through children’s books and hands-on activities.

    Math instruction will only improve if administrators, educators, parents and policymakers push for integrated curricula. Doing so will not only help students’ math, but promote a more effective education system overall.

    Thera Pearce is the learning services manager at ORIGO Education. She has experience in instructional design, curriculum consulting and professional development coordination. She has also worked as a special education teacher and coach for 15 years in North Carolina.

    Contact the opinion editor at opinion@hechingerreport.org.

    This story about early numeracy was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.

    The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

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  • OPINION: Give college students free subscriptions to their local newspapers so they can read them on their phones

    OPINION: Give college students free subscriptions to their local newspapers so they can read them on their phones

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    As the start of the school year approaches, high schools, colleges and universities across the country are figuring out how to help young people navigate the 2024 elections during these highly polarized and contentious times.

    Here’s a way we can help students become informed and active participants in our democracy, while potentially avoiding fights in classrooms and on playing fields: Provide them with free, digital access to their community’s local newspaper so they can read it on their phones.

    Engaging young people in democracy — getting them to follow the news and to vote — has always been a concern for educators and has always been a challenge. Young people pay less attention to the news and participate less than older people. This was the case fifty years ago and remains the case today.

    That’s why in Oneonta, New York, Hartwick College’s newly launched Institute of Public Service is offering students a free digital subscription to the local paper, The Daily Star. This new initiative has emerged from the institute’s mission to help young people become more informed about and engaged with local government and the issues affecting the community where they go to school.

    Related: Interested in innovations in the field of higher education? Subscribe to our free biweekly Higher Education newsletter.

    It’s no surprise that the vast majority of teens report spending a lot of time on social media, especially YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram; a growing share say that they are on social media “almost constantly,” a recent report by the Pew Research Center shows.

    Young people also say that social media is the most common way that they get news; many add that they do not actively seek out news, but are only exposed to it incidentally as part of their curated social media feeds.

    Reliance on social media for information about candidates, policies and the actions of our government is a serious problem since much of the news content on social media is not the product of authentic, verified journalism. Inaccurate, misleading and conspiratorial information is common.

    Moreover, the way social media algorithms work, readers with certain political leanings will increasingly be exposed only to content reflecting those leanings. This dynamic makes it hard for young people to find any common ground across partisan divides.

    Providing young people with barrier-free access to a local newspaper is a concrete way for educational institutions to counter that trend and foster engaged citizenship.

    This works because local politics is much less partisan than national politics, as New York Timescolumnist Ezra Klein pointed out in “Why We’re Polarized.” In most localities, we still see Democrats and Republicans working together to solve problems. The work of local government directly affects the lives of those in their communities.

    Furthermore, Pew Research shows that Americans of both parties see value in local newspapers. Views about local news are not as starkly divided as opinions about the national media. As a result, local government and local news provide a good entry point to democracy for young people.

    I’m heartened by new partnerships between local news outlets and academic institutions across the country, such as the one at the University of Vermont, through which the school is providing journalism students with the opportunity to write for local newspapers and get hands-on civic experience while also helping provide professional news coverage for their communities.

    Related: Could colleges make voting as popular as going to football games?

    By investing in local news, schools and colleges can invest both in their communities and in democracy. Due to the changing news media environment, local newspapers have been in serious decline. Over the past several decades, we have seen hundreds close down. Currently, the majority of counties in America have only one local newspaper or, even more problematically, none at all.

    Without local news, it is very difficult for people and communities to know what their local elected officials are doing and to hold power to account.

    Many high school and college libraries have databases that allow students to search and access stories from a range of newspapers, and these are wonderful services. But they also take time and work to access, requiring students to log in and wade through multiple portals to get to news stories. And often the content in these databases is not updated throughout the day.

    Giving students subscriptions to their local newspapers enables them to simply click the app on their phones and start reading.

    Moreover, research shows that, like many other democratic behaviors, including voting, reading a newspaper and following the news is a habit: Once you start doing it, you are likely to continue.

    At Hartwick, we hope that providing free, easy access to our local newspaper will result in more students consuming verified, objective news and lead to more informed and thoughtful discussions on campus and in our classrooms.

    We encourage other schools to do the same. Nudging even a handful of students to become lifelong newspaper readers is a way for educational institutions to transform the lives of those students while strengthening our democracy — and our local newspapers.

    Laurel Elder is professor and chair of political science at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., and is co-director of the Hartwick Institute of Public Service.

    This story about college students and newspapers was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for our higher education newsletter. Listen to our higher education podcast.

    The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

    Join us today.

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  • Iowa Department of Education Selects EPS Learning to Offer Elementary Schools Free Access to AI-Powered Literacy Solution

    Iowa Department of Education Selects EPS Learning to Offer Elementary Schools Free Access to AI-Powered Literacy Solution

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    EPS Learning, the leading provider of PreK-12 literacy solutions, has been selected by the Iowa Department of Education through a competitive bid process to offer fully funded access to its AI-powered EPS Reading Assistant for all elementary school teachers and students through the summer of 2025. Iowa’s $3 million investment is part of a state-wide initiative to improve reading outcomes for all elementary school students across 365 public school districts and 145 accredited nonpublic schools.

    Firmly grounded in the science of reading, EPS Reading Assistant is an online literacy program that uses sophisticated speech recognition and safe artificial intelligence (AI) to listen, assess, and tutor students in foundational reading skills at each student’s just-right level. In turn, educators are equipped with actionable performance data, guiding them to where their instruction will matter most.

    “We believe EPS Reading Assistant can significantly enhance instructional effectiveness and transform the reading experience for students,” said Steven Guttentag, CEO of EPS Learning. “We’re proud to be a trusted partner of the State of Iowa in helping kids of all levels develop strong literacy skills: capabilities that open them up to a world of possibilities. Our goal is to ensure that every educator in Iowa has the tools they need to make this difference in their classrooms.”

    EPS Reading Assistant launched in March 2024 in partnership with Amira Learning, the developer of the first AI-powered reading assistant which has helped millions of students with reading fluency and comprehension. When coupled with other EPS Learning solutions like S.P.I.R.E.—the reading intervention program used in 20% of districts nationwide including 36 Iowan school districts—EPS Reading Assistant has been proven to accelerate student achievement in foundational reading skills, including in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension. Independent academic research out of Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University and other R1 institutions has confirmed the efficacy of EPS Reading Assistant’s technology powered by Amira: users in the studies have achieved two to three times greater progress in reading ability compared to non-users.

    “At Amira, we’ve developed the world’s most sophisticated speech recognition solution for early learners, helping millions of students improve their reading skills,” said Mark Angel, CEO of Amira Learning. “EPS Learning is a well-established company known for delivering high-quality literacy solutions, and we’re proud to partner with them to bring Amira’s groundbreaking technology to even more classrooms and make a real difference in the lives of children.”

    Iowa public and nonpublic educators will have EPS Reading Assistant licenses available for the 2024-25 academic year and 2025 summer school, as well as access to synchronous and asynchronous training and support from EPS Learning.

    For Iowan educators interested in obtaining free EPS Reading Assistant licenses for their classrooms or learning more, visit:https://www.epslearning.com/iowa.

    For more on EPS Reading Assistant, visit: https://www.epslearning.com/products/eps-reading-assistant.

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  • Honoring Five Historic Latino and Hispanic Mathematicians

    Honoring Five Historic Latino and Hispanic Mathematicians

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    National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) is the perfect time to highlight the accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino communities in your classroom! Here are five Hispanic and Latino mathematicians to celebrate with students this month:  1. Jaime Escalante (1930-2010) David Butow/Corbis via Getty Images Jaime Escalante was a math educator from Bolivia. He […]

    The post Honoring Five Historic Latino and Hispanic Mathematicians appeared first on Discovery Education Blog.

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  • Literacy First Expands its Early Childhood Literacy Program to Chattanooga, TN After Successful Pilot Program

    Literacy First Expands its Early Childhood Literacy Program to Chattanooga, TN After Successful Pilot Program

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    Austin, TX —  Literacy First, a program from The University of Texas at Austin’s Charles A. Dana Center dedicated to improving literacy outcomes for young learners, is excited to announce its expansion beyond Central Texas. In partnership with Chattanooga 2.0, Literacy First piloted its evidence-based tutoring program in Chattanooga, TN, during the 2023–2024 school year. 

    The Literacy First tutoring model supports children at Title I schools in grades K-2, providing personalized literacy instruction to address individual needs. Through high-impact, one-to-one tutoring during the school day, they close gaps in literacy skills and set students on a path to excel in school and life as they learn to read.

    Literacy First successfully piloted its program with first and second grade students at East Side Elementary. This marks the first time Literacy First has replicated its tutoring program outside of Central Texas. The positive impact on student literacy outcomes was evident, with over half of students in the pilot program reaching or nearing grade-level reading standards by the end of the school year, motivating the district to expand the services offered. 

    For the 2024–2025 school year, Literacy First, in partnership with both Chattanooga 2.0 and Hamilton County Schools, will extend the program to include 11 additional elementary school campuses and two District Lead Coaches. This expansion is part of Literacy First’s gradual release Capacity Building Model, where their expert staff trains and supports district staff and paraprofessional tutors over several years. The goal of this model is for the partner schools and organizations to implement the program independently with reduced support from Literacy First over time. 

    “We are thrilled to bring our proven tutoring model to Chattanooga and collaborate with partners dedicated to creating opportunities for all children to build a strong educational foundation in reading,” Literacy First Director, Dr. Claire Hagen Alvarado stated.

    Chattanooga 2.0 Director of Literacy and Student Strategy, Brandon Hubbard-Heitz added, “Literacy First’s tutoring model is a key strategy in Chattanooga 2.0’s effort to build a robust and aligned system of literacy supports for children beginning from birth at home, in school, and across the community. We were excited to launch the model in Hamilton County Schools and are even more excited to see the model’s expanded impact on K-2 students across the county.”

    Reading is essential to success in every academic discipline, which is why it was important to us to see Literacy First scale up as a tool to support students who need a little extra help,” says Dr. Justin Robertson, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. “I am excited about the partnership with multiple community partners to provide tutoring that will make a real impact in both the short and long term.”

    For more information about Literacy First and their mission, visit  www.literacyfirst.org.

    About Literacy First

    Literacy First teaches young children how to read, equipping them to excel in life and realize their dreams. Since 1994, Literacy First has partnered with public, Title I schools and community organizations to provide intensive and effective literacy tutoring in English and Spanish to K-2 students. Literacy First is an outreach program of the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Learn more at  www.literacyfirst.org. 

    About Chattanooga 2.0

    Chattanooga 2.0 was established in 2016 and is a small nonprofit that works to change systems in order to impact generational changes in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, TN. The ultimate goal is to improve economic opportunity and quality of life — and Chattanooga 2.0 believes education attainment is the first step. From early childhood education to the attainment of a thriving wage career, the small team leads initiatives to remove systemic barriers and provide intentional supports to children, students, and their families. Chattanooga 2.0 convenes and leads community groups such as Early Matters, Great Teachers Great Leaders, the Out of School Time Alliance, and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Children’s Cabinet. For more information visit  www.chatt2.org.

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  • Edtech Startup Ello Gives Back to Local DC Hospitals Including MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital

    Edtech Startup Ello Gives Back to Local DC Hospitals Including MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital

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    WASHINGTON (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ello, developer of the world’s most advanced AI reading app, will be donating iPads, hundreds of early-age children’s books, and free access to the Ello app at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital to help support children hospitalized during their long-term care. In addition to books, this initiative includes literacy activities to help children’s learning journey and bring joy to their lives during their hospital stay.

    Learning loss for chronically ill children while they are hospitalized is a topic that often doesn’t get a lot of attention. According to a report from the American Association of Pediatrics, “Many chronic disorders require frequent hospitalizations, resulting in loss of school days and poor academic achievement. The average time students with multiple disabilities are absent from school is 28.9 days each time they are hospitalized.”

    “Our young patients in long-term care need a lot of support, including literacy support, so they don’t fall behind while they’re not in the classroom. Ello’s donation will give them the chance to read fun, engaging stories to lift their spirits while working on their literacy skills during their hospital stay,” said Katie Wallace, child life coordinator, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

    Ello’s co-founder Dr. Elizabeth Adams, a Licensed Clinical Child Psychologist who supported families through therapy and clinical work before starting Ello, will be meeting with families and representatives from the hospital’s Child Life Services team to donate iPads and books along with unlimited access to the Ello app.

    “Early in my career working at hospitals, I noticed this loss of learning among young patients, especially in oncology and other specialties where the children are absent for long periods from their peers and school environment,” said Dr. Adams, co-founder and CXO of Ello. “I’m thrilled that Ello can be part of a solution for these patients and their families, to help with the literacy support they need while they are hospitalized while also giving them fun, engaging books and activities to do to break up very long days.”

    Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Ello and the company is making significant strides in the field of education technology. She has dedicated her professional life to assessing, diagnosing, and treating children with developmental differences. Her research has included a focus on parent stress and support, cognitive and academic development, and language and literacy acquisition, particularly for children with hearing loss. During her clinical internship at Children’s National Hospital, she witnessed firsthand the impact of frequent chronic and long-term hospitalizations on children’s learning loss. This experience profoundly influenced her career path and commitment to child development which led to her creating edtech startup, Ello. Since founding Ello, Elizabeth was included on the Inc. 2024 Female Founders 250 List for growing revenue 265 percent and Ello’s subscriber base 146 percent to address childhood illiteracy with an AI powered coaching platform.

    Elizabeth met her co-founders Tom Sayer and Catalin Moreno Voss through their shared passion for child development and learning. Together, they embarked on an unusual journey for a Silicon Valley outsider, merging Elizabeth’s extensive experience in traditional settings with Tom and Catalin’s tech expertise. Their collaborative vision led to the creation of the Public Benefits Corporation, Ello, and an AI-powered reading tutor designed to support children’s literacy development.

    Since its inception in 2020, Ello has grown exponentially, serving tens of thousands of children and earned a spot as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2024. Last summer, the company successfully raised a Series A round of funding and expanded its team to 40 members globally, with offices in Brazil, New York, and San Francisco.

    About Ello
    Ello is helping to solve childhood illiteracy by scaling 1:1 instruction to maximize the learning potential of all children, regardless of resources. Its first product is the world’s most advanced reading companion, powered by proprietary speech recognition and generative AI. It listens, understands, and engages with children to teach them critical reading skills as they read out loud. Ello is founded by a team of experts in education, childhood development and artificial intelligence, and backed by investors including Y Combinator, Goodwater, Project A and Homebrew. Learn more at https://ello.com.

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  • Braintrust Tutors Expands Nationwide Footprint to Major State and Multiple District Contracts

    Braintrust Tutors Expands Nationwide Footprint to Major State and Multiple District Contracts

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    The high-impact tutoring provider wins large district and state partnerships to address the literacy and numeracy crisis among K-8 students


    NEW YORK, August 21, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Building on its success within New York City Public Schools, the largest school district in the country, Braintrust Tutors is now well-positioned to extend support to tens of thousands of high-risk students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Boston Public Schools, Detroit Public Schools Community District, and across the state of Tennessee.

    “We are thrilled to bring our proven tutoring model to these critical districts, where the need for effective support in reading and math is paramount,” said Jen Mendelsohn, Co-Founder and CEO of Braintrust. 

    Braintrust’s intervention programs transform the lives of vulnerable students through their high-impact, evidence-based approach. Braintrust partners with schools and districts to deliver comprehensive, fully-integrated tutoring solutions, featuring proprietary literacy and math curricula rooted in the science of learning; prescriptive and gamified lesson plans and ongoing formative assessments with reporting and data analytics; delivered by an extensive network of highly-trained, state-certified educators.

    “Ultimately, our goal is to empower those students who have been historically marginalized, and help close the opportunity gaps that persist in education,” Mendelsohn said.

    For more information on Braintrust Tutors, please visit: www.braintrusttutors.com.

    About Braintrust Tutors

    Founded by parents and teachers, Braintrust Tutors is bringing a new vision to the tutoring marketplace. Its personalized learning programs are strategically designed in close collaboration with each partner to accelerate learning for every student, delivered by its team of expertly trained, certified teachers and learning specialists. Braintrust is a progressive and inclusive platform designed to address the vast majority of students neglected by the one-size-fits-all tutoring model, including the 1-in-5 who have learning differences, the 2-in-3 who lack proficiency with reading and math, and the countless others who are grappling with pandemic-related learning loss. 

    Braintrust’s programs are certified by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA),and have been awarded the Stanford University National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA)’s coveted Tutoring Design Program Badge. To receive a badge, a program must be independently evaluated by a third-party team of education leaders at the NSSA and found to achieve innovative, research-backed excellence in program design, instructional materials, student-tutor relationships, program effectiveness, and student progress measurement, among others. 

    For more information, visit http://www.braintrusttutors.com and follow on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

    Media Contact
    Amy Ambatielos
    (310) 402-1687
    e-mail: amy@braintrusttutors.com

    Source: Braintrust Tutors

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  • Critical thinking in the digital age of AI: Information literacy is key

    Critical thinking in the digital age of AI: Information literacy is key

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    Key points:

    From New York to Texas, the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping U.S. colleges have become a flashpoint for viral disinformation, from falsely attributed “Jewish genocide” chants to debunked claims of Hamas presence. With the tenor of allegations reaching a fever pitch, Columbia University students have even launched their own fact-checking Twitter account. As this highly-charged moment collides with a hyper-partisan landscape, it offers a stark reminder of how disinformation thrives at the intersection of fierce emotions and polarized politics, threatening to drown out nuance, facts, and good-faith dialogue when they are needed most. All of this points to the urgency of tackling disinformation through information literacy.

    Disinformation has long played a role in global events. Technological change and increasingly global communications have made the deliberate spread of inaccurate information faster and more impactful. With the birth of AI, disinformation has entered a new era, rendering it critical to teach students how to question sources, spot fakes and be discerning consumers of news, social media, and information.  

    AI has dramatically complicated the information landscape by rapidly generating and amplifying deceptive narratives, deepfakes, and AI-generated visuals, drawing concern from global leaders as a major emerging challenge. The World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risks Report, which surveyed experts from academia, business, government, the international community, and civil society, named misinformation and disinformation from AI as the top global risk over the next two years–ahead of climate change and war.

    The stakes are high, especially as the U.S. approaches a critical election year–one that will undoubtedly be subject to disinformation, a force that voters will remember as having played a critical role in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

    As an academic who has studied how digital technology is used by governments and non-state actors for the purposes of repression and information control, these issues are especially concerning. There is an urgent need to promote greater critical thinking among young people, to give them the tools to detect what information is authentic and what has been manipulated. Information literacy, specifically across digital platforms, should be a mandatory part of every K-12 curriculum, to combat the rise of disinformation and develop more discerning students ready to take on an AI-driven future.

    How and where disinformation can take place

    Disinformation can show up anywhere, but it thrives on stories that appeal to emotions. Election issues and partisan politics are a prime example. During the pandemic, COVID-19 disinformation narratives, spanning the bizarre claims that the disease is spread by 5G and other conspiracies, spread faster than the virus itself–thanks to digital technology. Anti-vaccine groups essentially tricked Facebook’s algorithms into allowing posts that spread disinformation by using a carrot emoji in place of the word “vaccine.” Looking at climate change–another highly polarized and partisan issue–a probe into a subset of social media accounts revealed hundreds of AI-generated and stolen pictures used in greenwashing campaigns.

    Praying on the emotions that emerged after the deadly October 7th attacks and the ensuing attacks on Gaza, deepfakes powered by AI have spread at an unprecedented pace. Soon after October 7th, a fake story emerged that Qatar had threatened to cut off the world’s natural gas supply if Israel didn’t stop its bombing in Gaza, garnering millions of views before it was ultimately debunked. More recently, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a target of disinformation, thanks to a network of fake accounts and websites that have collaborated to spread accusations about the agency’s ties with Hamas. 

    Not only is disinformation incredibly damaging to the delivery of accurate, verifiable information, it has eroded the public’s trust in some of our most reliable institutions. Only 32 percent of Americans say they trust the mass media, a figure that is tied with record-low levels in 2016.

    Engaging with disinformation and AI as teachable moments

    Disinformation can be rectified through fact checking, but in many cases, a false story has already done its damage before it is corrected. Another strategy is ‘prebunking,’ a technique gaining momentum that helps to build preemptive resilience to misinformation.

    We can combat the spread of disinformation by encouraging and teaching more critical thinking, especially about AI, algorithms, and deception, and the value of greater subject matter knowledge.  

    Whether you are a teacher in K-12 schools, a university instructor, or simply an individual who actively engages in online platforms, there are many steps that can be taken to ensure a greater understanding and literacy around disinformation and AI. This will in turn instill greater trust in the institutions and organizations that disseminate the information we are seeking.

    Context-based case studies, such as videos of celebrities and influencers, can serve as important teaching moments. In my classes, I’ve challenged students to discern what is a deepfake or AI-generated image through exercises such as reverse image searches. This teaches them to detect clues such as fuzzy details, inconsistent lighting, out-of-sync audio and visuals, and the credibility of the image source. We spend time analyzing and discussing the spread, origins, and nature of social media manipulation, which equips students with important data literacy skills.

    Bringing the study of disinformation to the classroom

    What we know about the world ultimately informs how we approach disinformation and deception. Today’s students need a cross-disciplinary approach that starts early, so the foundations of critical thinking and information literacy are instilled at a young age and stick with them as they grow and mature.

    In Finland, media literacy constitutes a core component part of the national curriculum, starting in preschool. They start with understanding the basic elements of media, and build from there to understand more complex elements, such as identifying sources. It is not a single subject–rather, it is taught across different disciplines, including Finnish language and literature, math, and art to grow a well-rounded set of analytical skills. In a survey published by the Open Society Institute in Bulgaria, Finland has ranked No. 1 of 41 European countries on resilience against misinformation for the fifth time in a row. Finland’s population also has a higher level of trust in news and other institutions, with 76 percent of Finns considering print and digital newspapers to be reliable, according to a survey conducted by market research company IRO research.

    There is no denying the impact of disinformation and the stronghold it is having on political processes around the world. We will doubtless see the use of disinformation throughout 2024 U.S. presidential election battle, but a concerted effort on developing greater critical thinking can help alleviate the impact. By becoming more knowledgeable about what disinformation is, as well as different countries, cultures, and subjects, we can better navigate the array of disinformation scenarios in the digital world and foster a questioning mindset.

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    Dr. Marc Owen Jones, Northwestern University in Qatar

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  • 5 strategies to navigate science literacy in the digital age

    5 strategies to navigate science literacy in the digital age

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    Key points:

    Science literacy is a crucial skill for modern students. It equips them with the knowledge to critically evaluate information, understand scientific concepts, and make informed decisions in a rapidly changing world.

    In today’s digital age, however, both students and educators are at risk of information overload. Each day, we are bombarded with content from websites, social media, and a hundred other sources that demand our attention and seek to influence our behavior. It’s enough to make the human brain short circuit.

    So, how do we prepare our students to navigate this confusing world of digital tools without getting lost in a jungle of misinformation? We start by cultivating a mindset that makes critical engagement second nature, and that fosters the confidence they need to meet challenges head on.

    Here are just five simple strategies that can help students navigate science literacy in the digital age:

    1. Is It CRAAP?:The CRAAP strategy teaches students to evaluate information sources based on five criteria: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. This teaches students to first ask important questions like, “How old is this information?”, “Is it being published by a reliable source?” and “How does this compare to other research?” This allows students to assess the reliability of the information and helps them discern credible sources from misleading ones.

    2. Employ fact-checking websites: It never hurts to call in a professional. Educators should encourage students to fact-check their own information against websites like FactCheck.org and Snopes. Both websites do a great job explaining why something is true or false and what details may have been embellished.  

    3. Bias Bingo:This activity engages students in identifying different types of bias in texts, advertisements, or media by marking corresponding squares on a bingo card. This interactive exercise helps students develop critical thinking skills and recognize bias, enhancing their ability to evaluate information objectively. There are many free bingo creator sites where educators can create their own cards to use with their students.

    4. Data your way: Students can take ownership of their learning by choosing how they represent their data from an investigation. This will stretch their abilities and teach them a new way to graph or chart data. They may also observe other students’ representations and want to learn that method. By sharing different representations with students, educators can allow them to rank them in order of how best they represent the data. As students grow in their data representation skills, they can start providing feedback to their own data representation creations.

    5. Data choice chart: As students start learning how to make their own data representations, educators should use this resource to maximize their growth. The flowchart helps students determine what sort of graph representation they might want to make for their investigation. From there, they can use the graphing tips to help them create a representation that can successfully show what happened in their investigation.

    Let’s face it–teaching students science literacy is a challenge that won’t be solved overnight. It will take diligence, creativity, and more than a little grit. Still, by using simple strategies and keeping up with the latest digital tools, teachers can create a path forward for students in the ever-changing digital landscape. With the right attitude, students won’t just tackle the problems of today—they’ll create a future where curiosity, critical thinking, and a steadfast commitment of scientific inquiry can flourish.

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    Cory Kavanagh, Van Andel Institute for Education

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  • IOTA Community Schools (Formerly Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee) Chooses Reading Horizons to Boost Student Literacy Outcomes

    IOTA Community Schools (Formerly Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee) Chooses Reading Horizons to Boost Student Literacy Outcomes

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    Memhis, TN — IOTA Community Schools has chosen Reading Horizons, a
    leading provider of foundational literacy programs, to enhance reading instruction across four middle and high schools in the Memphis Metro Area. IOTA has raised the bar in education reform, helping thousands of students in Tennessee’s historically underserved communities succeed in college, leadership, and life. IOTA stands for Innovation, Opportunity, Transformation, and Access.

    “Because of our intentional focus on academics, IOTA students have an opportunity to graduate from high school more prepared for college and their careers,” said Christina Austin, Chief Academic Officer for IOTA Community Schools. “Our strategic partnership with Reading Horizons ensures IOTA students receive effective, research-based reading instruction, preparing them for success in school and beyond.”

    Reading Horizons Elevate® is the leading program for effectively teaching foundational reading skills to older learners. Based on over 40 years of research, it blends direct instruction with engaging and age-appropriate software to make reading a reality for all learners. The program has proven successful across multiple age groups and settings, including intervention, adult education, special education, dyslexia, and multilingual learners.

    In Tennessee, there are 115 charter schools with over 44,000 students enrolled. According to the 2023-34 Tennessee Charter School Center Impact Report, Tennessee’s public charter school students have emerged as national leaders in academic growth. Despite serving students with more significant needs, Tennessee’s charter schools demonstrated one of the highest average growth rates in the nation. Across Tennessee, public charter students receive the equivalent of 34 extra days of reading instruction (compared to their non-charter counterparts), creating ample opportunity to leverage the new partnership with Reading Horizons.

    “IOTA Community Schools is committed to academic opportunity and excellence for each student,” said Trisha Thomas, President of Reading Horizons. “We are excited to be in a strategic partnership to ensure equitable education for all students, regardless of their background. We share a vision for all students in Tennessee to have the foundational reading skills they need to become confident readers and learners.”

    For more information, visit www.readinghorizons.com.

    About Reading Horizons

    Reading Horizons empowers educators to eradicate illiteracy with effective, tech-enabled foundational reading instruction that helps all students achieve reading proficiency. For 40 years, Reading Horizons has continuously aligned its simple instructional method with advancements in the science of reading. We have supported educators and students with ongoing, synergistic partnerships, serving as a trusted, innovative, foundational literacy partner. Adopted by over 200,000 educators, our proven method for teaching foundational literacy prevents and remediates reading difficulties, supporting our mission to ensure students reach
    reading proficiency by the end of third grade. Reading momentum begins at Reading Horizons.

    About IOTA Community Schools

    IOTA Community Schools is creating access to comprehensive opportunities by embracing each student and preparing them for life through innovative and transformative academics while building sustainable pathways to economic growth.

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  • 14 Powerful Reading Comprehension Strategies To Teach Students

    14 Powerful Reading Comprehension Strategies To Teach Students

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    Comprehension is the goal of reading. If students don’t understand what they read, well, reading is a meaningless activity. The good news: Reading comprehension can be taught, practiced, and mastered. As students become readers, you can teach strategies that students can learn and add to their toolbox.

    What is reading comprehension?

    Think about reading comprehension as a combination of skills. Students need to get the words off the page (fluency, word reading) and understand the language they are reading (language structure, knowledge, vocabulary, and reasoning). If a student does not have strong language comprehension skills in particular, they won’t understand what they read, even if their fluency and word reading is strong. Reading comprehension strategies focus on building students’ language comprehension and teach them how to tackle text when they don’t understand. 

    We Are Teachers

    Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a way to visualize the skills that go into reading. The top five skills (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structure, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge) become more strategic over time as students learn how to apply strategies to different kinds of text. The bottom three skills (phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition) become more automatic as students master each skill.

    Learn more: What Is Reading Comprehension? 

    Reading Comprehension Strategies

    Here are our favorite reading comprehension strategies to help students develop and strengthen their reading comprehension.

    1. Establish a purpose for reading

    Reading comprehension starts before students open a book. Teach students to set a purpose for reading, weather that’s to enjoy a story or to answer a specific question. Having a purpose helps students focus on the most important information and sift out less important details. 

    2. Graphic organizers

    graphic organizer examples: compare contrast and main idea and details for reading comprehension strategies
    We Are Teachers

    Graphic organizers are a tried-and-true strategy. Students can use an organizer that aligns with the text they are reading. So, if they are reading a nonfiction article about an event, they may use a sequencing graphic organizer. If they are reading a section of a textbook, they may use a main idea and detail graphic organizer. The key is to teach students the types of graphic organizers that exist, the type of text each is used for, and how to use each one during reading.

    Try it: Free Printable Reading Comprehension Graphic Organizers 

    3. Activate background knowledge

    background knowledge quote
    We Are Teachers

    The more knowledge students have about a topic, the more they will understand. Prior knowledge includes information about a topic (sharks, weather) and information about how text works (anticipating that the first chapter of a novel will include information about the main character, setting, and problem). It’s not about teaching students all the facts, but teaching them how to reflect on what they know before they read. If they know a lot, they can dive in. If they don’t know much, they may want to preview the text for key words and images to build some background knowledge.

    Learn more: What Is Background Knowledge? 

    4. Predict and infer

    graphic organizer with space to write information from the text, what the reader thinks, and an inference or prediction, reading comprehension strategy
    We Are Teachers

    Making predictions or inferences involves combining multiple pieces of information to either predict or think about what will happen next, or to infer meaning that’s not stated in the text. Teach students to make predictions with a graphic organizer that prompts them to combine information from the text with their own ideas and thinking to predict or infer.  

    Try it: Free Printables: Predictions and Inferences

    5. Ask and answer questions

    Questioning is another proven reading comprehension strategy. When we can ask and answer questions as we read, it means we’re thinking about what we read. Teach students how to question by modeling with a think-aloud. Then, have students jot questions on sticky notes as they read and return to their questions to answer them as they read to build comprehension.

    Learn more: Improving Reading Comprehension With Think-Alouds

    6. Summarizing

    summarizing graphic organizer with the words somebody wanted but so then for reading comprehension strategies
    We Are Teachers

    When students can summarize text, they’ve grasped the main points and are able to retell what they learned. One great way to summarize is a book talk, where students summarize a book and try to convince others to read it (or not). 

    Another way to support summarizing for fiction text is with a graphic organizer that helps them retell: Somebody … wanted … but … so … then. For nonfiction, use a main idea and details graphic organizer. 

    Try it: Free Summarizing Graphic Organizers

    7. Visualization

    When authors write, they create images and scenes. Even in nonfiction, authors create scenes that we can imagine. Being able to visualize makes reading more interesting (like watching a movie in your head). Teach students to visualize by starting small. Read sentences and have them draw what they see. Then, expand this strategy as you engage students in visualizing scenes.

    8. Metacognition

    Metacognition means understanding our own thought processes. In reading, this means knowing if we understand what we’re reading, and how to stop and review if we aren’t understanding. Teach students to notice what they’re thinking when they read. Are they asking questions? What do they wonder? Which parts make them laugh? Are there any big surprises in what they read? 

    Learn more: What Is Metacognition?

    9. Monitoring comprehension

    Monitoring comprehension is the process readers use to determine if they understand what they are reading. Have students stop at the end of a paragraph and page and think What did I read? If they can summarize what they read, they go on. If they cannot, they use a fix-up strategy, like rereading the section or looking up vocabulary words. 

    10. Making connections

    When students make connections, they’re building knowledge. Model and teach three main types of connections:

    • Text to self: How does the text connect with your life or experiences? 
    • Text to text: How does this part of the text connect to what you read in this text or what you have read in other texts? 
    • Text to world: How does what you’re reading connect with what you know? 

    Learn more: Using hexagonal thinking

    11. Determining importance

    Sometimes students get overwhelmed by the amount of information they’re reading. Teach them to calculate the importance of details they read. Students highlight or record the details they read, and then put each through a “funnel” where they think about whether or not it is actually important. Only the most important details make it through the funnel. 

    12. Recognizing story structure

    Gif featuring various printable story maps.
    Myranda McDonald; We Are Teachers

    Stories have a predictable structure that students can use to comprehend them. Knowing that stories start by explaining the character, setting, and problem can help students anticipate looking for this important information as they get into a story. And knowing that the story will hit a climax before the problem resolves also helps students anticipate the end of the story. Use story map graphic organizers to help improve students’ understanding of narrative by focusing on important information while they’re reading.

    Try it: Free Story Map Printable Worksheets

    13. Retelling

    Retelling is a strategy that involves telling the most important information. Have students do a five-finger retell. They hold their hand up and point to each finger as they explain the characters, setting, events one, two, and three, and the conclusion. Students point to their palm and share an opinion of the story or how the story made them feel. Using this prompt reminds students to include the main aspects of a story.

    14. Build vocabulary

    vocabulary graphic organizer with space to write a sentence using a vocabulary word
    We Are Teachers

    The more words a student knows, the more words they can learn, and the deeper they understand what they read. And the more times a student engages with a word, the more likely they are to actually remember and use the word. Teach words using visuals and activities, like creating sentences with vocabulary. And teach students how to engage with words in text. For example, practice reading “around” a word to define it—when students read on their own, they can use the same strategy when they’re stuck on a word.

    Try it: Free Printable Vocabulary Worksheet Bundle  

    Reading about reading? Check out What Is the Science of Reading? 

    And for more articles like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters!

    To read is to understand. Use these reading comprehension strategies to teach students to engage with text from Once Upon a Time to The End.

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    Samantha Cleaver, PhD, Special Education & Reading Intervention

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  • Anthology Sets New Standard in EdTech with Latest Blackboard® LMS Release, Emphasizing AI Literacy, Instructor Efficiency, and Student Success

    Anthology Sets New Standard in EdTech with Latest Blackboard® LMS Release, Emphasizing AI Literacy, Instructor Efficiency, and Student Success

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    Orlando, Florida – Anthology, the leading educational technology company, revealed the latest iteration of its Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard, at Anthology Together 2024. Previously known as Blackboard Learn, the flagship LMS was recognized for outpacing the competition in feature development for the third consecutive year. This iteration focuses on enhancing AI literacy, improving instructor workflows, and supporting student achievement. Innovations such as AI Conversations, Content Designer, and Video Studio demonstrate Anthology’s commitment to advancing education through technology by integrating tools that address the evolving needs of academic institutions.

    “The impact of AI, the enrollment cliff, student retention, escalating costs, changing student expectations—I don’t remember a time higher education faced so many unprecedented challenges,” said Nicolaas Matthijs, Chief Product Officer at Anthology. “Our rapid product enhancements and commitment to working in close collaboration with our customers reflect our dedication to helping higher education not just overcome these hurdles but thrive in this dynamic environment.”

    Leading the way on AI literacy

    Following on the success of its AI-facilitated instructional design tool, the Blackboard AI Design Assistant, Anthology announced the availability of its student-focused AI literacy tool. Students will be expected to use generative AI technologies in the workforce, and it’s important they have an opportunity to experience it and understand its strengths and weaknesses.

    AI Conversations is a new activity type in Blackboard to drive AI literacy and deepen student engagement. Through the tool, students can have a conversation with an AI persona about a specific topic. It’s a unique way to expose students to generative AI in a responsible and pedagogically-sound way while maintaining instructor oversight. The instructor is able to review the interaction and assess their student’s critical thinking while offering a novel and engaging means of assessment.

    Powered by Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, AI Conversations sets a new standard in AI literacy not available in any other LMS. AI Conversations will be a core feature included in every Blackboard license. All AI-facilitated capabilities in Anthology solutions are developed following  Anthology’s Trustworthy AI Approach.

    Deepen student engagement and bolster instructor efficiency

    Customer engagement and co-design is a critical component of Anthology’s product development process. The Anthology customer community were active contributors to all of the value-driven features announced at Anthology Together:

    • Blackboard Content Designer. To allow instructors to create more engaging learning experiences, the Content Designer allows simple, fast, interactive content creation that is mobile friendly and accessible. Aligned with Anthology’s mission to deliver innovation that is simple and intelligent, the Content Designer is a core feature of the latest version of Blackboard included in every license.
    • Blackboard Video Studio. In order to create an even more engaging and multimodal student experience, Anthology also launched Video Studio. Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Video Studio allows instructors to add video and audio content to their courses quickly and easily, with automatic captioning and flexible playback for use in low-bandwidth areas, to deliver a more engaging and accessible multimedia experience for students.
    • Blackboard Mastery Learning. Blackboard’s enhanced Mastery Learning capabilities allow instructors to design programs that adapt to each student’s individual needs. This personalized approach deepens student engagement and significantly enhances learning outcomes, ensuring learners progress and master course content as they go.
    • The new Gradebook Mastery view allows instructors to easily identify learning gaps at both the course and individual student levels. This clear, visual representation of student progress enables instructors to adjust their instructional strategies as needed. Students also benefit from the Mastery view by gaining a comprehensive understanding and overview of how their course assignments contribute to their overall learning outcomes.
    • The new Achievements feature in Blackboard celebrates student accomplishments. With Achievements, instructors can create badges for students to earn based on specific performance criteria. Badging is vital to student learning as it aligns with evolving student expectations and provides a visual recognition of achievements and skills mastery.
    • Students can showcase their expertise in their life-long Achievement Studio account. They can display their skills and badges, including the evidence of their learning, and incorporate in social platforms and portfolios.

    Experience the industry’s most modern learning management system with a free trial at  www.anthology.com/try.

    About Anthology

    Anthology delivers education and technology solutions so that students can reach their full potential and learning institutions thrive. Millions of students around the world are supported throughout their education journey via Anthology’s ecosystem of flagship SaaS solutions and supporting services, including the award-winning Blackboard® (LMS), Anthology® Student (SIS/ERP), and Anthology® Reach (CRM). Through the Power of Together, we are uniquely inspiring educators and institutions with innovation that is meaningful, simple and intelligent to help customers redefine what’s possible and create life-changing opportunities for people everywhere.  www.anthology.com.

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  • Free Read-Aloud Activities and Videos – We Are Teachers

    Free Read-Aloud Activities and Videos – We Are Teachers

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    At the start of every school year, we all want to begin building a positive classroom community that highlights empathy and understanding. Using read-alouds with students of all ages encourages class discussions, builds shared experience among students, develops listening skills, builds comprehension, and so much more. Start your year on the right note with these free read-aloud activities for pre-K through 6th grade over on the Lerner Publishing Group site that can help build your ideal classroom community.

    Why are read-alouds useful?

    Literacy specialist, curriculum developer, and 19-year education veteran Lindsay Barrett highly recommends the use of read-alouds in every classroom, sharing the following with us: “Read-alouds give kids access to a wider range of books than what they can read on their own. Hearing a proficient reader’s inflection and expression boosts listeners’ comprehension, as does the chance to talk about a book with others. Plus, hearing a great read-aloud can motivate kids to keep reading independently. At their best, classroom read-alouds build equity and community, creating shared experiences and knowledge everyone can draw upon for teaching and learning.”

    How can teachers select engaging and diverse read-alouds?

    Lindsay noted, “Teachers should aim to offer students a nourishing and balanced read-aloud ‘diet’ over time—across the week, month, curriculum unit, or school year. As you plan your read-alouds, think: How will you give students ‘tastes’ of different genres, characters, topics, and themes? How will you make sure that all your students find hints of familiarity and relevance to their own lives in books you share? How will different texts complement and build on each other? What fun ‘snacks’ will you throw in to energize kids? Shorter read-alouds often leave more time for rich discussion; be open to reading aloud picture books, poetry, and interesting snippets of informational text no matter the age of your students.”

    Get free read-aloud activities!

    The awesome titles below come with free videos to read the books and ready-to-use lesson plans. It’s the perfect way to kick off your school year, so grab your freebies here!

    Big Bear and Little Fish (Pre-K to Grade 2)

    Lerner Publishing Group

    A big bear forms an unexpected friendship with a very small fish! Dive into friendship themes by watching the read-aloud video and using activities including discussion questions, a scavenger hunt, and friendship worksheets.

    Ella McKeen, Kickball Queen (Grades K-3)

    Ella McKeen, Kickball Queen book cover and worksheets
    Lerner Publishing Group

    Ella is the kickball queen, but what will she do when a new contender shows up at recess? Learn about what it means to be a good sport and how to express feelings in an appropriate way with a breathing exercise, feelings worksheet, and more.

    The Secrets of Cricket Karlsson (Grades 3-6)

    Secrets of Cricket Karlsson book and worksheet
    Lerner Publishing Group

    This novel follows an 11-year-old navigating a best friend breakup in a coming-of-age story. Grab a writing prompt page based on the book and check out more about the author in an interview.

    A Is for Another Rabbit (Pre-K to Grade 2)

    A Is for Another Rabbit book cover and read aloud activitites
    Lerner Publishing Group

    A rabbit-obsessed narrator refuses to play by the rules of a conventional alphabet book and makes everything about bunnies! Listen to the video read-aloud and use free activities including coloring, handwriting, and counting.

    Hair Story (Grades K-3)

    Hair Story book and activities
    Lerner Publishing Group

    This picture book follows two girls as they discover the stories their hair can tell. Discuss hair bias, race, and multilingualism by working through activities including discussion questions and writing prompts while diving into the wonderful rhythmic, rhyming verse of this book.

    Crunch and Crack, Oink and Whack! (Grades 2-5)

    Crunch and Crack, Oink and Whack! book and read aloud activities
    Lerner Publishing Group

    This elementary school is celebrating “Onomatopoeia Day.” Follow along as students make their way through their school using these words that imitate sounds. Listen to this fun read-aloud and finish with writing activities, drawing a comic, and exploring onomatopoeias.

    My Mindful A to Zen (Pre-K to Grade 2)

    My Mindful A to Zen book and worksheets
    Lerner Publishing Group

    This ABC book is accompanied by beautiful haiku while introducing kids to mindfulness concepts. Add to your reading of this relaxing title with art and coloring activities that kids will love.

    That’s Not a Hippopotamus! (Pre-K to Grade 1)

    That's Not a Hippopotamus! book cover and worksheets
    Lerner Publishing Group

    A school trip to the zoo turns into a chaotic hunt for the missing hippopotamus in this irresistible read-aloud. Find teaching notes and a big list of 15 activity ideas to guide your reading.

    Song of the River (Grades K-2)

    Songs of the River book cover and activities
    Lerner Publishing Group

    Cam explores the world of the river, following it from the top of the mountain snow, through the farm, and all the way to the sea. Grab ideas to extend your learning by investigating water flow, involving the senses, writing, and more.

    Clem and Crab (Pre-K to Grade 3)

    Clem and Crab book cover and worksheets
    Lerner Publishing Group

    Clem is a protector of the seas and stumbles across Crab stuck in a plastic bag on her beloved beach. Follow this tale, exploring the importance of keeping beaches clean, with a coloring and counting page, writing worksheet, and more.

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    Malia Bartek

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  • OPINION: Everything I learned about how to teach reading turned out to be wrong – The Hechinger Report

    OPINION: Everything I learned about how to teach reading turned out to be wrong – The Hechinger Report

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    When I first started teaching middle school, I did everything my university prep program told me to do in what’s known as the “workshop model.”

    I let kids choose their books. I determined their independent reading levels and organized my classroom library according to reading difficulty.

    I then modeled various reading skills, like noticing the details of the imagery in a text, and asked my students to practice doing likewise during independent reading time.

    It was an utter failure.

    Kids slipped their phones between the pages of the books they selected. Reading scores stagnated. I’m pretty sure my students learned nothing that year.

    Yet one aspect of this model functioned seamlessly: when I sat on a desk in front of the room and read out loud from a shared classroom novel.

    Kids listened, discussions arose naturally and everything seemed to click.

    Slowly, the reason for these episodic successes became clear to me: Shared experiences and teacher direction are necessary for high-quality instruction and a well-run classroom.

    Related: Become a lifelong learner. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive our comprehensive reporting directly in your inbox.

    Over time, I pieced together the idea that my students would benefit most from a teaching model that emphasized shared readings of challenging works of literature; memorization of poetry; explicit grammar instruction; contextual knowledge, including history; and teacher direction — not time practicing skills.

    But even as I made changes and saw improvements, doubts nagged at me. By abandoning student choice, and asking kids to dust off Chaucer, would I snuff out their joy of reading? Is Shakespearean English simply too difficult for middle schoolers?

    To set my doubts aside, I surveyed the relevant research and found that many of the assumptions upon which the workshop model was founded are simply false — starting with the assumption that reading comprehension depends on “reading comprehension skills.”

    There is evidence that teaching such skills has some benefit, but what students really need in order to read with understanding is knowledge about history, geography, science, music, the arts and the world more broadly.

    Perhaps the most famous piece of evidence for this knowledge-centered theory of reading comprehension is the “baseball study,” in which researchers gave children an excerpt about baseball and then tested their comprehension. At the outset of the study, researchers noted the children’s reading levels and baseball knowledge; they varied considerably.

    Ultimately, the researchers found that it was each child’s prior baseball knowledge and not their predetermined reading ability that predicted their comprehension and recall of the passage.

    That shouldn’t be surprising. Embedded within any newspaper article or novel is a vast amount of assumed knowledge that authors take for granted — from the fall of the Soviet Union to the importance of 1776.

    Just about any student can decode the words “Berlin Wall,” but they need a knowledge of basic geography (where is Berlin?), history (why was the Berlin wall built?) and political philosophy (what qualities of the Communist regime caused people to flee from East to West?) to grasp the full meaning of an essay or story involving the Berlin Wall.

    Of course, students aren’t born with this knowledge, which is why effective teachers build students’ capacity for reading comprehension by relentlessly exposing them to content-rich texts.

    My research confirmed what I had concluded from my classroom experiences: The workshop model’s text-leveling and independent reading have a weak evidence base.

    Rather than obsessing over the difficulty of texts, educators would better serve students by asking themselves other questions, such as: Does our curriculum expose children to topics they might not encounter outside of school? Does it offer opportunities to discuss related historical events? Does it include significant works of literature or nonfiction that are important for understanding modern society?

    Related: PROOF POINTS: Slightly higher reading scores when students delve into social studies, study finds

    In my classroom, I began to choose many books simply because of their historical significance or instructional opportunities. Reading the memoirs of Frederick Douglass with my students allowed me to discuss supplementary nonfiction texts about chattel slavery, fugitive slave laws and the Emancipation Proclamation.

    Reading “The Magician’s Nephew” by C. S. Lewis prompted teaching about allusions to the Christian creation story and the myth of Narcissus, knowledge they could use to analyze future stories and characters.

    Proponents of the workshop model claim that letting students choose the books they read will make them more motivated readers, increase the amount of time they spend reading and improve their literacy. The claim is widely believed.

    However, it’s unclear to me why choice would necessarily foster a love of reading. To me, it seems more likely that a shared reading of a classic work with an impassioned teacher, engaged classmates and a thoughtfully designed final project are more motivating than reading a self-selected book in a lonely corner. That was certainly my experience.

    After my classes acted out “Romeo and Juliet,” with rulers trimmed and painted to resemble swords, and read “To Kill a Mockingbird” aloud, countless students (and their parents) told me it was the first time they’d ever enjoyed reading.

    They said these classics were the first books that made them think — and the first ones that they’d ever connected with.

    Students don’t need hours wasted on finding a text’s main idea or noticing details. They don’t need time cloistered off with another book about basketball.

    They need to experience art, literature and history that might not immediately interest them but will expand their perspective and knowledge of the world.

    They need a teacher to guide them through and inspire a love and interest in this content. The workshop model doesn’t offer students what they need, but teachers still can.

    Daniel Buck is an editorial and policy associate at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the author of “What Is Wrong with Our Schools?”

    This story about teaching reading was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s newsletter.

    The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

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  • 95 Phonics Lesson Library Meets ESSA Standards of Evidence for Grades 4-5

    95 Phonics Lesson Library Meets ESSA Standards of Evidence for Grades 4-5

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    Lincolnshire, IL – Today,  95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for comprehensive, proven literacy solutions, announced that its 95 Phonics Lesson Library™ is now listed on the Evidence for ESSA website for Tier 2, small-group instruction, for grades 4-5. The rating confirms the program’s research meets federal standards under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for demonstrating evidence of efficacy. In 2022, 95 Phonics Core Program® by 95 Percent Group also earned ESSA listing for Tier 1 Instruction.

    Based at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Research and Reform in Education, Evidence for ESSA was established following the 2015 Congressional approval of the federal act and provides independent, authoritative information on program research that meets the ESSA evidence standards. As a leading resource in the field, the website enables educators and communities to select effective instructional tools to improve student outcomes.

    “Our continued, strategic investment in research both provides us with the information we need to continue to grow and develop our product offerings and demonstrates to educators the power of our programs to accelerate literacy skill development for all students,” said Brad Lindaas, CEO, 95 Percent Group. “We are excited to expand our listings on the highly respected Evidence for ESSA to include supporting intervention for students in grades 4-5.”

    95 Phonics Lesson Library provides teachers with the tools to guide students to grade-level mastery. This evidence-based program for intervention offers three levels of instruction and easy-to-use, fully prepared lessons. As a precision tool, 95 Phonics Lesson Library gives students the targeted intervention they need to fill specific skill gaps.

    LXD Research founder Rachel Schechter, Ph.D., said, “Much of the current focus of science of reading has been on the earlier elementary grades. Our recent research demonstrates the ways that 95 Percent Group programs are effective instructional and intervention tools for students in grades 4-5.”

    In the study that earned 95 Phonics Lesson Library Evidence for ESSA approval, two schools in Ohio’s Youngstown City School District implemented the program with students in grades 4-5. At mid-year, LXD found that 7 percent more 4th graders and 13 percent more 5th graders were on or above benchmark compared to their peers in other district schools that were not using the program.

    “Educators making decisions about science of reading aligned materials for their students are faced with complex and time-consuming decisions. They need to ask questions, such as ‘Is this program evidence-based?’ and ‘Will it move the needle for our students?” 95 Percent Group has made a long-term investment in independent research they can trust, in order to put that information at their fingertips,” said Amy Boza, Ph.D., director of research at 95 Percent Group. “In addition, the work has been highlighted at both national and international academic conferences including IDA.”

    About 95 Percent Group

    95 Percent Group is an education company whose mission is to build on science to empower teachers—supplying the knowledge, resources, and support they need—to develop strong readers. Using an approach that is based in structured literacy, the company’s One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™ integrates professional learning and evidence-based literacy products into one cohesive system that supports consistent instructional routines across tiers and is proven and trusted to help students close skill gaps and read fluently. 95 Percent Group is also committed to advancing research, best practices, and thought leadership on the science of reading more broadly. For more information, visit www.95percentgroup.com. 

    About LXD Research

    LXD Research is an independent evaluation, research, and consulting division within Charles River Media Group focusing on educational programs. They design rigorous research studies, multifaceted data analytic reporting, and dynamic content to disseminate insights. Visit www.LXDResearch.com.

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  • OPINION: Most preschool curricula under-deliver, but it doesn’t have to be that way – The Hechinger Report

    OPINION: Most preschool curricula under-deliver, but it doesn’t have to be that way – The Hechinger Report

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    There is a long overdue movement in states and districts across the country to update K-3 reading and math curricula to ensure they adhere to research-proven practices. However, this movement has a big blind spot: preschool.

    Close to half of all four-year-olds in the U.S. now start their formal education in a public preschool classroom, and this share is steadily growing. States invested well over $10 billion in pre-K programs in 2022-23, and the federal government invested $11 billion in Head Start.

    Most public preschool programs succeed in offering children well-organized classrooms in which they feel safe to learn and explore. But they fall short in building the critical early learning skills on which a child’s future literacy and math skills depend.

    Strong preschool experiences matter. The seeds of the large, consequential learning gap between children from higher-income and lower-income families in language, literacy and math skills in middle and high school are already planted by the first day of kindergarten.

    Related: Our biweekly Early Childhood newsletter highlights innovative solutions to the obstacles facing the youngest students. Subscribe for free.

    Many studies in widely differing locales around the country have shown that attending preschool boosts children’s kindergarten readiness, and that its effects can — but don’t invariably — last beyond kindergarten and even into adulthood. This readiness includes the ability to follow teacher directions and get along with peers, a solid understanding of the correspondence between letters and sounds, a strong vocabulary and a conceptual knowledge of the number line — all skills on which elementary school curricula can build and all eagerly learned by preschoolers.

    But as with all education, some programs are more effective than others, and curriculum is a key active ingredient. Most preschool programs rely on curricula that do not match the current science of early learning and teaching. The good news is that we don’t have to start from scratch to do better. As a new National Academies report explains, we have ample research that points to what makes a preschool curriculum effective.

    Three practical changes will help to move today’s curriculum reform efforts in the right direction.

    First, public preschool programs need to update their lists of approved curricula, based on evidence, to clearly identify those that improve young children’s learning and development. In the 2021-22 school year (the most recent year for which figures are available), only 19 states maintained lists of approved curricula, and those lists included curricula that are not evidence-based.

    Related: Infants and toddlers in high quality child care seem to reap the benefits longer, research says

    Second, because the most effective preschool curricula tend to target only one or two learning areas (such as math and literacy), programs need to combine curricula to cover all vital areas. Fortunately, preschool programs in Boston and elsewhere have done precisely this.

    Third, tightly linking curricula to teacher professional development and coaching is required for effective implementation. Too often, teacher professional development focuses on general best practices or is highly episodic, approaches that have not translated into preschool learning gains.

    We can’t stop with these three changes, however. Children learn best when kindergarten and later elementary curricula build upon preschool curriculum.

    None of these changes will solve the problem of the inadequate funding that affects many preschool programs and fuels high teacher turnover. But they can provide teachers with the best tools to support learning.

    Getting preschool curricula right is crucial for society to receive the research-proven benefits of early education programs. Evidence shows a boost in learning when programs use more effective curricula.

    What’s next is for policymakers to put this evidence into action.

    Deborah A. Phillips and Christina Weiland are members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on a New Vision for High-Quality Pre-K Curriculum, which recently released a report with a series of recommendations to improve preschool curriculum, as is Douglas H. Clements, who also contributed to this opinion piece.

    This story about preschool curricula was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s biweekly Early Childhood newsletter.

    The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

    Join us today.

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  • Study from EPS Learning on Improving Literacy Outcomes for Special Education Students Meets ESSA Level 3 Evidence Standards

    Study from EPS Learning on Improving Literacy Outcomes for Special Education Students Meets ESSA Level 3 Evidence Standards

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    BETHESDA, Md. — EPS Learning, the leading provider of PreK-12 literacy solutions, is excited to announce that its recent  SPIRE® study has earned Level 3 certification for alignment with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) standards. SPIRE is a research-proven, comprehensive, structured literacy and multisensory reading intervention program that has supported reading success for all striving readers through an intensive and structured science-of-reading aligned curriculum for over 30 years.

    LXD Research conducted a third-party study to determine the relationship between the usage of SPIRE and student reading outcomes in 13 schools in Martin County School District, Florida. The study’s positive, statistically significant findings support a relationship between SPIRE progress and improved literacy skills for special education students. The findings were robust across Grades 3, 4, and 5 after controlling for key predictors such as previous FAST (Florida’s statewide, standardized assessment) scale scores, gender, LEP status, grade level and race/ethnicity.

    This study met the following criteria for ESSA Level 3 achievement:

    • Correlational design; students new to the program compared to students with more progress in the program
    • Proper design and implementation with at least two teachers and 30 students per group
    • Study uses a form of a program that could be replicated
    • Statistical controls through covariates 
    • At least one statistically significant, positive finding

    EPS Learning Chief Academic Officer Dr. Janine Walker-Caffrey spoke to the company’s recent rating, stating, “We are incredibly proud of the decades of impactful support SPIRE has provided for readers across the country and are elated about the recent ESSA rating! While this is a wonderful achievement, we are just beginning our bolstered efficacy research efforts. Upcoming research will re-demonstrate that this effective and evidence-based program for reading intervention is still positively impacting students in becoming fluent readers. We are excited to accomplish the next level of ESSA certification as studies continue to be released.”

    SPIRE was developed by Orton-Gillingham (OG) Fellow, Sheila Clark-Edmands, and is based on structured literacy principles and the OG approach. The program incorporates evidence-based best practices for reading and language development. It also includes skills that are key to fluent reading acquisition: phonemic awareness, phonics, handwriting, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Each SPIRE lesson employs 10 steps that enhance student learning and memory by engaging multisensory pathways to the brain in rapid succession, ensuring orthographic mapping and automaticity. 

    About EPS Learning 

    EPS Learning has partnered with educators for more than 70 years to advance literacy as the springboard for lifelong learning and opportunity. The 20+ literacy solutions included in the EPS Literacy Framework are based on the science of reading and support grades PreK through 12, all tiers of instruction, and every pillar of reading. EPS Learning offers evidence-based intervention and customized professional learning to help move students toward growth, mastery, and success. Visit  www.epslearning.com to learn more.

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  • Local foster care provider receives grant for literacy program

    Local foster care provider receives grant for literacy program

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    ANDOVER — Literacy is a top priority for HopeWell, a non-profit foster care provider in the Merrimack Valley and beyond.

    The organization has long offered comprehensive foster care throughout the state, with its Andover location supporting approximately 45 children and 25 families a year in the region.

    In 2022, HopeWell started supporting its students in a new way through a program called RISE which stands for readiness, inquiry, scholarship, and education. RISE was created to improve the literacy of foster children in kindergarten through third grade with the help of tutors.

    “What we know about young people experiencing foster care is that they are our nation’s most marginalized group of young people, and their literacy rates are far below their non-foster peers,” Shaheer Mustafa, president and CEO of HopeWell, said.

    The program is almost completely supported by philanthropic contributions, and recently received a major boost in the form of a three-year, $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation, something key to allowing RISE to continue operating.

    “We’re really grateful to foundations like Cummings that believe in trying to help change the outcomes and new programs like this,” Lisa Crane, HopeWell’s Senior Director of Development said.

    The program confronts a glaring issue, the literacy gap that affects foster children from a young age, according to the National Library of Medicine.

    “Up to 50% of children in foster care entering kindergarten are at-risk for later reading difficulties,” the National Library of Medicine said.

    A major factor that contributes to the gap is the frequency that foster children change their living situation according to Mustafa.

    “We provide high-impact tutoring that is delivered in the young person’s home because that’s one of the challenges that youth experiencing foster care faces, they bounce around from place to place. So, about six months of academic progress is lost every time they change their placement,” Mustafa said.

    To accommodate children in the program, RISE accounts for any possible moves and allows their tutor to remain consistent.

    “What our tutors do is they follow them no matter where they could go. So, if they change from one placement to another, the tutors will continue to provide literacy support,” Mustafa said.

    Currently, RISE is only being offered to children in Boston, but with more experience and funding like the grant, it could be offered throughout the state.

    “Funding like this plays a critical part in being able to pave the way for a broader expansion,” Mustafa said.

    In the meantime, the one of a kind program will continue to support children with the help of the Cummings grant.

    “There’s really no other program like RISE anywhere in the country that’s focused specifically for early literacy for kids in foster care. We’re just super thrilled that the foundation believes in the possibility and power of the program,” Crane said.

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    By Caitlin Dee | CDee@eagletribune.com

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  • AVID Products Introduces WonderEars Headset to Enhance Early Learning Experiences

    AVID Products Introduces WonderEars Headset to Enhance Early Learning Experiences

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    PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 22, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    AVID Products, a Rhode Island-based 100% employee-owned audio company, proudly announces the release of WonderEars™, a mindfully designed headset tailored for young children and early learning. With their commitment to innovation and accessibility, AVID Products continues to redefine audio solutions, empowering young minds on their listening and learning journey. 

    WonderEars will make its debut at ISTE in Denver, June 23rd to 26th, 2024, showcasing to the education technology community as an audio solution for early learning and young students. ISTE, the premier education technology conference, attracts educators and innovators from around the world, making it the perfect platform to introduce this newly developed headset. 

    Beyond just a headset, WonderEars represents AVID Products’ dedication to enhancing educational experiences for children of all ages. With a focus on comfort, durability, and high-quality sound, this headset aims to transform early learning environments, inspiring young learners to engage with their activities. 

    “We are very excited to introduce WonderEars to the education community,” says Mike Logan, Chief Commercial Officer at AVID Products. “Our goal with this headset is to provide young learners with a comfortable, durable, and high-quality audio solution that enhances their learning and nurtures their listening skills.” 

    Key features of the WonderEars early learning headset include: 

    • Properly sized for comfort – Tailored for children aged 4-9 to ensure a perfect fit for comfort during learning sessions. 
    • Durability – Crafted with robust materials to be durable and resilient to the demands of daily use in learning environments. 
    • High-quality audio – Designed to clearly deliver spoken word, enhancing comprehension, literacy, and engagement in educational content. 
    • Safer sound – Limited volume to 85dB provides a safer listening experience for young ears, promoting healthy auditory development. 
    • KidCom™ built-in microphone – Ensures consistent voice capture without the risk of breakage or distraction, empowering young voices to be heard. 
    • Sturdy cord design – Chew-resistant and tough against tugs and twists, ensuring uninterrupted listening experiences for active young learners. 
    • Easy to clean and store – Featuring a sleek design and easy-to-clean materials, WonderEars is convenient to maintain and store. 
    • Regulatory compliance – Meets strict safety standards for a worry-free learning experience. 

    “We believe in the power of audio to transform early learning experiences,” continues Logan. “With WonderEars, we aim to inspire young learners to explore, discover, and grow through the magic of sound.” 

    The WonderEars early learning headset is offered at an MSRP of $24.95 for a 3.5mm pin connection and $29.95 for USB-C. This headset is available now at shop.avidproducts.com and through select reseller partners. For more information and to join the AVID Community, visit avidproducts.com and connect with AVID Products on social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.

    ‘Listen, learn, wonder!’ with WonderEars—your trusted friend for early learning. 

    Source: AVID Products

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