Deledao ActiveInsights™ Awarded “Research-Based Design for Instructional Learning Products” Product Certification

Deledao ActiveInsights™ — an industry-leading edtech solution powered by proprietary real-time AI technologies such as InstantAI™ — has earned the Research-Based Design for Instructional Learning Products: Product Certification from Digital Promise.

This Product Certification serves as a reliable indicator for district and school leaders, educators, and families looking for EdTech products grounded in confirmed learning research. Deledao provided evidence to Digital Promise, affirming a connection between research on how students learn and the product’s design. Furthermore, Deledao demonstrated its dedication to ensuring its clarity and accessibility of its research foundation to the public.

“We firmly believe that a research-driven approach is crucial in crafting tools exceeding the needs of educators and learners,” said Shuang Ji, CEO at Deledao. “Receiving this recognition is a tremendous honor for Deledao. It highlights our commitment to incorporating the latest educational research insights into our products.” 

“This certification validates our efforts, guiding district and school leaders, educators, and families toward EdTech products based on proven learning principles,” added Davide Giannotti, Director of Marketing at Deledao. “We take pride in advancing educational technology to positively impact every student’s learning journey.” 

“Educators and researchers continue to uncover important insights about how people learn,” said Christina Luke Luna, Chief Learning Officer, Pathways and Credentials at Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Research-Based Design Product Certification recognizes the EdTech products that incorporate research about learning into their design and development. Congratulations to Deledao ActiveInsights™ for demonstrating that research informs product design!” 

“More than 8,000 products are used in K-12 schools, and fewer than 1 percent have earned this recognition,” said Rachel Schechter, Ph.D., Learning Experience Design (LXD) Research, who helped advise Deledao in preparing the application. “The research-based design certification is a meaningful foundation for any company looking to build their ESSA-aligned evidence.” 

Dr. Schechter led the LXD expert review panel to rigorously evaluate and endorse Deledao for meeting the educational impact criteria of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The LXD expert review panel recognizes an ESSA Level IV designation of “Demonstrates a Rationale” for Deledao ActiveInsights™.  

 
ESSA Level 4 Evidence Logo
 

ESSA Level IV standards are based on a product’s research-based design and theory of change to enhance learning outcomes. The certification from Digital Promise is aligned with the ESSA Level IV designation. 

Through Product Certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products based on research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms. Digital Promise launched the Research-Based Design Product Certification in February 2020 and has certified over 100 products to date. 

The Research-Based Design Product Certification uses a competency-based learning framework developed in consultation with Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project advisory board, expert researchers in the Learning Sciences field, and nearly 50 educators across the United States. Further detail about its development can be found in Digital Promise’s reports, Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications (2020) and An Overlooked Indicator of Edtech Quality: The Use of Learning Sciences Research (2022). 

The U.S. Department of Education’s recently published 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) calls for a crucial change: schools must prioritize educational technology decisions backed by solid research and proven to improve student learning. Deledao proudly aligns with this vision.

Further, the Research-Based Design for Instructional Learning Products certification from Digital Promise validates Deledao’s commitment to developing effective tools grounded in rigorous research, directly mirroring the NETP’s core principles.

By prioritizing research and evidence-based design, Deledao is helping schools unlock the true potential of technology to empower educators with the proven tools they need to ensure all students can succeed in today’s digital learning environments. 

– – –

About Deledao 

In 2017, a group of Silicon Valley veterans observed the changing educational landscape with the proliferation of digital devices in schools, prompting the recognition of a new challenge: digital distractions. CEO Shuang Ji, co-inventor of the proxy filtering technology, recognized the inadequacy of legacy technologies (created in the 90s) in safeguarding children online. This realization led to the birth of Deledao, with its first product, a real-time AI-based web filter, launched in 2019. Since then, Deledao has expanded its product offerings to include solutions for student safety and classroom management, catering to the evolving needs of K-12 education. Today, Deledao’s impact extends globally, supporting educational institutions in the United States, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Learn more and request a demo here. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest

About Digital Promise 

Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates. 

About LXD Research 

Learning Experience Design Research is an independent evaluation and research firm within Charles River Media Inc. focusing on educational programs. We specialize in research communication, efficacy study validation, and the design and execution of ESSA-aligned research studies. Visit www.LXDResearch.com

Building Your Cyber Incident Response Team

When you’re blindsided by a sudden cyber attack, it pays to have a band of heroes you can call upon to save the day. Fortunately, that’s exactly what a cyber incident response team (CIRT) is for.

Think of them like the Avengers. They might not protect your universe from alien invaders, but they do keep malicious cybercriminals at bay.

Let’s uncover the basics of CIRTs and how you can build the best team for your district’s cybersecurity needs.

WHAT IS A CYBER INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM?

cyber incident response team — also known as a computer incident response team or computer security incident response team (CSIRT) — is a group of people responsible for responding to security breaches, viruses, and other potentially catastrophic cyber threats.

CIRTs are essential to the overall incident response process. Each security team member plays a particular role in mitigating an active threat, but together, they cohesively executive your school district’s incident response plan (IRP).

In short, an IRP is a formal document that establishes the requisite steps, instructions, and procedures your school district should follow for detecting, containing, and minimizing the impact of an attack on your information technology (IT) infrastructure. Generally speaking, incident response planning provides a comprehensive framework for mitigating a cyber incident, whether it be a security breach, data leak, or any other threat to sensitive information and student privacy.

With a well-crafted IRP, you can:

  • Jump into action: Incident response planning helps you act faster, which is key to preventing bad actors from getting their paws on more personal information.
  • Prevent downtime: The sooner you contain a threat, the quicker you can bring affected systems back online. And, if you’re really fast, you can even prevent the attack from forcing information technology offline in the first place.
  • Improve recovery: With a smoother and more effective incident response process, you can avoid critical damage that requires implementing a disaster recovery plan.

However, these outcomes aren’t possible without a computer security incident response team at the helm. A CIRT’s main goal is to regain control of an ongoing cyber incident as quickly and efficiently as possible, thereby minimizing its negative impact. This involves following the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s four-step framework for incident handling:

  1. Preparation
  2. Detection and analysis
  3. Containment, eradication, and recovery
  4. Post-incident activity

Not familiar with these phases? Check out our guide to learn more.

For now, just know the CIRT is responsible for completing each phase’s essential procedures. These include gathering threat intelligence, communicating events to internal and external stakeholders (such as law enforcement), classifying incidents, threat hunting, coordinating response efforts, post-incident reporting, and updating information security policies following a mitigated cyber threat.


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Warren Frebel
VP of Business Development
303-415-3656
wfrebel@managedmethods.com

Learn More About ManagedMethods

Collaborative Brilliance: The Impact of Media Specialist-Teacher Partnerships

BY Jennifer Parker

Often, media specialists find themselves as solitary figures in our schools, but to effectively serve all our students, we must be master connectors, not only throughout our community but also within our building, through collaborative partnerships with teachers. Collaboration also plays a pivotal role in advocating for our programs, strengthening their visibility and value within the broader school community. I don’t know about you, but I witness teachers who are increasingly stressed and overwhelmed by the ever-mounting demands of education. Collaborating can often feel like yet another burden on their already full plates. However, amidst this, I also see these same teachers who remain steadfast in their ‘why,’ showing up every day in their classrooms, seeking ways to actively engage their students in learning. This is where collaboration with the school library media specialist shines brightest — the opportunity to join forces with teachers, asking ‘how can I help?’ This simple question embodies one of the most significant avenues we have to impact students and cultivate a thriving media program.

So, how do we earn teachers’ trust and open the door to collaboration? By aligning our collaboration efforts with content standards and offering assistance in areas where teachers may need extra support, we can be irreplaceable assets in our building. While teachers are experts in their content areas, as media specialists, we bring distinct proficiencies to the table. We excel in facilitating big ideas—lessons that are complex, require additional resources or technology, and often involve small group activities. By stepping in as their trusted ally, we become the superhero sidekick, helping to bring big ideas to life.

So, what does this collaboration entail? Picture a blend of interactive learning stations, hands-on STEAM/STEM activities, opportunities for coding, and captivating library “field trips” where we morph the space into an immersive museum experience tailored to specific learning standards. These lessons not only captivate students with their high engagement levels but also elicit a “wow” factor as passersby, both students and teachers, catch glimpses of the excitement unfolding. It’s about creating a buzz that ignites curiosity and prompts others to seek similar experiences.

Leveraging Blended Learning Station Lessons

Blended learning station lessons are a personal favorite of mine when it comes to collaboration. They offer a plethora of moving parts that might seem daunting for a teacher to tackle alone, especially when aiming to provide differentiated stations tailored to student levels or needs. But fear not! Let’s demystify the terminology. The Blended Learning Station model is simply a structured approach where students rotate through a series of stations or learning activities on a fixed schedule, with at least one station being online or digital.

Here is an example of one of my standout blended learning station lessons —a favorite among our 6th-grade social studies classes focusing on Chernobyl. Each station was crafted to provide a unique perspective on the topic. From a virtual reality lab that enables students to immerse themselves in a virtual walk through Chernobyl to a small group discussion led by the classroom teacher on the causes of the disaster, along with other stations featuring differentiated reading passages, videos, maps, and images, the variety of activities kept students engaged and eager to explore.


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Mesa Heise
Director of Bids & Contracts
800-245-9540
bids@mackin.com
mesa@mackin.com

Learn More About Mackin Educational Resources

Amazement in their eyes’: Reading Coach uses AI to help students create their own stories

By Bill Briggs

Have we got a story for you.

Actually, let’s rephrase that: Author Kayleen Torres has a story for you. And here’s how it starts:

Once upon a time, in a land far away, dwelled a most curious feline known as Luna. Luna, a monochromatic domesticized cat with piercing emerald-tinted eyes, had a deep-seated yearning for adventure and exploration beyond the norm. 

Kayleen’s enchanting plot ultimately twirls and twists to reveal that Luna struts into a soccer stadium where some athletes invite her to join their game. Turns out, Luna can seriously boot the ball with her fuzzy paws. Soon, that green-eyed kitty with the daring spirit becomes a star.

“Her team wins because the cat, like, scores a goal – or something,” Kayleen explains. “A cat is, like, my favorite animal.”

Yes, the author is 10 years old.

A fifth grader at Baldwin Academy, an elementary school near Los Angeles, Kayleen created her tale using the new version of Microsoft Reading Coach. The free tool now harnesses generative AI, which helps learners produce their own stories. They can pick their characters and settings – all while working at their reading level.

Fifth grader Joshua Munoz reads aloud a story that was freshly generated by Reading Coach.

Kayleen is one of several hundred students in the U.S., the U.K. and India now testing the enhanced Reading Coach as part of a public preview. The pilot’s largest group spans about 75 students in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, which includes Baldwin Academy.

“They love it,” says Ana Ruiz, a fifth-grade teacher at Baldwin Academy. “Every student can choose what they want it to be. I have students who read at a ninth-grade level, kids who need reading support and students in-between. Being able to pick a reading level is such a game changer.”

Reading Coach – one of the Learning Accelerators available via Microsoft Education – also directs students to read their stories aloud into a computer microphone. It then detects the words they find challenging and guides them to independently say and practice those terms.

For Kayleen, her practice words included “principal,” “little” and “cool.” She uses Reading Coach about once a day, she says, often on a computer at her home in La Puente, California.

“With AI, it’s different from all the other stuff (at school) because you make it yourself,” Kayleen says. “I like the feeling of that. I like to do the stuff that I make.”

At home or at school, kids can use Reading Coach as a Windows application or a browser-based experience.


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Microsoft
Othniel Tucker
Account Executive
otucker@microsoft.com

Take your students’ drone skills from zero to pro with our Drone Maker Kit and Echo Drone.

Drones are all the buzz! They’re extremely engaging, and they provide future-relevant learning for all ages. Drones expose learners to employability skills – flight vocabulary, physics, and soft skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving. And, the list of jobs utilizing such skills is always growing.

Drone Maker Kit (92130)

Get a system for designing, building, and flying a drone! This kit is customizable and enables learners to create their own design – honing those engineering skills. This kit brings the ultimate level of engagement while also teaching basic aviation principles. It’s failproof, safe, and FUN!

Echo Drone (92786) – This out-of-the-box flyer has no engineering required – you’re up and flying in minutes. Each drone includes a controller and connects to an app, enabling advanced learners to transition from remote control to coding navigation. The app also transmits images and video to a smartphone via Wi-Fi using the drone’s onboard camera. Check the press release here on the Echo Drone.

Visit Pitsco.com/Drones or your Pitsco marketplace to shop these and more hands-on, minds-on products that will be sure to engage and educate your learners!

When shopping directly with Pitsco Education, don’t forget to use code AEPACTE at checkout for your exclusive 2% discount. Valid through May 2026.

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Erica Lopez-Negrete Smith
Illinois Sales
800-835-0686
elopez@pitsco.com

Learn More About Pitsco Education
Pitsco Education Blog

INTUITIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT. AT A LOW PRICE.

Class Instructor

An affordable classroom management tool for teachers. Class Instructor is intuitive, easy-to-use, with a simple instructor interface featuring hot keys. Setup is simple, making it an accessible tool, perfect for those teaching in district level education.

Why class instructor?

Focussed on affordability and adoption, Class Instructor has been designed to allow schools to access classroom monitoring technology at a low price with a focus on giving teachers the core tools without over-complication.

Developed for teachers.
Its clean interface boasts module hot keys for ease of access to your favorite classroom management tools.
Simplified yet powerful.
Class Instructor’s features provide next-level classroom management whilst offering a user-friendly experience.
Integration Support.
Class Instructor integrates with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom and ClassLink to seamlessly sync your classroom data.
Affordability.
Class Instructor’s price point makes classroom management tools accessible to those within education.


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Alex Ball
US Sales Manager
866- 664-1520
a.ball@renatosoftware.com

Learn More About Senso.cloud

Newsela’s Philosophy on AI Tools for Education

At Newsela, they believe the best education solutions power great teaching, they don’t replace it. Regarding AI tools for education, there are opportunities for positive classroom impact, potential areas of caution, and steep new learning curves. No matter how clever or powerful these new solutions are, there will always be a need for the uniquely human ability of teachers to empathize, connect, inspire, and smile with students.

What is Newsela’s philosophy on AI in education?

As you navigate this new frontier, they want to be transparent about our position on artificial intelligence in education and how Newsela uses it in our products:

  • They strongly believe that teachers know what’s best for their students and should always continue to be the architects, planners, and decision-makers in the classroom.
  • The teacher-student interaction is where learning is at its best. AI should be used to save teachers’ time and make certain tasks easier, creating space and time for teachers to have more powerful one-on-one moments in the classroom.
  • Privacy is always a priority. They ensure that all user data—whether from students, teachers, or other stakeholders—is meticulously blinded. This means that the teams and AI systems involved in leveraging the data won’t be able to associate it with an individual.
  • Their models thrive on aggregated data during the rigorous training process, and each iteration is quality-checked by our team before release. This dual-layered approach ensures the highest standards in the development of our AI systems and never loses the human element of what teaching and learning are all about.
  • They also know that education products must be built with teacher input. We leverage robust research, teacher feedback, and in-classroom experiences to drive the most valuable solutions at every step in the development process.
  • They believe the more specific the application of AI, the better. They always apply it to solve for a clear classroom use case. They focus on ensuring that our machine learning models have the right context and behaviors to deliver valuable outputs, specifically in a classroom setting.

How does Newsela use AI in its products?

For Newsela ELA, Newsela Social Studies, and Newsela Science, we leverage AI in:

  • Article planning supports—including main idea, key terms, discussion questions, and before-reading activity ideas for each text
  • Article topic tags
  • Generating Tier 3 vocabulary definitions
  • Generating writing prompts

For Formative, AI supports:

  • Generating questions, answer hints, and writing prompts
  • Flashcard and practice set generation

For EverWrite (beta), we use AI to power:

  • Real-time student writing feedback delivery, aligned to a chosen rubric
  • Assignment writing prompt generation

At Newsela, their goal is to open up teachers’ abilities to do what they do best: bring learning to life for their students in a deeply personal, human way.


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

General inquiries: iltpp@newsela.com

Districts with 3000+ students
Patrick Gaffney
Illinois Partnerships
312-626-5370
patrick.gaffney@newsela.com

Districts with less than 3000 students
Claire Vock
Illinois Partnerships
630-965-0109
claire.vock@newsela.com

Learn More About Newsela

Revolutionizing the K-12 Experience: A Smart School Layout

Student outcomes are suffering, but enhancing the learning experience can be easier than you think. We’ve seen schools with the biggest success go beyond standards, salaries, and curriculums to a focus on the network.

With a smart network, they’re optimizing school operations with:

  • Cloud management that saves on operational and support costs
  • AI automation to simplify backend processes
  • E-Rate-eligible networking solutions that put dollars back in the budget
  • Sophisticated Wi-Fi connectivity for an advanced student and staff experience
  • Advanced intelligence to take on redundant IT tasks
  • Built-in security layers that bring peace of mind from cyber threats

The result is a school network that can support the connectivity and operations that help make education easier for everyone – from students and teachers to parents and administrators.

Want a closer look? Take a peek at our infographic, Revolutionizing the Education Experience: A Smart School Layout.


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Extreme Networks
Joe Yeagle
Senior Account Executive
630-287-0228
jyeagle@extremenetworks.com

Matt Ward
VSAM / Extreme Networks
630-287-0228
maward@extremenetworks.com

Contact your Reseller Account Managers:

CDW-G
John Buttita
Sales Manager
877-325-3380
johnbut@cdw.com

Learn More About Extreme Networks

The Best Chromebooks for Students

To find the best Chromebooks for students, it’s important to think about how technology and education are connected. Today all students need reliable, durable, and high-performing computing devices with seamless connectivity to achieve what the National Education Association has termed “digital equity,” defined as:

“Digital equity ensures that all school-aged children have equal access to the resources they need for remote learning. These resources include internet and computer access. It is important for all children to have these resources, regardless of their circumstances. This ensures that they can fully engage in remote learning from home.”

— National Education Association, “Digital Equity for Students and Education Report”

Schools have done a great job at providing Chromebooks to students and there is a lot to choose from. However, making the right Chromebook technology investment is essential. IT departments at school districts and private schools should consider Chromebooks based on three essential criteria: future-proof performance, flexibility, and sustainability.

Future-proofing for technology challenges with student Chromebooks

Many schools offered 1:1 devices to students during the pandemic. Today, because of the age of these devices and the increasing computing power needs for applications such as AI, it’s time for a technology upgrade. Consider devices that can withstand the constant demands of schoolwork, can connect from anywhere, and offer a long-term plan for updates to ensure school district investments enjoy an excellent return on investment (ROI).

Chromebooks provide all the latest technological advancements with the processing power that students need today. Consider 4G and 8G RAM, at least 64G flash memory, and the processing power of Intel’s N100 or N200 chipsets.

Additionally, consider your connectivity plan. Some schools are now extending their networks beyond the school walls with private LTE networks, as demonstrated in a recent implementation in Tukwila. School districts are looking to provide connectivity at home in addition to at school, regardless of student’s economic situation and availability of a home network. Ensure your Chromebooks for students offer LTE connectivity capability. Thinking ahead, also ask about 5G potential connectivity plans as 5G reduced capability networks will eventually replace LTE.

One advantage that Chromebooks deliver over traditional laptops in the future-proof category is what’s commonly called “AU,” or Automatic Updates. According to Google, “Chrome devices (e.g. Chromebook, Chromebox, Chromebase, Chromebit) receive automatic updates that enhance both the device and its software. Automatic updates deliver the latest features, maintain device security, and apply across the operating system, browser, and hardware. Chromebooks receive 10 years of AUE.” Longevity of use is built into Chromebooks, maximizing a school district’s technology investment.

 


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Maureen Cooney
Account Manager
571-386-9797

Learn More About CTL

Check out the current line of Chromebooks from CTL.

Why Is Data Security Important?

Most K-12 technology directors can’t stop talking about cybersecurity. But have you ever wondered why?

The truth is there are many reasons why safeguarding personal data is essential. From reputational damage to student safety, the list is practically endless.

Luckily, we’re here to explain in simple terms. Read on to learn why data security is so important to your school district and what you can do to protect sensitive information today.

WHAT IS DATA SECURITY?

Cybersecurity. Information security. Data protection.

Call it what you want, but the definition remains the same. Data security is the process of protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and exposure. More specifically, it involves implementing as many security measures as necessary to stop insider threats, cyber attacks, data breaches, and other incidents from manipulating or leaking personal information.

You might wonder: How does that differ from data privacy? It can get confusing, so let’s break it down.

Both involve protecting sensitive information, but they work a little differently:

  • Data security refers to the security policies and controls your school district uses to prevent data loss, data erasure, or data leakage. In other words, they maintain the integrity of your information.
  • Data privacy is more concerned with access control. It involves making strategic decisions about who and what should be able to see certain kinds of data. For example, a student wouldn’t need access to a fellow student’s grades, just as one staff member shouldn’t be privy to a colleague’s email.

Notably, both processes impact one another. Poor data protection, such as allowing a breach to happen, can violate a student’s data privacy if their personally identifiable information is exposed.

3 TYPES OF DATA SECURITY

When cybersecurity professionals talk about data security, they normally refer to one of three broad categories:

  1. Endpoint security: This refers to security measures that directly impact hardware, such as school laptops and computers. It may involve monitoring how students and staff use these endpoints or installing malware protection onto the device.
  2. Network security: Data flows across your school network, which means it can be intercepted if not protected. That’s why schools usually implement data encryption, which ensures files can’t be read even if they’re accessed.
  3. Cloud security: Over 90% of school districts use cloud computing, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. This category, as the name implies, aims to protect data stored in cloud applications like Google Drive, Microsoft Word, etc.

It’s important to remember that not all security measures carry over from one category to another. Some districts mistakenly expect network security tools to safeguard cloud data when that isn’t always the case. That’s why it’s best to have an additional layer of cloud security on top of your endpoint- and network-based data security solution.

 


Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

David Waugh
Sales and Marketing Vice President
303-415-3643
dwaugh@managedmethods.com

Learn More About ManagedMethods