News - KEH Communications

ASCD Joins the Learning First Alliance

ASCD Executive Director Judy Seltz to serve on Alliance’s Board of Directors as LFA works to advance public education

Washington, D.C. – February 19, 2015 – The Learning First Alliance (LFA), a partnership of leading education organizations representing more than 10 million parents, educators and policymakers, welcomes ASCD as its newest member organization. Through this partnership, Judy Seltz, executive director of ASCD, will join LFA’s Board of Directors as the Alliance continues its work for the advancement of public education.

SmartMax Attracts Attention at Toy Fair with New Magnetic Construction Sets

Start+, Playground, Build & Connect, Tubes XT, 2 Connectors and Build XXL allow young children to experience the wonders of magnetism

New York – February 13, 2015 – Smart Toys and Games, Inc. (Toy Fair Booth #681), a leading producer of award-winning single-player logic games and the SmartMax® magnetic construction system, introduces new SmartMax sets and features at Toy Fair 2015. The new SmartMax Start+, SmartMax Playground, SmartMax Build & Connect, SmartMax Tubes XT, SmartMax 2 Connectors, and SmartMax Build XXL sets are designed to let children experience the wonders of magnetism and the fascinating world of construction in a safe way.

Toy Fair Fun is Getting Smarter: SmartGames Introduces Seven New Single-Player IQ-Building Games

IQ Blox, IQ Candy, Three Little Piggies, Butterflies, Penguins Parade, Tangoes Animals, and Tangoes Paradox challenge young and old

New York – February 13, 2015 – Smart Toys and Games, Inc. (Toy Fair Booth #681), a leading producer of award-winning single-player logic games and the SmartMax® magnetic construction system, introduces seven new brain-building games at Toy Fair 2015. Fun for both young and old, they include IQ Blox, IQ Candy, Three Little Piggies, Butterflies, Penguins Parade, Tangoes Animals, and Tangoes Paradox.

New Online Staff Training Course Addresses Peer Discriminatory Harassment

PublicSchoolWORKS course defines types of harassment, helps educators identify and respond to concerns, and outlines legal considerations for districts

Cincinnati, OH (February 12, 2015) — PublicSchoolWORKS has released a new course, “Discriminatory Harassment — Identification and Response,” to address and help reduce instances of student-to-student “peer” harassment. This is one of 500 courses now available through the PublicSchoolWORKS EmployeeSafe Suite, the only comprehensive and fully automated safety compliance and risk management program for schools.

Southwest Kansas Co-Op Selects PresenceLearning for Online Speech Therapy to Overcome SLP Shortage

After contracting with both PresenceLearning and a competitor, SKACD chose PresenceLearning for its high-quality therapy and collaborative therapists

SAN FRANCISCO, February 12, 2015 – As a cooperative district, Southwest Kansas Area Cooperative District 613 (SKACD) in rural Ensign, KS is responsible for providing special education services and paraprofessional support to 25 elementary schools, two middle schools, and 14 high schools in the 14 districts it serves. This includes providing districts with special education teachers, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists and aid for vision and hearing-impaired students.

Special Agents of Change Webinar Introduces Collaborative Intervention Approaches for Students at Risk of Reading Failure

Communication intervention and literacy expert Dr. Shari Robertson unpacks parent-educator intervention technique to improve oral/written language skills

SAN FRANCISCO, February 11, 2015 – With the growing focus on more rigorous instruction in the United States, creating literate learners is more important than ever. However, instead of relying exclusively on school-based intervention services for struggling readers, parents and educators can work together for improved results. To guide special education administrators and teachers in the implementation of this intervention approach, PresenceLearning presents “How to Become a Change Agent for Better Readers With Early Collaborative Partnerships” on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 10 AM Pacific time (1 PM Eastern Time). This 90-minute webinar, hosted by communication intervention and literacy expert Dr. Shari Robertson, will explore a new and results-driven approach to early literacy intervention.

Gryphon House Announces Move to Learn: Integrating Movement into the Early Childhood Curriculum

Joye Newman and Miriam P. Feinberg’s book offers ways to get young children moving in six curriculum areas

Lewisville, N.C. – February 9, 2015 – Movement is not only natural, but it is necessary for optimal physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. To help early childhood educators incorporate movement into teaching, Gryphon House Inc., a leading publisher of early childhood resources, announces Move to Learn: Integrating Movement into the Early Childhood Curriculum. Co-authored by Joye Newman, MA, and Miriam P. Feinberg, PhD, Move to Learn helps educators easily turn their classrooms into environments that encourage movement activities throughout the early childhood curricula, including:

•Language and Literacy

•Mathematics

•Science

•Social Studies

•Creative Representation

•Social Skills

New Social Emotional Learning Assessment Rounds Out Apperson’s Offerings for Assessing the Whole Child

Studies show that focusing on social emotional learning can help improve academic achievement test scores

Charlotte, N.C. – February 5, 2015 – According to a 2008 report by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) that included results from 317 studies of 324,303 K-8 students, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming “improved students’ achievement test scores by 11 to 17 percentile points, indicating that they offer students a practical educational benefit.” In response to this research and others, Apperson introduced Evo Social-Emotional, a Social and Emotional Learning assessment system allowing educators and parents to rate the frequency of student behavior over time to screen and monitor the progress of students’ SEL skill development. With the addition of this offering, the company now empowers educators to assess their students’ strengths in all areas of development.

New Vernier Structures & Materials Tester Helps Students Conduct Bridge Competitions and Test Engineering Concepts

Built-in Vernier sensors enable students to collect and analyze data supporting an essential practice of the Next Generation Science Standards

BEAVERTON, Oregon, February 4, 2015 – Vernier Software & Technology launched the Vernier Structures & Materials Tester (VSMT) to help STEM students from high school to college explore key engineering concepts. Utilizing the VSMT, along with the engineering design method, students can design, build, and test structures, as well as conduct bridge competitions and investigate and analyze beam designs and material properties.

Vernier’s New Investigating Wind Energy Lab Book Provides Inquiry-Based STEM Investigations for Elementary Students

Aligned with and written for Next Generation Science Standards, lab book helps students collect and analyze data during hands-on experiments

BEAVERTON, Oregon, February 4, 2015 – Vernier Software & Technology’s new Investigating Wind Energy lab book provides students in grades 4-6 with engaging, inquiry-based investigations that utilize the engineering design method. Written for and aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the investigations encourage students to apply learned knowledge as they explore electric circuits and investigate blade design variables using a variety of materials and technologies using a variety of materials and technologies, including the KidWIND MINI Wind Turbine, the Vernier Energy Sensor, and more.