From the right to the left, from those who support school choice to those who have sought to protect traditional school districts, from superintendents and principals to the presidents of the two major teachers unions, and from industry leaders to researchers, a diverse group of unlikely bedfellows released on Tuesday a new effort and accompanying report to rethink education in America titled Education Reimagined: A transformational vision for education in the U.S. MORE

Earlier this year, the Rhode Island-based Highlander Institute and the Clayton Christensen Institute teamed up to bring together a conference on blended and personalized learning in Providence, R.I. The goal of the event was to focus on the practical elements of blended and personalized learning by surfacing the tactics that practitioners were deploying in the trenches. Click here to learn more. For more, see: Blended learning up close—really close. MORE

The Horizon Report. The organization, which was founded in 1994, was best known for its annual Horizon Report, its list of predictions about the near-future of education technology. But as the ed-tech sector is never willing to let a bad idea die, the report will live on. EDUCAUSE purchased many of NMC’s assets, and it says it will continue to publish the higher ed version of the Horizon Report. The key word in that headline isn’t “digital”; it’s “force.” MORE

So when Piedmont is looking for great digital science and social studies programs for its middle school, it’s hard for them to know where to look and what’s out there. WHAT: Piedmont Middle School is seeking to pilot digital learning programs that support competency-based learning in science and social studies. WHY: Piedmont is a member of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. from Digital Promise on Vimeo. MORE

www.getalma.com ) Alma Technologies has announced it is allowing any SQL-based business intelligence tool, such as Tableau and Jaspersoft, to access data from its modern, student information system and learning management system. In addition, Alma will continue to provide its own set of robust reporting tools to meet many needs and budgets. CYPHER LEARNING NEO LMS ( www.cypherlearning.com ) CYPHER LEARNING announced the launch of the Windows app for its product NEO LMS. MORE

Every day at Digital Promise, we work with leading educators, researchers, and developers across the country to help close the Digital Learning Gap and improve learning for all. This year, Digital Promise has proposed a record 15 (!) VR for Good – Can “Cause-Based” VR Save Us? In this panel, innovators of cause-based VR from education, medical, journalism and marketing fields will debate whether using VR to help others is the way forward. MORE

And it lacks the enthusiasm—as well as the desire to help kids own and engage in their learning—that defines us as innovative educators. With transformative digital changes happening in classrooms today, basic learning management systems now deliver the answers to most of those well worn questions on parent portals. Conferences are not for reporting test scores. Give parents resources that will help them support the process of learning and motivation. MORE

At the IMS Global Learning Impact conference this week (#LILI2018), there were dozens of sessions covering the many ways interoperability is helping data play well together to create more user-friendly digital ecosystems. Some sessions dove into the weeds, exploring systems like IMS CASE (Competencies & Academic Standards Exchange), which supports learning standards and competencies, digital resources, and assessments. MORE

As K–12 institutions digitally progress, slow data sharing between parents, teachers and administrators is leaving all players increasingly frustrated as they are forced to wait for important information sent through what is quickly becoming an outdated system. It also helps schools reach goals like higher student success, better data analysis, more robust cybersecurity and easier access to education technology, the report’s authors explain. MORE

Free, personalized online tool makes high-quality content available to all users. As the public education system evolves toward supporting students’ personalized needs, online learning tools have emerged that allow teachers to customize instruction. Every student is unique and learns differently. When school starts this fall, teachers can use Gooru to personalize lessons for their students,” said Michele Hansen, president of the Girard Education Foundation. MORE