Technology

ASBO ‘22: 3 best practices for crafting school tech use policies

Gauging community support and being specific about sanctions is critical to developing good guidance, said University of Dayton’s Charles Russo.

By Anna Merod • Sept. 26, 2022

The tools and strategies schools need for ransomware defense

The Los Angeles Unified School District is the most recent and high-profile example of the threat schools face from ransomware after a Sept. 3 attack prompted a systemwide reset of more than 600,000 passwords. A ransom demand remains outstanding.

By Matt Kapko • Sept. 22, 2022

Ransom demand escalates fallout from Los Angeles schools cyberattack

LAUSD hasn’t responded to the demand, following the advice of federal authorities. The stakes are high as sensitive data may hang in the balance.

By Matt Kapko • Sept. 21, 2022

$1B federal cybersecurity grant to be distributed to states over 4 years

School districts will have access to the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, but cannot apply for this federal funding directly.

By Anna Merod • Sept. 20, 2022

Parents, educators received explicit image in Seesaw hacking

The K-12 messaging platform said there is no evidence to suggest the attacker accessed data or conducted other malicious acts during the breach.

By Roger Riddell • Sept. 15, 2022

Report: State ed leaders prioritize cybersecurity, but funding is lacking

In a survey by the State Educational Technology Directors Association, 57% of respondents said their state provides a low amount of funding for cybersecurity.

By Anna Merod • Sept. 13, 2022

Groups call for E-rate to cover cybersecurity protections after LAUSD ransomware attack

The hacker group Vice Society has reportedly claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on the nation’s second-largest school district.

By Anna Merod • Sept. 12, 2022

Ransomware attack takes down multiple Los Angeles Unified School District systems

The attack comes as federal agencies including the FBI and CISA have issued a warning to districts about a hacker group called Vice Society.

By Matt Kapko , Anna Merod • Sept. 6, 2022

Email hacking scheme leads to attempted theft of $13M from Pennsylvania school district

Local government agencies intercepted and recovered $10.3 million of the funds stolen from Chester Upland School District.

By Anna Merod • Sept. 6, 2022

Following high-profile data breach, Illuminate Education acquired by ed tech company Renaissance

Renaissance says its "robust security environment" will ensure student data is protected following the acquisition.

By Anna Merod • Aug. 31, 2022

Rising Leaders: 10 standout assistant principals and district leaders you should know in 2022-23

These exceptional administrators make the grade on inclusive practices, curriculum innovation, data-driven decision-making and more.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 31, 2022

How schools can extend internet to families for less than the cost of hotspots

A new analysis finds working with a private cellular company costs up to 10 times more than if a school creates and shares its own wireless network.

By Anna Merod • Aug. 25, 2022

Students used average of 143 ed tech tools in 2021-22

Districts are also using an average of 1,417 different ed tech tools per month, according to a report by ed tech company LearnPlatform.

By Anna Merod • Aug. 22, 2022

4 key steps schools can take today to get strong multi-factor authentication security

Learn four steps K-12 IT security leaders should know to roll out a strong authentication strategy.

Aug. 22, 2022

Colorado district expands ‘equity of opportunity’ through remote classes

St. Vrain Valley School District's AGILE program is in its first year and will allow high schoolers to take high-level courses virtually.

By Kara Arundel • Aug. 19, 2022

Education sector contributes to computer sales dip in Q2

Chromebooks were particularly affected by lower education sales, with annual growth dropping 57.4% year over year.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 10, 2022

As tech proliferates in schools, what’s the right balance?

While 79% of parents in a global survey said tech helped their children with learning, 23% of children said they felt they spent too much time with tech.

By Lauren Barack • Aug. 3, 2022

Teachers: Student monitoring tools more often flag discipline issues

While 78% of teachers say monitoring software tagged students for disciplinary action, 59% say students were disciplined as a result.

By Kara Arundel • Aug. 3, 2022

Despite inflation, back-to-school spending expected to rise

Deloitte parent polling shows spending could increase 8% over last year, resulting in $661 per child, compared to $612 last year.

By Kara Arundel • Aug. 1, 2022

Smartphones tip-toe curricular line between useful and distracting

Though smartphones can be useful curricular tools, dialing students back from pandemic-driven habits presents a challenge.

By Lauren Barack • July 27, 2022

Nonprofit uses AI to make STEM materials more accessible

Benetech is in the research and development stage but plans to keep adding accessible equations and charts to ebooks available through Bookshare.

By Kara Arundel • July 20, 2022

Summer Reading: Cybersecurity remains a persistent challenge for districts

With more tech comes more opportunity for cyber criminals to take advantage of blind spots in school networks.

July 15, 2022

56% of K-12 schools worldwide report ransomware attacks in past year

Among respondents in a Sophos survey, 47% reported an increase in volume of cyberattacks and 50% saw an increase in complexity.

By Roger Riddell • July 15, 2022

Accessibility challenges persist for students with dyslexia

Ensuring tools and resources are accessible for students across a spectrum of learning abilities remains a challenge in classroom procurement.

By Lauren Barack • July 13, 2022

Appeals court reinstates student free-speech suit over antisemitic Snapchat post

Since the case was originally decided, the U.S. Supreme Court had weighed in on the limits of disciplining off-campus speech in a separate suit.

By K-12 Dive staff • July 12, 2022