Named after the hundred-eyed watchman of Greek myth, Argus watches the education landscape: spotting new opportunities, pressure-testing the ventures we're building, and tracing every read back to the real-world signals behind it.
The evidence library: the raw signals the pipeline is watching across the education ecosystem. Every idea is built from these.
Hey HN, We've built Assistiv (www.ftfplatforms.com/assistiv), an AI-native learning platform designed to simplify how instruction is created, personalized, and delivered. It started with one goal: make powerful, assistive intelligence education tools available to everyone—without the bloat of enterprise LMS systems. What emerged is a fast, clean LMS with built-in AI that actually helps teachers teach. What’s live today: AI Flashcards – auto-generated from course content Self-generating quizzes – students can test themselves based on what they’ve learned Generative assessments for instructors – create full quizzes, aligned to objectives Course builder with AI assistance – create entire courses in minutes Smart grading tools – assisted manual grading and AI scoring suggestions Real-time reports for both instructors and org admins SAML, permission-based roles, microservice grading infrastructure What’s coming: TutorMe – AI-powered personal tutors trained on what you are learning, tuned to
Too many districts launch the next big initiative before their systems are ready to sustain it. In this new piece, Getting Smart contributors Nate McClennen and Rebecca Midles introduce the 5 C's of R&D Readiness and 8 Archetypes of System Transformation, a practical framework for honestly diagnosing where your school or district stands before committing to wide-scale change. Whether your system is a Vanguard or a Frozen System, this tool helps leaders move from reactive initiative-chasing to intentional, coherent redesign. The post Beyond the Shiny Object: How to Assess Your System’s True Innovation Readiness appeared first on Getting Smart .
Starting next year, taxpayers can earmark up to $1,700 to not only help families pay private schools, but also to support some services at public schools. The post Trump’s school voucher program could become a public school cash machine appeared first on District Administration .
Companies like Google and Microsoft have used their money, their might and their massive reach to influence nearly every step of the education supply chain. The post How big tech captured American schools appeared first on District Administration .
Common greetings, like 'How are you?,' may do little to create real opportunities for building relationships.
Financial education is gaining real momentum across the United States. More states are adopting mandates, more schools are adding graduation requirements, and more policymakers are acknowledging that students need practical preparation for the financial decisions they will face as adults.
While prevention remains essential, 2025 has reinforced a hard lesson for district leaders: it’s not a question of if a cyber incident will occur, but how prepared a school system is to respond and recover when an attack happens.
Who among us has never copied a homework answer in a hurry? Borrowed a friend’s paragraph? Accepted a parent’s “small correction” that eventually became a full rewrite?
CoSN covers the policies and research currently driving the conversations around screen time in schools and offers a review of emerging legislation. The post This edtech podcast examines screen time in K12 appeared first on District Administration .
My kid was coming home, taking pictures of his math homework, feeding them into an AI engine, and writing a single prompt: Solve. The post My teenage son is using AI to do his math homework. I’m now helping his school write its first AI policy appeared first on District Administration .
Alienated by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims about autism, advocates for disabled students are sounding the alarm about the Trump administration's shifting special education programs to his department. The post Disability groups fear RFK Jr.’s new special education role appeared first on District Administration .
Sentara Health's virtual partner program for the night shift is normalizing asking for help, says this CNO. Bedside nursing is already a hard enough position, but nurses who work the night shift face some unique challenges that CNOs need to address. As resources go down on the night shift, it's critical that CNOs maintain steady staffing levels so that nothing falls through the cracks, according to Amber Price , senior vice president and enterprise CNO at Sentara Health . "We want to make sure that we have a balanced mix of nurses and that we have a steady staffing level so that our patients are getting the care they need," Price said. There is also higher turnover on the night shift among nurses who want to move to the day shift, as well as a different skill mix. "We see more new graduates on the night shift who may have more need for support," Price said. "All of those things combined can make it challenging to keep that shift staffed." That’s why Sentara Health implemented a new vir
Ameer Baraka knew something was wrong long before anyone gave it a name. Ameer grew up in poverty in Louisiana and had difficulty learning to read, but no one caught it. By third grade, he had already decided he would never amount to anything.
What does sustainable school improvement actually look like in a large, high-need district? In this piece, researchers and practitioners from East Baton Rouge Parish Schools share how a three-year research-practice partnership, built on shared values, rigorous evidence, and relational trust, moved the needle on math learning for more than 38,000 students. It is a model worth studying for any district leader tired of one-and-done professional development and ready to build something that lasts. The post Great Partnerships Are Like Gumbo, Not Fast Food appeared first on Getting Smart .
A colleague of ours recently attended an AI training where the opening slide featured a list of all the ways AI can revolutionize our classrooms. Grading was listed at the top.
When I asked my executive assistant to proof my first superintendent’s report for the public board packet, she came back and said that she was surprised that I gave so much credit to others for the work being completed by the district.
Slowing birth rates drive declines that took state past pandemic enrollment lows. The post NJ public school enrollment falls to lowest level in quarter century appeared first on District Administration .
Limited funds and low enrollment forced districts to close more than 1,000 schools in 2025-26. The post Shrinking student populations cause spike in public school closures across U.S. appeared first on District Administration .
Critics say the White House proposal could curtail studies of achievement gaps and long-term research.
With the growing movement to limit technology in schools, parents and educators are right to question how much time students spend on screens. But, as schools reconsider the role of technology in the classroom, an important distinction is often getting lost in the public conversation: Not all screen time is equal.
What happens when a school system delegates student achievement to an AI system with a single directive: raise test scores? In this provocative new piece, David Ross draws on AI alignment theory, Goodhart's Law, and a decade of stagnant NAEP data to map the subordinate goals an optimization engine might quietly pursue, from narrowing the curriculum to managing teachers as variables. It is essential reading for any leader navigating the intersection of political pressure and emerging technology. The post When AI Chases Test Scores, What Gets Left Behind? appeared first on Getting Smart .
Seventh-grade math teacher Dylan Kane decided to conduct an experiment in his classes by going cold turkey on ed-tech.
Many years ago, around 2010, I attended a professional development program in Houston called Literacy Through Photography, at a time when I was searching for practical ways to strengthen comprehension, discussion, and reading fluency, particularly for students who found traditional print-based tasks challenging.
Washington, DC’s education paradox: rapid gains, low proficiency.
Last year, one of my strongest students could solve complex equations flawlessly--but paused when I asked a simple question: “Why does this method work?”
Far too many students enter math class expecting to fail. For them, math isn’t just a subject--it’s a source of anxiety that chips away at their confidence and makes them question their abilities.
Article URL: https://greyenlightenment.com/2025/11/15/aristocratic-tutoring-cannot-explain-von-neumanns-success/ Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45949852 Points: 1 # Comments: 4
Despite Seattle Public Schools’ district policy to issue devices to each of its nearly 50,000 students, some highly vocal parents are successfully opting their students out of technology altogether. The post These kids are learning without technology in Seattle Public Schools appeared first on District Administration .
State Rep. Jared Patterson is preparing legislation that would move the start of the school year to after Labor Day. The post Texas lawmakers push for later school start dates amid summer heat appeared first on District Administration .
A randomized experiment involved more than 6,000 Tennessee middle school students learning fractions.
A year ago, many educators were still asking whether artificial intelligence belonged in the classroom. Some were cautiously experimenting with AI-generated lesson plans, while others were focused on preventing students from using it altogether.
The final installment in Norwalk's Portrait of a Graduate series asks the most important question of all: what do students say when you ask them to describe the Portrait? This post makes a compelling case that student co-design is not a nice-to-have but a core implementation lever, and it offers concrete strategies, from design sprints to feedback cycles to student-led reflection, for keeping student voice at the center of the work. For education leaders navigating the gap between vision and practice, this is an essential read. The post Coming Full Circle: The Portrait Lives Through Students appeared first on Getting Smart .
Supporters argue that reinstating SAT and ACT test requirements better vet student readiness.
Some school districts are moving well beyond career simulations, partnering instead with clients in the community to give students opportunities to ...
On the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about one in four fourth graders in Michigan scored at or above proficiency in reading--a stark reminder that too many students are moving through elementary school without secure foundational literacy skills.
A purposeful commitment to responsible edtech use--and to professional development for teachers--is necessary to ensure edtech is innovative and transformational, according to CoSN's annual 2026 Driving K-12 Innovation Report.
Nurse recruiting isn’t just about job postings anymore. It requires more intention and strategy, says this talent acquisition leader. Nurse recruiting is a process that involves more than just nurse leaders. To have a sustainable workforce in 2026, CNOs must partner closely with CHROs and other TA leaders to streamline recruiting and do more than make roles appealing to applicants. From a talent acquisition (TA) standpoint, recruiting isn't just about filling roles with just anyone anymore, according to Jennifer Spinelli , director of system talent acquisition at Beebe Healthcare . "We're not posting and praying anymore," Spinelli said. "We’re filling today’s openings to help shape tomorrow’s workforce and thinking about the future a lot more than we ever did before." The goal now is to reach sustainability by building the right mix of permanent staff pipelines and having the flexibility to be proactive instead of reactive, Spinelli explained. Leaders must now work together to engage w
“Maybe we have too much teacher training.” That headline is a sentence I never thought I’d write, given that I run a company built around supporting teachers’ professional growth. But it has been sitting with me since I read the latest Education Scorecard report.
By: Charles Fadel, Center for Curriculum Redesign Adapted from “Cognitive Security Architecture for Student Learning Data” Schools have been capturing student data for decades, and eventually will also use new applications such as Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) that can adapt to each student’s pace, performance, and learning needs. But the key question becomes what kinds […] The post Some Student Data Should Never Become Digital appeared first on Getting Smart .
How to keep teachers in charge when AI does the grading.
Between kindergarten and second grade, much of the school day is dedicated to helping our youngest students master phonics, syllabication, and letter-sound correspondence--the essential building blocks to lifelong learning.
By embracing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in purchasing decisions, school leaders can create learning spaces that not only accommodate students with disabilities but enhance the educational experience for all learners while delivering exceptional returns on investment (ROI).
The collection of Stephen King novellas inspired classic films like “Stand by Me” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” The post Utah just banned another Stephen King book from all public schools. Here’s what it’s about. appeared first on District Administration .
Teachers save time with AI. Their students may pay the price.
It is an odd thing to hear from someone who builds education technology for a living, but the most important tool in an elementary classroom is still a pencil. The learning science says so.
Aldine ISD’s HEAL Center expands healthcare pathways through community voice, industry partnership, and real-world learning. The post How One District Answered 13,000 Voices appeared first on Getting Smart .
A snapshot of where districts stand on AI and what it reveals.
Recent updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act means digital accessibility for public educational institutions can not be ignored. It will become a legal mandate.
Schools, colleges, and universities face growing challenges in keeping their communities informed, connected, and engaged.
Educational research has never been more abundant, yet its impact on classroom practice remains uneven at best. While universities continue to produce studies on instructional strategies, student outcomes, and emerging technologies, many K-12 educators rarely engage with this work in meaningful ways.