Lack of Protections in #PersonalizedLearning Software Programs Puts Privacy of Students and Families at Risk

[Press release re-shared from the National Education Policy Center // NEPC Publication] “Digital technologies used in schools are increasingly being harnessed to amplify corporate marketing and profit-making and extend the reach of commercializing activities into every aspect of students’ school lives. In addition to the long-standing goal of providing brand exposure, marketing through education technology now…

New Study Finds Link Between Infant Handheld #ScreenTime and Speech Delays

As tech devices extend into social spaces, it’s not uncommon to see toddlers and even babies along with their parents staring into separate handheld screens. A new study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Conference in San Francisco this week adds evidence to a growing body of scientific literature on the impacts of early screen time on…

American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Recommendations On #ScreenTime and Exposure to Cell Phones

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently issued two new sets of recommendations on media use for children.  At first glance, popular news headlines suggest elimination of the previous “no screens before age two” recommendations (see NPR’s American Academy of Pediatrics Lifts ‘No Screens Under 2’ Rule and KQED’s American Academy of Pediatrics Says Some Screen Time is Okay for…

Rocketship Pushes Expansion Despite Denials and Strong Community Opposition

[3/10/16  Update]: Despite strong community opposition and unanimous denials by district and county level school boards, the State Board of Education voted to allow Rocketship to expand their charter school chain to the Monument Corridor in Concord, California.  For more background on how decisions like these can be set in motion, see here. ## Why is there so much controversy surrounding the proliferation of Rocketship…