SWPR Group

We’re excited to share another piece about the Rural Alliance Zone-32 in Indiana, where six neighboring districts share classes, instructors, and resources so students can take career-focused courses at any participating school.

In this new piece for The 74 Media, Superintendent Neal Adams, the co-founder and board president of the RAZ-32 Collaborative, explains, “What began as a partnership between three neighboring districts — Randolph Eastern, Monroe Central and Randolph Central — in 2024 has grown into a regional example for expanding . By creating a formal agreement that allows students to criss-cross district lines, the schools opened the door to opportunities that no single campus could offer on its own.”

Read the full piece at: https://www.the74million.org/article/rural-districts-in-indiana-join-forces-to-provide-career-training-for-students/

SWPR Group looks forward to continuing to challenge the stereotypes about districts and highlighting successes like RAZ-32 with Superintendent Adams and his fellow leaders.

Rural Districts in Indiana Join Forces to Provide Career Training for Students Adams: A regional alliance allows students to cross school district lines for specialized career and technical education coursework.

After just one year, the “Takeoff with Wayne County” initiative in the Detroit metro area has already engaged 177 students in state-of-the-art and an FAA drone licensure program—giving them a cost-effective path into an industry where demand for workers is soaring.

Superintendent Dr. Daveda Colbert of Wayne RESA, Michigan’s largest Intermediate School District, explains how the initiative got off the ground in this new op-ed for District Administration. https://districtadministration.com/opinion/how-one-cte-system-propels-the-new-aviation-workforce/

The 260,000 students within the 33 districts and 97 public school academies supported by the Wayne County Regional Education Services Agency can choose to participate in the initiative, which partners with three regional airports. Dr. Colbert sees tremendous potential for growth both within Wayne RESA and at other districts across the country as the aviation industry seeks to fill a projected 1.5 million jobs worldwide in the next eight years.

At SWPR Group, we are excited about the opportunity to share promising stories about from visionary leaders like Dr. Colbert.

How one CTE system propels the new aviation workforce Despite the demand for pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers and technicians, CTE for future aviation professionals has yet to take off.

Leaders coming into a school district to take control and manage the system are in for a surprise awakening. As Dr. Adam Larsen of Peoria Unified School District in Arizona explains, is actually about showing courage, taking responsibility, creating clarity, and elevating your team.

In a new piece for eSchool News, Dr. Larsen shares lessons he learned as the district’s Executive Director of Maintenance and Operations, with 42 campuses within his jurisdiction. He believes “the best leaders understand that their role isn’t to control every detail, but to empower the people around them, provide clarity and purpose, and guide teams toward shared goals.”

We’re grateful to our partners at Follett Software for elevating Dr. Larsen’s insights. Read the full piece “Lead with purpose: 3 ways courageous K-12 leadership builds real impact” at this link: https://www.eschoolnews.com/educational-leadership/2026/07/15/lead-with-purpose-3-ways-courageous-k-12-leadership-builds-real-impact/

Lead with purpose: 3 ways courageous K-12 leadership builds real impact Here are practical strategies for K-12 leadership staff to inspire teams, simplify systems, and elevate impact.

The presence or absence of screens is not the ultimate indicator of the quality of experiences. Instead, cognitive neuroscience tells us children need to do the hard work of actively retrieving what they know, exercise the skill they’re learning, engage in the right amount of productive struggle, and receive timely feedback.

Dr. Ran Liu developed her understanding of learning science at Carnegie Mellon University, where she contributed to the decades-long Project LISTEN research. In this episode of EdTech Insiders, host Alex Sarlin talks with Dr. Liu about how the intelligent reading tutor from Amira Learning draws on this interdisciplinary research project.

“When most people hear , they picture generative AI or large language models,” Dr. Liu says. “But not all AI is that. The most foundational student-facing AI in our product at Amira uses a large collection of specific, purpose-built, non-commercial models that are built in-house and really designed to fit a pedagogical experience that we want to create for kids to read out loud and to receive the just-in-time feedback and support that they need.”

This episode goes deep into the science—and we’re here for it! Much appreciation to our partners at Amira Learning and to Dr. Liu for making their extensive research approachable for everyone.

Hear the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877869/episodes/19423122, starting at 59:45. For an experience that engages more of your own cognitive muscle, click on the transcript tab to read along.

Week in Edtech 6/24/26: Anthropic's $150M AI Workforce Push, Europe's AI Literacy Framework, $27M Social Media Lawsuit, EdSurge's Decline, AI Backlash, and More! Feat. Dr. Ran Liu of Amira Learning & Antonio Pietri of PowerSchool - Edtech Insiders Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest host Daniela Pico, Head of Platform at Forum Ventures, as they discuss the AI backlash, workforce transformation, AI literacy, social media regulation, and the evolving future of education technology.✨ Epis...

In DeKalb Community Unit School District 428, a public district in Illinois, saw a 210% increase in multilingual students between 2007 and 2025. Today nearly 20% of DeKalb students are English learners.

In 2019, the district set out to strengthen English learners’ academic achievement through a two-way dual language program where outcomes are a focus for English learners and native English speakers alike.

DeKalb’s multilingual programs coordinator AJ Crook shares the positive results — for students and for educators — in the District Administration piece "How two-way dual language learning boosts reading rates for all learners." https://districtadministration.com/opinion/how-two-way-dual-language-learning-boosts-reading-rates-for-all-learners/

We are grateful to our partners at Amira Learning for spotlighting what’s possible when multilingual foundational strategies centered on language development, comprehension, , and fluency intersects with an learning agent and assessment platform.

How two-way dual language learning boosts reading rates for all learners Simply by listening and imitating, a second language can feel as natural as one's first. Learning how to read in two languages is a bit more complex.

“It’s super important to distinguish between technology that is built for the sole purpose of helping kids learn and technology that’s built for recreation. Our goal is one thing: to help kids build reading skills.”
— CEO and Co-Founder Mark Angel of Amira Learning

When Omar Jimenez of CNN interviewed Mark Angel during a recent segment, the journalist did not hold back. He gave voice to parents’ concerns about in the classroom, data privacy, and other topics that have been making news in .

Mark’s message was straightforward: Amira helps with . No chats. Tight data management. Plenty of guardrails. See the full conversation at: https://vimeo.com/1205324670

We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Amira Learning as they work to increase achievement through neuroscience-based dynamic assessments, productive practice, and tailored tutoring.

CNN-Amira Learning: AI In the Classroom This is "CNN-Amira Learning: AI In the Classroom" by Amira Learning on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

When administrators and teachers at Westmont Community Unit School District in Illinois meet for focused discussions about this summer, they won’t be starting from scratch. The district of 1,300 students is already on the cutting edge. One example: Teachers used AI-powered tools for enhanced analysis of more than 130,000 assessments during the past academic year.

Dr. Carla Braun, the district’s Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, says the AI technology built into their comprehensive data platform from Otus has been essential in reducing administrative burdens on busy teachers and putting clear, easy-to-understand data at their fingertips.

“This readily accessible information has become a catalyst for more results-driven discussions,” Dr. Braun explains in a recent piece for eSchool News. “The system can also recommend targeted interventions and resources if needed, helping teachers move quickly from data analysis to an action plan.”

Read more about how Westmont’s experiences are shaping its current stance and defining its approach moving forward: https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2026/05/27/how-ai-helps-teachers-spend-less-time-on-assessments-and-more-time-on-impactful-instruction/

We appreciate our partners at Otus for showcasing the behind-the-scenes work of — and highlighting the contributions of future-oriented educators like those at Westmont.

How AI helps teachers spend less time on assessments and more time on impactful instruction AI should never replace teachers in collaboration or expertise, but should shine a light on the insights that spark deeper conversations.

Simulation using high-tech manikins that can be programmed for a variety of scenarios. Virtual reality environments where students can practice skills. Honest conversations about the challenges — and beauty — of the profession.

Nursing education is taking new strides to address the shortage of nurses in the U.S.

Paul S. Smith, Dean of the School of Nursing at Linfield University in Oregon, talked with Spokane Public Radio about the role of technology and human connection at institutions like his. Hear the full interview or read the story: https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/regional-news/2026-06-07/northwest-nursing-school-dean-talks-about-training-students

Northwest nursing school dean talks about training students Paul Smith from Linfield University says technology is playing a larger role as schools try to get more training opportunities for students.

In recent years, librarians have earned a reputation for creating vibrant learning environments that extend far beyond books. Now these resourceful innovators are helping district leaders share the impact their strong library programs are having with systems, with the goal of sustaining the viability of their programs into the future.

This piece by library advocate Jennifer Miller for eSchool News offers tips for telling the full story of library impact through:
▪️ Circulation data to demonstrate student engagement with their collections
▪️ Collection analysis to showcase the strengths of their resources and areas of focus for future growth
▪️ Diversity and demographic data that illustrate how closely their collections and programming align with their students’ characteristics

We’re grateful to the support of Follett Software in helping share Jennifer’s expertise with a wider audience. Read "Demonstrating impact with data: How librarians can make the case for increased funding" here: https://www.eschoolnews.com/innovative-teaching/2026/05/21/librarians-can-make-the-case-for-increased-funding/

Demonstrating impact with data: How librarians can make the case for increased funding After years of spending all their time on smartphone screens, today’s students are heading back to the school library for a range of reasons.

Measuring the success of a new district-wide initiative can be daunting. To avoid having to rely on anecdotal and qualitative results that amplify successes while masking challenges, leaders must ensure the tools for gathering and analyzing comprehensive are set up from the start.

Because Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, put in the hard work up front, the district was able to show results like these from the first year of its Journey to Success implementation:
▪️80% of fifth-graders met “Ready” or “Excelling” criteria for demonstrating their next steps to achieve future goals.
▪️82% of eighth-graders were “Ready” or “Excelling” in their ability to reflect on how their learning journey helped them develop knowledge of content and standards.
▪️Among seniors, those numbers were 92% and 91%, respectively.
▪️In addition, 85% of seniors were able to analyze how their skills can be applied personally and academically.

In their piece for DATIA K12, Elisabeth Read and Dr. DeNay Speaks describe the JCPS Journey to Success initiative and explain how the district’s partnership with Otus brought together assessments, data, and progress monitoring from 150 schools into one centralized platform where measurable outcomes were defined. https://www.datiak12.io/student-success/article/15821514/how-accessible-data-and-greater-student-agency-helped-one-district-pave-a-journey-to-success-for-every-child

How Accessible Data and Greater Student Agency Helped One District Pave a Journey to Success for Every Child A new competency-based developmental framework is having a transformational impact in Jefferson County Public Schools.