https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/ en https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/ai-attendance-tracking-how-technology-can-help-k-12-districts-combat-chronic-absenteeism-perfcon In February 2025, officials say, more than 38% of students in New York’s Dunkirk City School District were chronically absent, meaning they had missed more than 10% of school days. Just one year later, after implementing an artificial intelligence solution for tracking attendance and contacting parents, that figure has dropped to 20%, resulting in improved educational outcomes. “We had to try something different,” says Dunkirk Superintendent Brian Swatland. “Our attendance teams were broken, and we could not keep up with the sheer numbers. We chose AI because it streamlines our process and… Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:12:10 -0400 Nancy Mann Jackson https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/ai-attendance-tracking-how-technology-can-help-k-12-districts-combat-chronic-absenteeism-perfcon https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/review-box-facilitates-secure-collaboration-across-districts A K–12 district content management program needs to be fully secure, protecting data at rest and in transit, with varying security levels for content being held and managed by the platform.  For districtwide content management, data must be standardized so that multiple platforms are not required. Users need to be trained on a single content management platform, whether they work in the front office, administration, facilities management or the classroom.  The cloud-based Box Intelligent Content Management platform was created to meet the needs of even the most rigorously regulated… Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:25:07 -0400 Carlos Soto https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/review-box-facilitates-secure-collaboration-across-districts https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/network-security-schools-2026-definitive-guide-k-12-districts-perfcon The network is the backbone of the digital learning ecosystem: Its integrity ensures that teachers can teach and students will learn. That makes network security nonnegotiable in the K–12 environment. IT leaders must keep their networks strong in the face of escalating ransomware threats and other cyber perils. They need to ensure data privacy and deliver reliable access to the tools of digital learning. To meet all these goals, they must ensure their networks are locked down tight. But K–12 networks are a complex affair. IT leaders need to look at endpoints, firewalls, cloud usage and a host… Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:50:37 -0400 Adam Stone https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/network-security-schools-2026-definitive-guide-k-12-districts-perfcon https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/how-gemini-gems-benefit-k-12-educators-and-students When educators, IT professionals and other K–12 specialists convened in San Antonio at TCEA 2026 to discuss practical uses of artificial intelligence, there was one tool that came up in several sessions: Gemini Gems. Gemini Gems enables users of Gemini, Google’s generative artificial intelligence tool, to create customizable, specialized versions of the AI assistant. The tool was launched in August 2024, and was added to Google Workspace for Education accounts in March 2025. “There are a lot of really cool ways that educators are using Gemini Gems, which is a tool to take Gemini and… Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:33:29 -0400 Donna Behen https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/how-gemini-gems-benefit-k-12-educators-and-students https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/weapons-detection-systems-schools-what-does-future-hold For more than two decades, schools have wrestled with a question that has no easy answer: How do you keep students safe without turning campuses into something they’re not meant to be? “How do you balance a safe environment with having a welcoming environment?,” says Bryan Krause, senior national school safety strategist for CDW Education. “Do we need to put up razor wire, install metal detectors at all doors and hire armed security guards, versus do we want to be a place where parents feel good about dropping off their kids?” Krause speaks from experience. Over the course of his career, he… Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:32:48 -0500 Didi Gluck https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/weapons-detection-systems-schools-what-does-future-hold https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/k-12-education-grant-funding-guide-2026 Federal dollars account for between 8% and 13% of school budgets , with the majority flowing through state and local channels. That may not seem like much, but in practice it can mean the difference between being able to execute certain initiatives and not. But grant funding is not straightforward, especially at the federal level. Knowing when and how to pursue grant funding opportunities can give a leg up to districts looking to upgrade infrastructure, strengthen campus safety or expand digital learning. Here’s what district leaders and technology planners need to know as they wade deeper… Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:58:35 -0500 Amy Passow, Curtiss Strietelmeier https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/k-12-education-grant-funding-guide-2026 https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/4-tips-designing-classroom-supports-student-learning Students learn best when they feel safe, supported and inspired by their surroundings. Classroom design can profoundly influence how students experience and interact with the world. Here are four tips to design classroom environments that support student well-being, enhance learning outcomes and promote sustainability. Click the banner below to learn how technology supports modern learning environments. Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:49:04 -0500 Carly McDougall, Robert Fleming https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/4-tips-designing-classroom-supports-student-learning https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/5-questions-ask-when-developing-ai-companion-policies Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life. New tools appear constantly, and many offer exciting possibilities for learning, creativity and productivity. Recently, however, there has been another shift in the AI landscape: the rise of AI companions. This isn’t limited to adults; students are using them too. Common Sense Media shared statistics about the use of AI companions among teens. Nearly three-quarters of teens have used AI companions at least once, and more than half are using them multiple times per month. While some interactions are casual or curiosity-driven,… Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:57:35 -0500 Rachelle Dené Poth https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/03/5-questions-ask-when-developing-ai-companion-policies https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/02/how-effectively-integrate-ai-classroom Schools can no longer afford to treat artificial intelligence as a passing trend or a cheating problem to be policed. AI is already reshaping how students think, work and learn, and our refusal to adapt could be considered educational malpractice. The rise of generative AI has rendered 20th-century assessment models obsolete. Five-paragraph essays, chapter summaries, vocabulary lists and homework completed in isolation no longer measure learning. They measure a student’s access to a prompt to get a result that most use without analysis or thoughtful reflection. If we continue grading final… Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:35:21 -0500 Coral Riley https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/02/how-effectively-integrate-ai-classroom https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/02/cybersecurity-return-investment-what-k-12-districts-should-measure School districts are spending heavily on cybersecurity tools, but many still struggle to answer a basic question: Are those investments reducing risk? Firewalls, endpoint protection and email filtering platforms are now standard, yet purchasing technology alone does not guarantee safer systems or fewer classroom disruptions. Metrics such as reduced phishing success rates, faster incident detection and recovery times, and fewer compromised accounts provide clearer evidence that defenses are working.  Real-time risk analytics, automated asset visibility and continuous monitoring also help… Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:10:53 -0500 Nathan Eddy https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2026/02/cybersecurity-return-investment-what-k-12-districts-should-measure