Press Category: On the Wire

BOSTON (Jan. 20, 2026) – As the number of multilingual students continues to rise nationwide, new research shows that targeted language instruction can make a measurable difference. A recent Lexia study found that students who used Lexia English Language Development (Lexia English) in Texas scored significantly higher on both the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment (TELPAS) and the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) in English Reading Language Arts compared to students who did not use the program.

Across the United States, Lexia English continues to deliver strong results for linguistically diverse students. In the 2024–25 school year alone, the program reached more than 163,000 students and 80,000 educators in 7,100 schools.

In Texas, where multilingual students represent more than 23% of all public school students, Lexia English users in four districts showed the greatest gains in speaking and listening skills—core focus areas of the program. On average, these students scored 15 points higher on TELPAS speaking and 7 points higher on listening than non-users. They also outperformed peers on the STAAR Reading Language Arts assessment by 18 points, demonstrating stronger overall literacy achievement.

Lexia English’s impact is further supported by its Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness rating from Evidence for ESSA. This designation confirms the program has demonstrated statistically meaningful, research-based results. For district leaders, it means Lexia English meets ESSA requirements and delivers dependable outcomes across diverse school settings—reinforcing the strong gains seen in Texas.

“These results from Texas reinforce what we’re seeing across the country—when students are given structured, engaging opportunities to speak, listen, and build confidence in English, they thrive,” said Nick Gaehde, President of Lexia. “Lexia English continues to help educators close opportunity gaps and empower multilingual learners to succeed in every aspect of their academic journey.”

“In my classroom, the difference has been unmistakable,” said Tylesia Lewis, Secondary ESL Instructional Support Specialist and Newcomer Teacher at Summer Creek Middle School. “Since using Lexia English, my students have learned to slow down and truly listen. They’re no longer just hearing words—they’re digesting what’s being said, picking up accents and intonations, and building the confidence to speak in class. Their silent period has noticeably shortened; students no longer sit quietly in class the way they once did; they’re speaking up and engaging much sooner.”

Lewis added that the program’s cultural representation helps create a welcoming learning environment for students new to the United States. “Kids see themselves in the program,” she said. “When they recognize characters, cultural elements, or languages that feel familiar, they light up. They feel seen, recognized, and heard—and that makes them more willing to engage and take risks in learning English.”

Grounded in the science of reading and aligned to multiple English language proficiency standards—including WIDA, CA ELD, TX ELPS, NY ELD, and ELPA 21—Lexia English blends explicit instruction with interactive, student-driven learning. Students engage in immersive conversations, practice pronunciation and grammar, and demonstrate knowledge through real-time presentations that reflect authentic classroom communication.

“At Lexia, we believe that language learning is literacy learning,” said Gaehde. “The results we’re seeing in Texas show what’s possible when multilingual learners are given structured, engaging opportunities to build confidence and mastery in English. When educators have the right tools, language growth becomes literacy growth—and every student gains the foundation to succeed far beyond the classroom.”

About Lexia

Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is transforming literacy education, driving change in 1 of every 3 school districts across the United States. For more than 40 years, Lexia has been a thought leader in literacy education, delivering award-winning, research-based solutions grounded in the science of reading. With a full spectrum of offerings, including professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment tools, Lexia provides educators with Structured Literacy solutions that are proven effective and designed to drive meaningful literacy outcomes. By empowering educators with unparalleled ease of use and the knowledge and tools they need, Lexia helps more students unlock their potential to read, write, and speak with confidence. For more information, visit lexialearning.com.

About Cambium Learning Group

Cambium Learning Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 educators and students. With an intentional collection of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader, helping millions of educators and students feel more seen, valued, and supported every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now.

To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia, Learning A-Z, ExploreLearning, and Time4Learning.

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Media Contacts

Sabrina Leon, Lexia PR Manager

sabrina.leon@lexialearning.com

Charlotte Andrist, Nickel Communications

charlotte@nickelcommpr.com

Media Inquiries Only: 770-310-5244

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WHAT: A no-cost, 60-minute Learn with Leaders webinar hosted by ClassDojo for Districts, designed for district and school leaders navigating rising expectations for trust, visibility, and consistency in school-to-home communication.

WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, at 1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 10:00 AM PT

WHO: Dr. Chad Stevens, Head of Growth & Partnerships, ClassDojo for Districts and Megan Parsill, District Partnerships, ClassDojo for Districts

REGISTER: https://team-classdojo.zoom.us/webinar/register/2917678013877/WN_qSpBt8ANSOKQzBcgB1R-ZQ#/registration

SAN FRANCISCO, CA | Jan. 15, 2026 — District communication has entered a new era.

In 2026, districts are being held to higher standards for trust, consistency, visibility, and safety — yet many communication systems were built for a different moment. Even when teams are working hard, fragmented tools and inconsistent experiences can quietly erode family trust and put district reputation at risk.

Families want clarity. Teachers need systems that support, not complicate, their work. District leaders need visibility into what’s working — and where gaps may be forming.

In this Learn with Leaders webinar, ClassDojo for Districts will share a practical, classroom-first approach to building districtwide communication systems that connect schools, families, and leaders through one trusted experience.

Attendees will learn:

• How district communication expectations are changing in 2026
• A modern framework for building trust, engagement, and visibility
• How unified, classroom-first systems strengthen district reputation
• A practical way to assess communication readiness and prioritize next steps

Participants will also be introduced to the District Communication Framework and receive access to the District Communication Checklist with templates districts can use immediately.

This session is ideal for district communications leaders, superintendents, family engagement teams, principals, and district technology leaders.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Interested educators can register at https://team-classdojo.zoom.us/webinar/register/2917678013877/WN_qSpBt8ANSOKQzBcgB1R-ZQ#/registration

A recording and toolkit will be shared with all registrants.

About ClassDojo

ClassDojo is on a mission to give every child an education they love. Used in 95% of U.S. schools, ClassDojo helps teachers and families build stronger school communities through everyday communication. ClassDojo for Districts is a unified communication and engagement platform that brings everyday classroom updates and districtwide messaging into one seamless experience—helping families feel connected, students stay engaged, and school culture grow stronger. It’s built with privacy at its core and available to districts at no additional cost.

For more information, go to ClassDojo for Districts.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Jan. 12, 2026 — ClassDojo is now an all-in-one district communication platform, expanding ClassDojo for Districts with new capabilities that give K–12 leaders greater visibility and insight across schools—without changing how teachers and families already use the platform. These updates strengthen districtwide coordination and communication while keeping teacher-family relationships at the heart of ClassDojo.

The updates come amid growing demand from school systems. In the past year alone, one in five districts have adopted ClassDojo for Districts, replacing disconnected tools with a unified platform that meets the needs of families, teachers, and district teams alike.

“Families don’t feel connected because a district sends more messages, they feel connected when communication is personal and tied to their child. ClassDojo for Districts helps us scale that kind of trust across an entire district. The platform has made it easier to see and share what’s actually reaching families,” said Maritza Gallaga, Executive Director of Communications, Manor (TX) Independent School District. “For the first time, our communications strategy truly includes every classroom.”

For more than a decade, ClassDojo has served as a daily connection point between teachers and families. ClassDojo for Districts now brings that connection into a systemwide platform with added compliance, control, and insights built for the needs of districts today.

What’s New in ClassDojo for Districts

The expanded platform introduces powerful district-level capabilities in three core areas—visibility, communication, and insights—with even more features and enhancements rolling out in the months ahead.

Visibility

– Walk the Halls: Let leaders “walk the halls” virtually and see classroom moments from every school via  a real-time feed, no extra logins or apps needed.
– Engagement Dashboards: Understand what’s working, where families are engaging, and where additional support may be needed.

Communication

– Districtwide & School Announcements: Reach every family instantly across app, email, SMS, and voice from the district or school level.
– Two-Way Messaging at Scale: Enable conversations between families and staff with read receipts and administrative oversight.
– Attendance Alerts: Automatically notify families of attendance issues, helping reduce absenteeism with less manual effort.

– Teacher-Student Messaging: Expand teachers’ ability for one-on-one or group communication  with middle and high schoolers, making those conversations fully visible to families.

Insights

– Behavior Trends: Identify patterns across classrooms, schools, and the district to support positive behavior and coaching.
– Oversight & Compliance Tools: Ensure all communication is secure, FERPA-compliant, and auditable with controls IT leaders can trust.
– Enterprise Integrations: Seamlessly connect with SIS, SSO, and other systems with no patchwork required.

“We’re constantly being asked to improve engagement, attendance, and responsiveness — but most platforms stop at distribution,” said Brian Prybil, Deputy Superintendent, Moline-Coal Valley (IL) School District. “These new tools give us a real-time view into what’s being sent and what’s being read. They also keep communication rooted in the teacher-family relationships that matter most. And because families already use ClassDojo, we’re building momentum instead of starting another rollout from scratch.”“District leaders aren’t looking for just one more tool—they’re looking for a way to simplify what’s already working and help bring it systemwide,” said Dr. Chad A. Stevens, Head of Growth and Partnerships at ClassDojo. “These updates make it easier to support teachers, connect with families, and build trust at scale while continuing our commitment to provide our software at no cost.”

District leaders can learn more or request a walkthrough at classdojo.com/districts.

About ClassDojo

ClassDojo is on a mission to give every child an education they love. Used in 95% of U.S. schools, ClassDojo helps teachers and families build stronger school communities through everyday communication. ClassDojo for Districts is a unified communication and engagement platform that brings everyday classroom updates and districtwide messaging into one seamless experience—helping families feel connected, students stay engaged, and school culture grow stronger. It’s built with privacy at its core and available to districts at no additional cost.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.—As districts across the country continue to confront elevated rates of chronic absenteeism, new data from SchoolStatus shows that early, personalized communication with families remains one of the most effective and controllable levers for improving student attendance.

To support educators’ efforts, SchoolStatus released a District Leader’s Guide to Data-Driven Attendance Strategies, which draws on aggregated communication and attendance intervention data from hundreds of districts to examine how timing, message delivery, and accessibility influence family engagement and student attendance outcomes. The guide includes new findings that underscore a clear pattern: when districts act early and communicate consistently, attendance improves measurably.

“District leaders need timely insight into which students need support and practical ways to engage families before patterns harden,” said Dr. Kara Stern, Director of Education at SchoolStatus. “This guide shows how proactive, consistent communication, backed by real-time student data, improves attendance.”

SchoolStatus Data Reveals How and When Families Engage

Analyzing responses from over 3 million school-home messages, several consistent trends emerged:

• Families respond quickly to educator outreach. Parents reply to school messages 73 percent of the time, often within minutes. Families who engage early in the school year remain more responsive throughout the school year, highlighting the importance of establishing communication routines early.
• Timing shapes outcomes. Most responses occur during the school day, giving districts reliable windows to reach families when engagement is highest.
• Language access drives participation. Districts that communicate in families’ preferred languages see stronger engagement across all grade levels, reinforcing the need for multilingual outreach.

Early Attendance Interventions Deliver the Strongest Results

The guide includes new analysis of attendance intervention letters, showing that earlier action leads to significantly stronger outcomes:

• The first mailed attendance letter leads to a 28 percent improvement in attendance for students flagged for positive absence interventions.
• Over half of students who receive a first letter do not require a second letter in the same series.
• Later letters show diminishing impact, underscoring the importance of acting before attendance issues escalate.

“These patterns confirm what many educators suspect but haven’t been able to quantify,” said Dr. Stern. “The first signal matters most. When districts intervene early, they reduce the need for more intensive responses later.”

Barriers That Disrupt School-Family Communication

The guide also explains explores why families may miss or delay responses to school outreach, including variable work schedules, limited device access, and frequent housing moves. By streamlining communication across text, phone, and email, districts are better able to maintain consistent family engagement. That consistency supports students and gives educators real-time visibility into who needs follow-up.

A Practical Framework for District Leaders

Designed for district and school leaders, the guide outlines a clear, adaptable framework for improving attendance outcomes:

• Use real-time SIS data to identify early warning signs
• Reach families with personal messages across multiple channels
• Communicate in families’ preferred language
• Track intervention effectiveness and adjust strategies based on data
• Build a consistent, districtwide approach that strengthens school-family relationships

“Districts see stronger, more sustainable outcomes when data, communication, and interventions work together as one coherent system,” said Dr. Stern. “That is the foundation for lasting attendance improvement.”

Download the District Leader’s Guide to Data-Driven Attendance Strategies.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — SchoolStatus, the leading provider of K–12 attendance and family engagement solutions, has been recognized as number 123 on the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ list of fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America.

The award celebrates organizations demonstrating innovation, leadership, and sustained revenue growth. 

“Districts across the country are partnering with SchoolStatus to solve some of the biggest challenges in education, and we’re honored to support that work,” said Bill Okun, CEO at SchoolStatus. “Our growth is fueled by our customers and the mission we share with them. This recognition highlights the momentum we’re seeing across our business and reinforces our belief that when educators have the right data and tools, great things happen for students.”

Now in its 31st year, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 ranks companies based on revenue growth over a three-year period. SchoolStatus’ inclusion highlights its expanding impact across K–12 districts nationwide and ongoing investment in tools that improve attendance, family engagement, and student outcomes.

Today, SchoolStatus partners with thousands of districts across the country to help educators understand attendance trends, deliver automated interventions, and connect with families in over 130 languages. The platform brings together attendance management, communication tools, educator development, and workflow automation to keep students present and progressing.

About the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500

Now in its 31st year, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 provides a ranking of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies—both public and private—in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2021 to 2024.

In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or proprietary technology that significantly contributes to the company’s operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least US$50,000, and current-year operating revenues of at least US$5 million, with a growth rate of 50% or greater. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of four years and be headquartered within North America (United States and Canada).

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CHICAGO (December 22, 2025) – According to the newly released report from higher education marketing and research firm Validated Insights, enrollment in, and demand for master’s degree programs is trending upward. However, growth is not evenly distributed and there are obstacles to future growth.

Among many key findings, the report shows that completions of master’s degrees are projected to grow at a 1.9% compound annual growth rate, and will surpass one million in the 2027-28 academic year. While enrollment growth is not projected to proceed on quite the same growth trajectory, online enrollment is projected to grow at a 3.8% compound annual growth rate from Fall 2025 to Fall 2030. Meanwhile, on-campus enrollment will decline, and online enrollment is estimated to surpass on-campus enrollment in 2025.

71% of institutional leaders reported an uptick in demand for online graduate programs in 2024. However, just 40% of institutional leaders indicated that their online graduate programs were contributing to growth, which illustrates that not all are gaining students despite the larger picture.

Other data points from the report:

Some potential barriers to growth were also identified in the report including the recent decline in the number of international students in the United States. Foreign nationals make up about 17% of master’s degree students, however recent changes to immigration policies and enforcement and other concerns led to a drastic drop in new international master’s enrollments in Fall 2025. As a result, 64,000 fewer international master’s students than projected will be enrolled at American institutions in 2025-26.

Another potential barrier to growth is the changes to the federal student loan options for graduate students that were enacted as a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The report identifies certain master’s degree fields like Public Health, Social Work, Physician Assistant (PA), and Nurse Practitioner (NP) that are most likely to be impacted by the changes.

“There’s absolutely good news for master’s programs. A substantial amount of interest in master’s degrees remains untapped in the market, and commitment to enrolling is growing,” said Brady Colby, Head of Market Research at Validated Insights. “But it would be a mistake to imply or project smooth sailing. Forecasts of zero growth and even declines in total enrollments, coupled with the increases in number of programs, means programs are getting, and continue to keep getting smaller. This could strain these programs and the schools that provide them.”

Not unlike other education markets, the report also shows that potential enrollees in master’s programs are sensitive to cost. According to the report,

“The median price prospective master’s degree students are willing to pay annually for their studies is about $17,000. Just one in twenty prospective students is willing to pay more than $50,000.”

“What you have, in other words, is a market where domestic enrollment in master’s degrees has been declining but intention and commitment is now growing as people seek economic safety,” Colby said. “Given the uncertainty about the labor market, prospective students want to attend, but they require a specific combination of quality, cost, flexibility, and ROI in a potential program, meaning growth is distributed across institutions.”

Validated Insights publishes detailed reports and facts about higher education on LinkedIn at Higher Ed News by VI. Recent reports include trade school enrollments, online program management companies (OPM) (this link no longer available), MBA programs (this link no longer available), nursing education (this link no longer available), AI education, and computer science programs (this link no longer available).

About Validated Insights

​Validated Insights is an agile marketing agency specializing in helping higher education institutions achieve and exceed their goals. With a comprehensive suite of services, including digital marketing, paid search, paid social, and web strategy, Validated Insights delivers data-driven strategies and measurable results. The agency’s agile testing approach enables short- and long-term growth through better creative, strategy, media execution and continuous brand building. Validated Insights is the only agency in the higher education space to offer a performance guarantee in KPIs in the first 60 days – and continuous growth beyond that. Learn more at validatedinsights.com.

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