Press Category: On the Wire

Infographic slide titled 'Trade School Market Size — 2026 Refresh' showing a line chart of quarterly revenue for Trade Schools in the U.S. (2010–2025) with an orange trend line and revenue labels, noting 2025 revenue around $19.06B and 11.4% year-over-year growth; 3.7% CAGR annotation in a speech bubble.

Validated Insights Report: Training Market for Skilled Trades is Growing Faster Than Expected and Leads the Education and Training Market

by Pando Public Relations
written by Pando Public Relations 4 minutes read

CHICAGO – June 29, 2026 – According to the newly updated report from higher education marketing and research firm Validated Insights, enrollments, revenue, and other data related to trade education and allied health indicate the sectors are now the fastest growing area in American education, far outpacing even past generous growth estimates.

Earlier projections for growth in trade and allied health education programs were strong, anticipated to expand about 6.0% annually through 2030. According to the update, growth was underestimated. The entire sector grew but health and trade programs have nearly doubled. The report found that “2025 trade-school revenue, [is] up 11.4% YoY — nearly double the 6.0% growth originally forecast.”

“We’re seeing some pretty fast, amazing, and strong numbers in the trade education and health education sectors,” said Brady Colby, Head of Market Research at Validated Insights. “Things, frankly, we did not expect to see in quite this way. More importantly, we’re seeing that these growth metrics are likely stable, structural, even conservative and bolstered by other ancillary data such as job postings and outside investments,” he said.

Trade education programs are now a $19.1 billion market based on 2025 revenue, the report found. Based on the new data, the sector represents about 12% of the total US education market, which is estimated to be about $164 billion.

The report also found strong financial returns for private providers in the trade education sector and strong market tailwinds for future growth and returns. Among those projections is that there will be more than 370k open construction and electrical jobs by 2030 – jobs for which formal training programs will be necessary.

Many of these new jobs are, the report finds, related to real and anticipated needs in AI-related infrastructure, which is causing major technology providers to start or invest in skilled trade programs such as HVAC, construction, and plant engineering. “AI turned skilled trades into the bottleneck. The capital that follows is the response,” the report found.

In addition to the trends in skilled trade education, the updated report includes new data and projections on allied health education, which is also undergoing strong and sustained growth.

According to the report:

  • 1.1 million students are now enrolled in allied health education and training programs
  • These programs are expected to exceed 8% growth annually, with enrollments in medical assistant programs expected to surpass a staggering 37% annual growth rate

For both skilled trades and allied health sectors, interest in future enrollments continues to far outpace capacity in actual, available programs indicating significant unmet need among future students. In health fields alone, about 7.7 million potential students said they intend to enroll in these programs within two years, only about 571k did.

“Even though the jobs and programs are there, there is still a massive, persistent gap between what people say they want and what they actually do,” Colby said. “If you’re looking at these markets, that means they’re growing, investment is coming in, returns are going out, and it’s still deeply underserved,” he said.

This is the fourth edition of Validated Insights’ recurring report on the U.S. Trade School market. In late 2024, Validated Insights released its initial report on trade schools and updates were released in March 2025 (this link no longer available) and in September 2025. Each edition builds on the last using VI’s proprietary IPEDS taxonomy — a classification that isolates Trade Schools from the broader federal data.

Previous reports from Validated Insights have studied the market for online program management companies (OPM), MBA programs, nursing education (this link no longer available), AI education, and computer science programs (this link no longer available).

To receive future reports from Validated Insights, follow Higher Ed News by VI on LinkedIn.

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.

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Logo for iste+ academy: navy wordmark 'iste' with an orange plus sign and turquoise 'academy' text below.

ISTE+ASCD Announces New Name: International Society for Transforming Education

by International Society for Transforming Education
written by International Society for Transforming Education 2 minutes read

ORLANDO, Fla., June 28, 2026 – ISTE+ASCD today announced its new name will be the International Society for Transforming Education, marking the next chapter for an organization that has spent the last three years since its merger helping educators align instructional strategy, technology, and teaching practice to improve learning for every student.

Richard Culatta, CEO, and Jeremy Owoh, Board President, made the announcement during the opening keynote of the ISTELive and ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, where thousands of educators from around the world have gathered to explore the future of teaching and learning.

The new name responds to the need for educators to deliver high-quality, purposeful learning experiences designed around each learner’s skills, interests, and identity that align instructional strategy, technology use, and educator practice to improve student outcomes and engagement.

“Education is at an inflection point,” said Culatta. “Around the world, educators are rethinking how learning happens, what students need to thrive, and how schools can prepare learners for a rapidly changing future. Our new name captures the work our community has been doing for years — helping transform education by focusing on developing exceptional instructional leaders, thoughtful use of technology, and a deep understanding of what students need to succeed. This isn’t a change in direction. It’s a clearer expression of who we are and the impact we’re working to create.”

In 2023, ISTE and ASCD, two organizations with long histories of supporting educators and instructional leaders, merged to create a new organization, ISTE+ASCD. As of June 2026, the organization will be known as the International Society for Transforming Education. Membership, educator certifications, the ISTE Standards, professional learning programs, and publications all continue without interruption, anchored by the organization’s Transformational Learning Principles, a shared framework for designing learning experiences that are personalized, engaging, and future-ready.

Technology also remains central to the organization’s work. The new name reflects that technology is one lever, alongside instructional strategy and educator practice, for transforming students’ classroom experience.

For more information about the organization’s new name and vision, visit iste-ascd.org.

About the International Society for Transforming Education

The International Society for Transforming Education is a nonprofit that guides and inspires educators to create purposeful, high-quality learning experiences that reflect each learner’s skills, interests, and identities through aligned instructional strategies, technology, and educator practice. Through a global community of educators, evidence-based standards, trusted professional learning, independent journalism, leading authors, and research-driven insights, we provide unparalleled support across curriculum, instruction, and educational technology.

ISTE serves 80,000+ educators across 85+ countries — with the ISTE Standards formally referenced or adopted in all 50 U.S. states — helping instructional leaders invest with confidence, educators teach with purpose, and solution providers deliver meaningful impact, so every student is prepared for success in school and beyond. Learn more at iste-ascd.org.

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ClassDojo logo showing a green cartoon monster with a black headband and open mouth, next to the text ClassDojo in dark blue letters.

ClassDojo Launches Website Platform That Automatically Updates School and District Sites

by Nickel Communications
written by Nickel Communications 3 minutes read

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — June 25, 2026 — ClassDojo for Districts today announced ClassDojo Websites, a new school and district website platform designed specifically for K–12 systems. The platform automatically keeps school and district websites up to date by connecting directly to ClassDojo—the platform already used by millions of families and educators.

As school choice expands and districts compete for every student, a district’s website is often the first impression for families—but too often, those sites are outdated, inconsistent, or difficult to maintain. With public schools losing roughly 1.8 million students since 2019, how districts present themselves matters more than ever.

ClassDojo Websites addresses these challenges by bringing website management and district communications into one connected platform, reducing manual work while ensuring families always see accurate, consistent information. Post once, and it shows up everywhere. No double-posting, no stale pages, and no extra work for staff.

“In a time when districts are competing for every student, your website is often the first, and sometimes only, impression families get,” said Dr. Chad A. Stevens, Head of Partnerships & Growth at ClassDojo. “ClassDojo Websites gives every school an on-brand site that tells its story and stays current automatically by connecting to the platform families already use so what schools share every day shows up everywhere it needs to, without adding work.”

​​The platform enables stories, events, and announcements to appear on school and district websites automatically, eliminating the need for double-posting and reducing the risk of outdated or inconsistent information.

ClassDojo Websites fits into a district’s existing systems without replacing or rebuilding what’s already in place. Districts save significantly compared to alternative solutions, work with one fewer vendor, and give families a consistent digital experience across every school.

Key benefits for district leaders include:

  • Always up-to-date websites: Content from ClassDojo automatically appears on district and school websites, ensuring families always see current information.
  • Post once, show everywhere: One platform connects communications, announcements, and websites — reducing operational complexity and staff workload.
  • Built for K–12: Designed specifically for schools, with simple editing tools, built-in permissions, and infrastructure trusted by hundreds of districts.
  • Accessibility without the burden: Continuous monitoring and support help districts stay aligned with ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

The platform is built on CatapultCMS, a K–12 website platform with more than 25 years of experience supporting hundreds of districts, and powered by Automattic’s secure, scalable WP Cloud infrastructure.

ClassDojo Websites will roll out in phases beginning with pilot districts this summer, with broader availability planned for the 2026–27 school year.

District leaders can learn more by visiting ClassDojo for Districts.

About ClassDojo

ClassDojo is on a mission to give every child an education they love. Used in 90% 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 grows stronger. It’s built with privacy at its core and available to districts at no additional cost.

About CatapultCMS

CatapultCMS is a K-12 website and communication platform founded in 2000 and trusted by schools and districts nationwide. What began as a simple, user-friendly content management system has grown into a flexible platform that helps districts manage their websites, strengthen their brand, streamline content workflows, and improve digital accessibility. Built specifically for school district needs, CatapultCMS supports ADA-focused website compliance, accessible content practices, and a powerful proprietary AI chatbot built around district website content. CatapultCMS makes it easier for schools to deliver timely, reliable, and accessible information to families and their communities. Learn more at catapultcms.com.

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The image shows the word Lexia in bold, dark blue letters with a registered trademark symbol next to it. The background is white.

Lexia Science of Reading Classroom Expands with New Back-to-School 2026 Capabilities

by Nickel Communications
written by Nickel Communications 3 minutes read

Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand and a leader in science of reading-based literacy solutions, today announced new capabilities supporting its Science of Reading Classroom as part of its Summer 2026 Back-to-School product release.

As states and districts continue investing in science of reading-aligned instruction, education leaders are increasingly focused on ensuring evidence-based literacy practices translate into consistent classroom implementation and improved student outcomes. Lexia’s latest innovations are designed to help educators bridge the gap between literacy research and daily instructional practice through a more connected, actionable, and educator-centered literacy experience.

For decades, literacy conversations focused on what effective instruction should look like. Today, the challenge is implementing evidence-based practices consistently across classrooms, schools, and districts. Lexia believes the next chapter of literacy education will be defined by how effectively schools turn research into practice.

“The next challenge in literacy education isn’t understanding the science of reading — it’s implementing it consistently across classrooms, schools, and districts,” said Alyson Deutsch, Senior Vice President of Product at Lexia. “Science of Reading Classroom is designed to help educators turn research into daily practice by connecting instruction, assessment, professional learning, and support in a more cohesive experience. By helping schools create greater alignment across their literacy efforts, we’re making evidence-based instruction easier to implement and more impactful for students.”

The Summer 2026 release represents the next phase of Lexia’s Science of Reading Classroom strategy, bringing together instructional resources, educator guidance, assessment insights, and personalized support into a unified literacy ecosystem. By connecting the essential elements of literacy instruction, Lexia is helping districts create more coherent systems that support educators and improve outcomes for students.

Among the new enhancements are LETRS Insights, Lexia Assignments, and Skill Check reporting enhancements. Together, these innovations connect professional learning, assessment, instructional guidance, and student performance data — bringing research-aligned support directly into educators’ daily workflows.

New capabilities are designed to help educators:

  • Deliver evidence-based literacy instruction with greater confidence and consistency
  • Reduce instructional complexity and streamline classroom workflows
  • Connect assessment insights more directly to instructional decisions
  • Access embedded professional learning and instructional guidance within daily practice
  • Support diverse learner needs through more personalized instructional experiences

By helping districts create greater alignment across instruction, assessment, and educator support, Science of Reading Classroom empowers schools to implement literacy initiatives with greater fidelity while improving outcomes for students.

To learn more about Lexia’s Science of Reading Classroom, including new capabilities introduced as part of its 2026 back-to-school release, visit the Science of Reading Classroom page.

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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New visual identity reflects ParentSquare’s evolution from a school-home communications tool to the family engagement infrastructure 22 million students rely on across 42,000 schools.

ParentSquare Expands Attendance Capabilities to Help Districts Reduce Chronic Absenteeism at Scale

by ParentSquare
written by ParentSquare 3 minutes read

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., June 18, 2026 — ParentSquare, the leading family engagement infrastructure for K–12 districts, today announced new capabilities designed to help districts reduce chronic absenteeism through consistent, empathetic family outreach: automated workflows and period attendance, plus proactive absence reporting.

Nearly 1 in 4 students nationwide are chronically absent. The consequences reach well beyond the classroom, affecting district funding, academic outcomes, and long-term student success. Yet many attendance teams still track data in spreadsheets, generate truancy letters through mail merge, and document interventions across disconnected systems. 

A growing number of districts are turning to ParentSquare Attendance Plus to modernize attendance improvements within the same platform they already use to reach families. Because ParentSquare helps districts connect with virtually every family through their preferred language and communication channel, attendance outreach is more likely to be seen, understood, and acted upon. Districts using the solution are already seeing improvements in daily attendance while reducing the administrative burden on attendance teams.

“Since adopting ParentSquare Attendance Plus in August 2025, our attendance has gone from 92.7% to 94.9% districtwide, and every school has improved. Before, our attendance outreach went unanswered. Now, parents respond and show up to meetings prepared. That happened because families finally feel like their child is valued,” said Dr. Anny Iacono, Director of Special Education and Student Services, Nuview Union School District. 

To make that kind of outreach easier to deliver at scale, ParentSquare is introducing three new attendance capabilities.

Automated workflows help districts intervene sooner, support policy compliance, and reduce administrative burden. Districts can automatically trigger attendance letters and family outreach based on customizable absence thresholds, with every interaction documented in one place. Also on the way, districts will be able to use automated workflows to recognize and celebrate strong attendance, reinforcing positive habits and showing families their efforts are noticed. 

Period attendance helps secondary schools identify attendance patterns earlier, making it easier to support students before issues become chronic.

Proactive absence reporting reduces calls, emails, and manual data entry by giving families a simple way to report absences directly in ParentSquare. Attendance clerks review submissions from a centralized dashboard, improving efficiency and record accuracy, while equipping staff with the notice they need to prepare students for missed instructional time. 

“I’ve spent 15 years working to solve chronic absenteeism, and compliance letters alone don’t move the needle. What works is consistent, caring outreach that treats families as partners,” said Alex Meis, MPA, Vice President of Attendance Strategy at ParentSquare. “These new capabilities make that kind of outreach possible at scale, without adding to the workload of already stretched school staff.” 

These capabilities follow the launch of ParentSquare Intelligence earlier this year, which embeds AI and data intelligence across the ParentSquare platform. By connecting attendance data, family communication records, and intervention workflows in one platform, Attendance Plus helps districts implement consistent attendance strategies without adding another vendor or line item to the budget. 

To learn more about Attendance Plus, visit parentsquare.com/platform/attendance-improvement.  

About ParentSquare

ParentSquare is the leading family engagement infrastructure helping K-12 districts nationwide reach every family with an award-winning, all-in-one communication platform. Reaching over 22 million students across the country, ParentSquare helps districts consolidate disconnected tools and outdated communication systems with personalized messaging, websites, forms, payments, and more—in one easy-to-use platform. With powerful features for achieving 100% contactability, two-way translation into 190+ languages, and purpose-built AI enhancements, ParentSquare empowers districts to invite every family to be involved in their student’s education, no matter their home language or the device they use.

Recognized for growth and innovation by Inc. 5000, GSV 150, and more, ParentSquare was founded in 2011 in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at parentsquare.com. 

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CoSN logo with the tagline Leading Education Innovation and a circular design in the o featuring blue, green, and white stripes.

CoSN to Assume Leadership of K–12 Cybersecurity Rubric and CCRE Program

by CoSN
written by CoSN 4 minutes read

ransition from ClassLink and the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education Positions Framework and Training for National Scale and Long-Term Sustainability 

Washington, D.C. — June 16, 2026 — CoSN — The Consortium for School Networking  today announced a strategic partnership with ClassLink and the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education (CC4E). This agreement is designed to vastly expand, scale, and sustain K–12 cybersecurity maturity efforts across the nation.

This transition positions the Cybersecurity Rubric and its corresponding pathways directly within CoSN’s expansive national network, accelerates its impact, and ensures the framework’s long-term sustainability. 

Ensuring Continuity and Driving Nationwide Standardization

For the educators, technology leaders, and the Certified Cybersecurity Rubric Evaluators (CCREs) already actively engaged in the program, CoSN is committed to ensuring continuity. Rather than a disruption, this integration is explicitly designed to strengthen and scale the work already underway.

“School systems face an increasingly complex threat landscape, and school leaders need actionable, education-specific benchmarks to safeguard their communities,” said Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN. “Assuming leadership of the Cybersecurity Rubric and the CCRE program is a natural progression of CoSN’s core mission. By integrating this powerful framework into our nationwide network, advocacy efforts, and professional development pipelines, we are giving school districts the standardized tools they need to build true organizational resilience.”

“This is a natural evolution of the CC4E initiative,” said Frankie Jackson, CC4E Project Lead. “The mission, community, and momentum of CC4E remain incredibly strong — and they are now significantly enhanced through CoSN’s national footprint, leadership, and structural support. CoSN is uniquely positioned to take this framework to the next level.” 

“The community came together and poured incredible resources into building the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education and validating this rubric because school districts desperately needed a baseline for cyber resilience,” said Berj Akian, ClassLink CEO, on behalf of the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education. “Now that the framework is established, passing leadership to CoSN is the right move for the entire education ecosystem. CoSN has the national advocacy reach and institutional backing to make this rubric a standard in every district across the country.”

A Proven Foundation: CoSN’s Ongoing Commitment to K–12 Cybersecurity

This acquisition builds directly upon CoSN’s long-standing leadership in K–12 digital safety. For years, cybersecurity has ranked as the number one priority for school system technology leaders in CoSN’s annual State of EdTech Leadership surveys. In response, CoSN has consistently developed premier, field-tested resources to support districts, including:

  • The CoSN Cybersecurity Initiative: A comprehensive clearinghouse of tools designed to help school leaders manage digital risks, secure student data, and address systemic vulnerabilities.  www.cosn.org/cybersecurity 
  • The CETL® Certification: CoSN’s Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL®) credential, which mandates mastery of risk management and proactive cybersecurity planning as core competencies for modern K–12 technology directors. www.cosn.org/certification 
  • National Advocacy & Policy Leadership: CoSN actively advocates at the federal level for increased cybersecurity funding, E-Rate expansions for network security, and dedicated infrastructure support for school districts.

By embedding the CC4E framework alongside these existing pillars, CoSN creates a unified ecosystem where school leaders can move seamlessly from training and evaluation to national credentialing and long-term security implementation.

Next Steps

Under CoSN’s leadership, immediate priorities will focus on expanding access to the Cybersecurity Rubric and training opportunities, building upon the foundations laid by ClassLink and the CC4E. Rather than a disruption, this transition is designed to build upon the work already underway to expand impact, scale adoption, and sustain long-term progress.

About CoSN

CoSN, the world-class professional association for K-12 education technology leaders, stands at the forefront of education innovation. We are driven by a mission to equip current and aspiring K-12 education technology leaders, their teams, and school districts with the community, knowledge, and professional development they need to cultivate engaging learning environments. Our vision is rooted in a future where every learner reaches their unique potential, guided by our community. CoSN represents over 13 million students and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. www.cosn.org

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