Press Category: On the Wire

SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 2026 — As school districts face tighter budgets, growing pressure to strengthen family engagement, and the expansion of phone-free school policies, many are rethinking how schools communicate with families. ClassDojo today announced new district partnerships with Nicholas County School District (WV), Campbell County Public Schools (VA) and National School District (CA), reflecting a broader shift toward centralized, district-managed communication.

The districts will use ClassDojo to support school-to-home communication across classrooms, schools, and district offices ahead of the 2026–27 academic year.

For many districts, the move reflects a simple reality: teachers already use ClassDojo in individual classrooms, while families are often left navigating a patchwork of apps across grades and schools. By adopting ClassDojo at the district level, administrators can reduce tool sprawl, ease communication fatigue for families, and create a more consistent experience from the classroom to the superintendent’s office — without requiring teachers to learn a new platform. The rise of phone-free school policies has added urgency, as districts look for school-managed alternatives to texting and consumer messaging apps.

“Districts are under pressure to do more with fewer tools while also making communication more accessible and consistent for families,” said Jeff Buening, General Manager, ClassDojo. “We’re seeing school systems prioritize platforms that are simple for teachers, familiar to families, and preferred at the district level.”

Nicholas County School District in West Virginia is one of those districts, selecting ClassDojo to strengthen family engagement and create a more consistent school-home communication experience.

“Now is the time to streamline communication tools for families and reduce the number of apps they are expected to navigate. Using ClassDojo as the unified platform supports efficiency for staff and families alike. This partnership helps to ensure that important information is accessible, timely, and connected to student success,” said Sarah Keiper, Early Childhood Director, Nicholas County Schools

Campbell County Public Schools in Virginia identified the need for a centralized communication platform that could support both classroom-level engagement and districtwide communication priorities. Likewise, in California, National School District selected ClassDojo to create a more unified communication experience for families and educators across the district.

“We know that strong family engagement begins with clear and consistent communication. Transitioning to ClassDojo as one unified platform will help National School District simplify communication, reduce app overload for families, and create strong connections between home and school. We are excited to move forward alongside our teachers and staff,” said Dr. Laura Philyaw, incoming superintendent of National School District.

Together, these partnerships reflect a broader trend taking shape in schools nationwide: districts are consolidating communication tools, reducing app overload for families, and investing in platforms that support stronger school-home connections while giving district leaders greater visibility and consistency across their communities.

For more information, visit www.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 grows stronger. It’s built with privacy at its core and available to districts at no additional cost.

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BALTIMORE, Md. — June 9, 2026 — The District of Columbia Public Schools’ (DCPS) McKinley Middle School today announced a new initiative to accelerate efforts to fight chronic absenteeism among its middle school students. This effort implements an innovative, human-centered service model from Concentric Educational Solutions to engage students and families in addressing the academic, social, emotional, and environmental factors contributing to chronic absenteeism.

McKinley Middle School is located in Northeast DC on the McKinley Technology Education Campus and is part of a premier STEM-centered community dedicated to developing the whole child by fostering innovation and a passion for learning. This is achieved through rigorous and meaningful academic and extracurricular experiences that prepare all stakeholders and students to thrive in their postsecondary and career pursuits.

To accelerate efforts to return students to school, reengage them in learning, and reconnect them to opportunity, McKinley’s staff sought a partner that could go beyond automated texts and emails and provide targeted, in-home outreach to students labeled as chronically absent. Following a careful review of potential partners, McKinley selected Concentric Educational Solutions to support the school’s efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Concentric’s unique approach leverages trained members of the community to gather real-time insights from students and families that help school systems respond to student absences earlier, align resources, and address the factors driving disengagement. Services Concentric will provide to McKinley Middle School include:

• Home visits by trained, community-based teams to enrolled McKinley Middle School students identified as chronically absent or not attending school
• Engagement with families through collaborative discussions to identify barriers to attendance
• Custom ethnographic research from noted scholar and Howard University Professor Dr. Ivory Toldson interpreting the data collected during family engagements and outlining how and why chronically absent students have disengaged from learning
• Collaboration with school administrators that turns research into intervention and remediation strategies for the students and families engaged during home visits

“Our mission at McKinley is to develop the whole child and prepare them for success in their postsecondary and career pursuits, but that is not possible if they are not in school,” said Principal Kortni Stafford. “Our new partnership with Concentric Educational Solutions reinforces our commitment to helping every single student grow and achieve. By engaging families directly, we are moving past simply counting absences and instead are actively addressing the real barriers to learning. This is about building a supportive bridge back to the classroom so every student at McKinley can access the rigorous academic and career opportunities they deserve.”

Chronic absenteeism, defined by the U.S. Department of Education as missing 10% or more of school days, emerged as a serious challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the American Enterprise Institute’s Return 2 Learn Tracker, chronic absenteeism surged nationwide from 15% before COVID-19 to 28% in 2022 and remains elevated at 24% in 2024.

“Concentric Educational Solutions is proud to partner with Principal Stafford and her talented team as they accelerate their efforts to drive chronic absenteeism down across the school,” said Concentric Educational Solutions CEO Molly Hebert Loyd. “McKinley Middle School is deeply committed to helping every chronically absent student return to school and re-engage in learning, and we are excited to support their efforts.”

To learn more about Concentric Educational Solutions’ approach to combating chronic absenteeism and download the company’s new white paper on chronic absenteeism, visit the company’s website, follow the organization on X, or connect on LinkedIn.

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Washington, D.C. (June 4, 2026) — CoSN — the Consortium for School Networking today released the below statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announced review of the E-Rate program.

For over 30 years, E-Rate has helped ensure that students and educators, regardless of zip code, have access to the connectivity needed for teaching, learning, assessment, communication, and school operations. The program remains essential as schools meet evolving educational needs and prepare students for an increasingly digital world.

School districts are actively working with parents, educators, and students to develop thoughtful approaches that promote safe, responsible technology use while supporting learning. Because districts vary widely in resources and student needs, decisions about device rules, screen-time expectations, and instructional technology are best made locally, not through one-size-fits-all mandates that could harm students, especially those in rural or low-income communities, and create unnecessary administrative burdens for schools.

As the FCC begins its review, CoSN encourages policymakers to carefully distinguish between E-Rate’s support for essential educational connectivity and broader concerns about the unstructured use of technology outside of school for entertainment and other non-educational purposes. CoSN also encourages the FCC to continue prioritizing areas where it can make a significant contribution to student safety, including helping schools strengthen cybersecurity protections and address the growing threat of cyberattacks.

CoSN looks forward to working with the FCC, policymakers, educators, and stakeholders to ensure that schools can continue providing safe, responsible, and effective digital learning environments for all students.

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

SAN FRANCISCO — May 19, 2026 — As schools continue to grapple with unfinished learning and persistent teacher shortages, summer is emerging as a critical—and often underutilized—opportunity to help students stay on track academically without placing additional strain on educators. In response, companies like ClassDojo are expanding access to flexible, teacher-led tutoring designed to support learning beyond the classroom.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), many U.S. students remain below pre-pandemic achievement levels in both math and reading, underscoring the ongoing need for additional academic support. At the same time, districts are being asked to accelerate progress despite limited time, staffing, and resources during the school year—driving demand for solutions that can extend learning beyond traditional classroom hours.

For elementary-aged students in particular, summer can play an important role in reinforcing foundational skills, building confidence, and helping children start the next school year on stronger footing. As a result, tutoring is increasingly being viewed as a practical strategy to support learning in a flexible, personalized way—especially when it can be delivered without adding to already full teacher workloads.

ClassDojo, a trusted partner to 90% of U.S. schools, is expanding access to its private, online Dojo Tutor, building on early results that show the impact of personalized, teacher-led support. The platform connects students with more than 2,500 certified and vetted teachers for one-on-one tutoring tailored to individual learning needs.

The focus isn’t on homework help; it’s on helping students make meaningful academic progress. Tutors begin by understanding where each student is, identifying gaps, and building a plan to move them forward. Through flexible, online sessions available seven days a week, students can get support in core subjects like math, reading and writing at times that work around summer schedules. That flexibility, combined with one-on-one instruction, allows students to receive the kind of focused attention that’s often difficult to provide in a busy classroom.

Early results reflect that impact: many students begin to show measurable academic improvement within just a few sessions, and families report increased confidence as students build skills and momentum.

For teachers, that kind of individualized time can be hard to replicate during the school year, when classrooms are larger and time is limited. At the same time, teacher-led tutoring models offer a way to extend the impact of great teaching, while also giving educators flexible opportunities to work with students in a more individualized setting—and, for some, to supplement their income outside the traditional school day.

Heather, a Dojo Tutor who teaches 3rd–5th grade math and reading, shared one student success story that especially stands out to her. She worked with a 3rd-grade student over the summer and throughout the school year, focusing on building the student’s confidence and strengthening foundational math skills. As a result, the student entered 4th grade prepared for the more challenging curriculum and quickly found her stride.

“What made this experience so memorable was seeing everything click for her early on,” Heather said. “She started the school year strong, stayed ahead, and is now even beginning to tackle 5th-grade-level math. It reinforced for me how impactful consistent support and early preparation can be for a student’s long-term success.”

For parents, summer can bring both flexibility and stress, particularly when it comes to keeping students engaged academically. Having access to personalized support that fits around busy schedules can make it easier to maintain progress without adding pressure. District leaders are also continuing to prioritize tutoring and summer learning but often face limits around staffing and access. Flexible, teacher-led models can help extend those efforts, reaching more students and providing targeted support beyond traditional programs.

“With the right support, summer doesn’t have to mean lost learning,” said Patrick Pellicano, Dojo Tutor Lead, ClassDojo. “It can be a chance for students to build momentum and return to school more confident, prepared and ready to succeed.”

Learn more about Dojo Tutor, including subjects, scheduling and how to get startedat https://www.classdojo.com/tutoring/.

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 grows stronger. It’s built with privacy at its core and available to districts at no additional cost.

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BALTIMORE, Md. — May 19, 2026 — Concentric Educational Solutions today announced the launch of its 90-Day Summer Pilot Program, a focused, research-driven initiative designed to dramatically reduce chronic absenteeism and reengage K–12 students before the first day of fall classes. The national pilot cohort will be led by Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D., Chief of Research at Concentric Educational Solutions and one of the nation’s foremost experts on chronic absenteeism, and is available to participating school districts at $15,000 per school.

Chronic absenteeism, defined by the U.S. Department of Education as missing 10% or more of school days, emerged as a serious challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 31% in 2021–22. While rates have declined to 23% in 2024–25, too many students continue to miss too much school.

Concentric recognizes that these numbers reflect deeper, often hidden barriers, including housing instability, health issues, transportation gaps, trauma, and caregiving responsibilities, that communication-based attendance solutions alone cannot address. The Summer Pilot Program is designed to close that gap, giving districts the capacity to rebuild relationships, identify root causes, and realign systems of student support before the new school year begins.

The 90-Day Summer Pilot includes three core service components:

• District-wide root-cause analysis led by Dr. Toldson, drawing on ethnographic research and real-time engagement data to uncover the specific factors driving student disengagement in each participating community.
• Pilot school implementation, in which Concentric’s trained community support team provides hands-on, on-the-ground outreach throughout the summer—including home visits, relationship-based phone outreach, and personalized family engagement—to reconnect students before the school year begins.
• Comprehensive reporting and recommendations that translate community insight into actionable reengagement strategies, equipping district leaders with a clear path forward for the fall and beyond.

“The summer months are not downtime. They are the opportunity to do the most important work of the year: reconnecting disengaged students with learning,” said Molly Hebert Loyd, CEO of Concentric Educational Solutions. “The 90-Day Summer Pilot Program gives districts the time, the tools, and the trusted human presence to reach those families now, before another school year starts with students already left behind.”

Districts interested in joining the 90-Day Summer Pilot Program are invited to visit the initiative’s website today.

To learn more about Concentric Educational Solutions’ approach to combating chronic absenteeism, visit the company’s website, follow the organization on X, or connect on LinkedIn.

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Charlotte, NC — May 18, 2026 — Zedbud is inviting teachers, schools, and districts nationwide to participate in its 2026–2027 pilot program for its new platform designed to unify classroom learning and school communication in one place.

Across K–12 education, communication and learning are often spread across disconnected systems—email threads, messaging apps, portals, classroom tools, paper handouts, and learning platforms that were never designed to work together.

The result isn’t just tool overload. It’s fragmented visibility into the student experience. Families struggle to follow learning across systems, educators duplicate communication in multiple places, and district leaders lack a clear, searchable view of how communication and learning connect over time.

As schools continue adopting new digital tools, districts are discovering that adding more platforms does not automatically improve communication or engagement. In many cases, it increases fragmentation, creates duplicate workflows, and makes it harder for families and educators to stay connected around learning. Successful adoption depends less on the technology itself and more on how well it aligns with real classroom needs and workflows. As a result, districts are placing greater emphasis on evaluating which solutions truly improve teaching and learning, making direct educator feedback a critical part of the process.

Zedbud was built to solve this problem by bringing communication, collaboration, and learning into a single, integrated platform. Instead of separating communication from instruction, Zedbud connects conversations directly to the learning experience itself—allowing students, educators, and families to engage around assignments, feedback, resources, and classroom activities in context, not across disconnected systems.

Unlike standalone messaging tools or disconnected classroom apps, Zedbud is designed to give districts long-term visibility and continuity while still supporting authentic classroom-level engagement. Rather than requiring schools to manage separate systems for instruction, messaging, updates, and collaboration, Zedbud is designed to create a single connected experience for the entire school community.

The pilot program offers educators early access to the platform, along with onboarding support and a structured framework to evaluate its impact on communication, family engagement, and classroom collaboration.

“Educators are managing too many systems that were never designed to work together,” said Naveen Gupta, Founder of Zedbud. “This pilot is an opportunity for teachers and districts to help shape a better approach—one where communication and learning happen in the same place.”

Through the pilot, participants will be able to explore how integrated, context-based communication can improve visibility, streamline workflows, and strengthen engagement across students, families, and staff.

Pilot participants will receive:

• Early access to the Zedbud platform
• Guided onboarding and implementation support
• Opportunities to provide direct product feedback
• Tools to assess impact on communication and engagement
• A pathway to inform future adoption decisions

The program is open to individual educators, schools, and district leaders interested in reducing tool fragmentation and improving how their communities connect around learning.

Zedbud’s platform includes features such as real-time translation in more than 50 languages, device-agnostic access, and integration with tools like Google Classroom and Google Drive, all within a secure, FERPA-compliant environment.

Educators and administrators interested in joining the pilot program can learn more and apply at:
https://www.zedbud.com/pilot-program

About Zedbud

Zedbud is a unified learning and communication platform built for pre-K–12 education. From pre-K to graduation day, it connects students, educators, families, and administrators in a single, secure environment—eliminating fragmented systems and enabling more effective, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences.

By integrating communication directly into the learning process, Zedbud helps schools improve alignment, increase collaboration, and support better student outcomes. For more information, please go to https://www.zedbud.com

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