Welcome to Playground Post, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps education innovators ahead of what’s next.

Here’s what we have on deck for today…

1. Digital solutions for measles tracking

2. SPED growth calls for tech solutions

3. Self-paced education shows promising results

Digital solutions for measles tracking

Measles outbreaks have hit nine states and 82% of cases are people under 20. Schools have been scrambling to track the status of the outbreak.

New Mexico's health department is recommending that schools maintain lists of unvaccinated students and staff who may need to stay home as a result of the outbreaks. Other states will likely follow suit, creating an opportunity for education innovators to develop systems to:

• Track vaccination records securely

• Generate parent communication automatically

• Alert administrators when unvaccinated students may have been exposed

SPED growth calls for tech solutions

Special education enrollment is surging toward 8 million students, with projections showing 1 million new students by 2025 — growth that previously took two decades.

This rapid increase highlights a critical need for better referral analysis.

Phyllis Wolfram from the Council of Administrators of Special Education recommends school leaders examine "who is referring students for special education evaluations and if those referrals result in students being identified for services."

Her advice points to a significant opportunity for education innovators:

Develop data analysis tools that help schools spot patterns of over-identification or under-identification at classroom, school, and district levels.

The right technology could help schools improve the referral process, ensuring resources reach students who truly need them.

Self-paced education shows promising results

In 2018, two math teachers founded the Modern Classroom Project (MCP) with the goal to make it easier for students to learn at different paces.

Today, they work with over 250+ schools nationwide, and have transformed how students learn through self-paced video lessons and mastery-based learning.

Research reveals the impact:

• 83% of MCP students catch up easily if they missed class (versus 70% in traditional classrooms)

• 84% of teachers who adopted MCP's program felt they were able to work closely with each student compared to 26% who did not implement the program

The growth of programs like MCP creates a clear opportunity for education innovators to develop tools to support personalized learning and help teachers develop effective video lessons while maintaining human connection in classrooms.

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We’ll be back with another edition on Tuesday. See you then!

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