Ahead of her retirement in November 2021, Normajean Mehrman met with Lightspeed to discuss her experience with instructional audio during her time as a speech-language pathologist at Hampton Bays Public Schools ..read more

Experts warn the pandemic’s interruption to in-person classroom learning – spanning 18 months in some communities – had serious consequences for students.    Virtual platforms proved a poor substitute for in-person education, particularly for the social-emotional learning (SEL) crucial to keeping students engaged and motivated. Without in-person connections with teachers and other students, many students lagged projected academic gains, and in some cases, ceased participating altogether.     ..read more

California’s Simi Valley Unified School District first tested Lightspeed’s Topcat instructional audio system at an elementary school serving deaf and hearing-impaired students, but quickly realized the system had much broader impact.  ..read more

Stand for Children, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, has spent the last 25 years working to improve the lives of children through education through proven solutions that focus on equity and racial justice.     The organization followed a Children’s Defense Fund rally in June 1996, drawing some 300,000 participants to Washington, D.C., – largest demonstration for children in U.S. history.    Since 1999, the organization, which operates across nine states, has achieved over 209 state and local victories and leveraged over $6.7 bi ..read more

Editor’s Note: Much has happened since we published this blog in February 2021; we’ve updated to include the most recent details regarding pandemic funding for schools, including details about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP).   Federal aid programs created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic represent important funding opportunities for K-12 schools. Each package is meant to provide enough flexibility for schools to complete a variety of projects–from purchasing cleaning supplies, covering budget shortfalls and providing educational support, to purchasing technologies and facilitatin ..read more

Q: What prompted Lightspeed to update its products?   A: We are constantly looking at new ways to improve the functionality and performance of our offerings. It’s important that each product aligns with the latest developments in instructional and classroom technology.   Behind the scenes, we keep track of potential improvements we can implement to ensure the needs of educators and students are met. There’s also a larger modernization piece at play. Updating our product line enabled us to launch the Instructional Audio Solutions platform, which can be scaled and enhanced o ..read more

  Kristin Ortiz is a second-grade teacher at Dora L. Small Elementary School in South Portland, Maine. When she first starting using Lightspeed’s Topcat instructional audio system, she thought it was just a way to help project her voice so that students could hear clearly throughout the classroom. She quickly found it was a way to better connect with students, something that is crucial to learning ..read more

When Andrew Wallace first tried Lightspeed’s instructional audio system at an industry conference, he didn’t think his voice sounded much different. Those around then, however did. “I noticed when I was speaking that people were really more in-tune with what I was saying,” said Wallace, who is the director of technology for South Portland School Department ..read more

Take a moment to read our roundup of content and resources to bring ideas, insight and inspiration into the week ahead – and beyond. While districts still face many challenges due to COVID, we also want to  share the resilience and adaptability many districts have shown as they work to educate students in a “not so normal world.“  ..read more

Fourth grade special education teacher Jaimee Rothenberg says the Lightspeed classroom instructional audio system was an important tool before the COVID-19 pandemic, helping students with auditory issues who may have otherwise needed preferential seating, and helping all students hear lessons more clearly ..read more