Technology

LEGO® Education Report Examines the State of Classroom Engagement

Published

2 years ago

September 4, 2024

Only one third of administrators, teachers, and parents describe their students as engaged; Report provides deeper insight and strategies into what engages, inspires, and builds confidence

BILLUND, Denmark, Sept. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, LEGO® Education released the State of Classroom Engagement Report featuring global insights from over 6,000 administrators, teachers, parents, and students and strategies to boost engagement. The report examines the benefits of engagement in learning—and how disengagement can be detrimental for students and future outcomes that extend beyond school.

Only one third of administrators, teachers, and parents/caregivers describe their students as engaged in learning. While administrators and teachers agree engagement is a problem, the report also finds they have varying perspectives on the barriers to addressing disengagement. Administrators see curricula as the biggest challenge in facilitating engagement, while teachers see a lack of training and autonomy in the classroom as the biggest obstacle.

Key findings include:

Disengagement is linked to many of the major issues facing schools: Nearly half of administrators (47%) believe disengagement leads to increased absenteeism and decreased enrollment. Sixty-one percent of US teachers report disengaged students demonstrate increased behavioral issues.Engagement improves student outcomes. More than 9 in 10 administrators (96%) believe new curricula, resources, and approaches are necessary to increase engagement. Administrators believe engaging students with learning through play boosts test scores (84%) and attendance rates (83%). Student well-being is also positively impacted: Students who are engaged in learning are five times more likely to be confident, four times more likely to be happy, and three and a half times more likely to be excited to learn.High student engagement directly correlates to teacher well-being too: Eighty percent of teachers say they’d be happier in their job and find it more rewarding if their students were more engaged in learning. Teachers with engaged students are less likely to consider leaving their profession.

“Engagement is top of mind at the district, school, and classroom levels because it impacts students and teachers in so many ways,” said Dr. Jenny Nash, LEGO Education Head of Education Impact, US. “This research tells us that when engagement is high, students and teachers are happier, and it has a positive ripple effect on learning outcomes, test scores, and attendance. Learning through play is a critical starting point in sparking the engagement that both students and teachers need.”

Administrators, teachers, and parents agree hands-on learning is a highly effective way to engage students. Learning through play leverages students’ natural and intuitive way of learning—which is actively engaging, meaningful, iterative, socially interactive, and joyful. This methodology is defined by its use of creativity and curiosity, encouraging students to adapt, build confidence, and problem-solve. It’s also a proven approach for driving better academic outcomes, attendance, future-ready skills, well-being, and joy.

In a new short film, ‘What Does Engagement Look Like?‘ LEGO Education explores the positive effect that engagement can have in and out of the classroom on teachers and administrators. Reflecting on some of the research findings, they share what engages, inspires, and builds confidence in students and educators.

“You can go into a classroom and the teacher can be up there teaching their heart out, but if the kids are bored and disinterested, they’re not learning,” said Emma Smith, K-5 STEM Teacher at Broadway Elementary School in Lee County, NC. “I’ve seen how much hands-on learning engages my students, and that’s what every teacher and administrator wants at the end of the day. We want every student to be engaged and love coming to school to learn.”

Learn more
Administrators and teachers want to engage students, but often find there’s limited, actionable guidance to bring those pedagogies to classrooms. To learn more about how to increase engagement, get your copy of the State of Classroom Engagement Report.

About the study

Commissioned by LEGO Education, carried out by Edelman DXI5 countries including Australia, Germany, South Korea, UK, and the USA.Total sample: 6,650, including 2,400 teachers, 2,000 parents, 2,000 students (aged 5-14), and 250 US administrators.Fieldwork: May 15, 2024-June 15, 2024

About LEGO® Education
LEGO Education offers a range of playful, hands-on STEAM learning experiences based on its comprehensive learning system for students in early learning, primary and secondary education, as well as through after-school programs and competitions. From the Early Learning portfolio to the LEGO® Learning System, these solutions create an active and collaborative environment where learners of all levels and abilities build their confidence, future-proof their skills and spark a lifelong love of learning.

CONTACT: Kelley Brescia, kelley.brescia@lego.com

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SOURCE LEGO® Education

Technology

FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION APPOINTS DAVID S. SCHULZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Published

3 minutes ago

July 21, 2026

LANCASTER, Pa., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT) (“Fulton”) today announced the appointment of David S. Schulz as a member of its board of directors (the “Board”) for a term commencing September 14, 2026 and expiring at Fulton’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders.

“We’re excited to welcome Dave to Fulton’s board of directors,” said Curt Myers, Fulton Chairman, CEO, and President. “Dave brings extensive financial leadership experience gained through more than a decade of service with publicly traded companies. His expertise in finance, strategic planning, risk, and mergers and acquisitions will provide valuable perspective as we continue to execute our growth strategy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers and communities.”

With the addition of Schulz, Fulton’s Board will have 11 members, and he will serve on the Audit and Risk committees. Schulz has also been appointed to the board of directors of Fulton’s banking subsidiary, Fulton Bank, N.A.

Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco International, Inc. (“Wesco”) from 2016 to June 2020, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco from June 2020 to February 2026 and as Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO of Wesco from February 2026 until his retirement on May 31, 2026.

Prior to joining Wesco, Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. and was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and Vice President of Finance of the Armstrong Building Products division.

Before joining Armstrong World Industries in 2011, he held various financial leadership roles with Procter & Gamble and The J.M. Smucker Company. He was also an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2025, Schulz joined the board of Sterling Infrastructure, Inc., and he was appointed as chair of the audit committee in 2026. He also serves on the company’s compensation and talent development committee.

ABOUT FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Fulton, a $34 billion Lancaster, Pa.-based financial holding company, has more than 3,400 employees and operates more than 215 financial centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia through Fulton Bank, N.A. Additional information on Fulton can be found at https://investor.fultonbank.com.

Contact: Steve Trapnell
717-291-2739

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SOURCE Fulton Financial Corporation

Technology

Octavio Marquez Elected to MSA Safety Board of Directors

Published

3 minutes ago

July 21, 2026

PITTSBURGH, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of MSA Safety Inc. (NYSE: MSA), a global leader in the development of advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions, today announced that Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf, has been elected to the company’s Board of Directors. His election was part of the MSA Board’s regular succession plans.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to add Octavio to the MSA Board,” said Robert A. Bruggeworth, MSA chairman. “He brings a broad range of executive leadership experience, including strategy development, capital allocation, business transformation and serving international markets, which will serve MSA well.”

“Octavio’s perspectives will be an asset to me and our entire Executive Leadership Team,” said Steven C. Blanco, MSA president and CEO. “It is a pleasure to welcome Octavio to MSA, and I look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Marquez joined Diebold Nixdorf in 2014 and has held senior leadership roles across the company’s Global Banking organization and its Americas region, including as executive vice president of Global Banking and senior vice president of the Americas. Before joining Diebold Nixdorf, Mr. Marquez held leadership positions at Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and NCR.

Diebold Nixdorf automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, its integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of customers every day. Headquartered in North Canton, Ohio, Diebold Nixdorf employs approximately 20,000 employees globally, supporting more than 100 countries.

Mr. Marquez holds a degree in business and finance from Universidad Iberoamericana and has completed executive education programs at MIT Sloan, The Wharton School and The University of Texas at Austin.

About MSA Safety

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2025 revenues of $1.9 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, and employs a team of approximately 5,300 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit www.MSASafety.com.

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SOURCE MSA Safety

Technology

BlueFolder Field Service Software Launches New AI-Powered Features to Transform How Teams Work

Published

3 minutes ago

July 21, 2026

New AI capabilities instantly surface customer insights and transform technician notes into actionable summaries to help field service teams work faster, stay aligned, and deliver better service

AUBURN, Ala., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BlueFolder field service software recently announced the launch of two powerful new AI features: AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization. Together, these capabilities are designed to eliminate the time-consuming, manual work of reviewing fragmented customer records and lengthy technician notes—giving field service teams instant clarity to respond faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver exceptional service.

BlueFolder expands it’s field service and work order management suite with two exciting new AI field service features.

Built directly into the BlueFolder platform, both features leverage artificial intelligence to automatically compile and summarize complex, unstructured data into clear, easy-to-read overviews. The result: technicians, dispatchers, and managers always have the context they need, right when they need it.

AI-Powered Customer Summaries

As field service organizations grow, customer information becomes increasingly scattered across emails, service request logs, and communication histories. BlueFolder’s AI Customer Summary feature addresses this challenge head-on by consolidating those interactions into a single, actionable snapshot.

Instead of manually digging through multiple records before a service call or customer interaction, teams can now access a real-time summary highlighting key concerns, past service activity, and recent updates. The feature goes beyond basic summarization and surfaces critical business insights such as equipment past due for maintenance, approaching warranty expirations, and proactive revenue opportunities, empowering teams to recommend follow-ups or upgrades directly from the customer record.

Built-in traceability links each summary back to its original source communications, so users can validate insights with confidence, ensuring both speed and accuracy in every customer interaction.

AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization

In many service organizations, technicians log updates across multiple visits, often resulting in long, fragmented notes that are difficult to review at a glance. BlueFolder’s AI Field Notes Summarization feature solves this by automatically condensing multiple technician entries into a structured summary that highlights key milestones, actions taken, and next steps.

Rather than scrolling through pages of updates, managers and dispatchers can immediately understand job status and determine what needs to happen next, improving alignment between field and office teams, accelerating decision-making, and reducing miscommunication. The feature is especially valuable for complex or multi-day jobs, where clear continuity and smooth technician handoffs are critical to delivering consistent service. It’s another featuring making BlueFolder’s work order management software capabilities stronger every day.

“History is one of the most powerful tools a service team has — the problem is it’s usually buried. BlueFolder’s new AI features fix that. Your team walks into every interaction already knowing the customer, knowing the equipment, and exactly where things stand. That changes the entire experience,” says John Shaw, VP, Technology, Service Operations.

AI as a Core Part of the BlueFolder Platform

The launch of these two features reflects BlueFolder’s broader commitment to embedding AI throughout its field service management software as an integrated layer of intelligence that makes every workflow smarter. Rather than requiring teams to change how they work, BlueFolder’s AI capabilities are designed to surface the right information at the right moment automatically, within the tools that technicians, dispatchers, and managers already use every day.

“AI is transforming what’s possible in field service, and BlueFolder is answering that call. These features are the result of deep platform expertise and a clear vision for where the industry is headed. We’re embedding intelligence throughout the platform because we know it makes our customers more competitive, more efficient, and better positioned to grow,” says Stephen Myslicki, Group President of Field Services.

Availability

Both AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization are available now to BlueFolder customers as optional, easy-to-enable features within the platform. They are part of BlueFolder’s growing suite of AI-driven capabilities designed to help field service organizations operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.

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SOURCE BlueFolder