FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
David Pendery
Discovery Education
301-272-2526
david_pendery@discovery.com

Charlene Blohm
C. Blohm & Associates
608-839-9800
charlene@cblohm.com

Discovery Education Connects Utah Schools to On-Demand Health and Prevention Resources

"Every day, students across the country are faced with difficult decisions that affect their health and well-being," said Steve Sidel, Executive Vice President, Discovery Education. “Discovery Health Connection gives teachers the tools they need to help their students develop the skills to make more well-informed choices and live healthier, safer lives.”

Discovery Health Connection (www.discoveryhealthconnection.com) is a Web-based subscription service that combines traditional health and prevention curriculum programs with teachers’ guides, worksheets, videos, extension exercises, and literacy lessons designed to facilitate cross-curricular instruction while improving students’ reading comprehension and writing skills—as evidenced in a recent independent evaluation of the service. On average, students whose teachers used Discovery Health Connection’s literacy lessons as part of their classroom curriculum experienced a 5% greater improvement in reading comprehension than those students whose teachers did not use the service.

Using the power of the Internet for school-wide distribution, Discovery Health Connection gives educators the ability to capture the teachable moments in the classroom with instant access to resources that address critical health and prevention subjects including The Body, Safety, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Growth and Development, Mental Health, Tobacco, Nutrition, Violence, and Physical Activity. Discovery Health Connection is anchored by research-based curricula and is supplemented with a wide array of materials designed to engage students and make a positive impact on their growth and development.

“Young people can overcome the many risk factors in society when they see positive examples, hear clear and consistent messages, and practice healthy living,” said Verne Larsen, Education Program Specialist, Utah State Office of Education Safe and Drug Free Schools Program. “Discovery Health Connection will be an invaluable tool to assist teachers with the integration of health and prevention curriculum as a regular part of the school day.”

Over the next few weeks, representatives from the Utah State Office of Education will be working with every school district in the state to establish their Discovery Health Connection usernames and passwords. Participating schools will have full access to Discovery Education’s Implementation team for phone- and web-based training, technical support, and integration assistance, and in-person teacher training sessions are also being scheduled as part of the new program. School district representatives can contact Larsen at the Utah State Office of Education at 801-538-7713 for additional information about their district’s participation.

For more information about this partnership, Discovery Health Connection, or any of Discovery Education’s other products and services, please visit www.discoveryeducation.com or call 1-800-323-9084.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Communications, Inc., the leading global real-world media and entertainment company. It produces and distributes high-quality digital video content in easy-to-use formats, in all core-curricular subject areas. The leader in digital video-based learning, Discovery Education is committed to creating scientifically proven, standards-based video resources for teachers, students, and parents that make a positive impact on student achievement. Through strategic partnerships with over 25 public television stations across the country, its public service initiatives, products, and joint business ventures, Discovery Education helps educators around the world engage students in the joy of learning by allowing them to explore the world and satisfy their natural curiosity. For more information, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.