Kansas’ Topeka Public Schools Partners with Discovery Education to Expand Innovative Online Educational Opportunities
Silver Spring, Md. (Friday, August 7, 2020) Kansas’ Topeka Public Schools (TPS) today announced it is partnering with Discovery Education on a new initiative supporting the expansion of innovative equitable learning experiences for all students. Through this new partnership, TPS is investing in Discovery Education to provide TPS’s approximately 1,300 teachers dynamic, digital resources that improve their capacity to provide the district’s almost 14,000 K-12 students new, more personalized lessons and activities. The new lessons and activities will serve as the foundation for more equitable learning experiences for all students at home, in the classroom, or wherever learning is taking place. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
“As part of our effort to provide all students equitable learning opportunities, we are expanding online learning,” said Dr. Tiffany Anderson, Superintendent of the Topeka Public Schools. “Through this new partnership, all educators and students will now have access to the engaging, high-quality digital resources available from Discovery Education.”
The Topeka Public Schools is strengthened by diversity, and is dedicated to educational equity and promoting an inclusive environment for all students. To engage its diverse student body in the highest quality learning in the classroom or remote environment, the district sought a flexible, digital resource that would propel students’ academic and social-emotional development. Following a period of rigorous review, TPS selected Discovery Education Experience for use in all 33 district schools and programs.
Experience—Discovery Education’s flexible K-12 learning platform—connects educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give educators everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.
Discovery Education’s team continues adding, contextualizing, and organizing exciting new content and timely resources to Experience each month in response to current events and the ever-evolving needs of educators. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.
Finally, Experience is designed to work within school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows. Through expanded partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, and now Clever, integrating Experience into existing IT architecture is easier than ever.
TPS middle school and elementary teachers and students will also receive access to Discovery Education Coding. With Discovery Education Coding, students will gain a secure understanding of coding concepts, like algorithms, sequences and variables, and develop critical computational thinking skills through decomposition, logical reasoning, and imaginative problem-solving. In addition, students and teachers alike will be able to demonstrate their creativity and build confidence by creating their very own apps and sharing them with their classmates and colleagues.
To help TPS’s educators integrate their new digital resources into instruction in the coming school year, Discovery Education will provide selected district educators dedicated professional learning. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating technology and digital content into teaching and learning in ways that will maximize the power of their digital resources, increase student engagement in instruction, and improve students’ academic achievement. These educators will then share their knowledge with their peers so that all educators are prepared to use these resources for instruction.
TPS’s partnership with Discovery Education also provides district teachers access to the Discovery Education Community. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.
“Discovery Education is incredibly excited to partner with the Topeka Public Schools on this new initiative,” said Steven Weniger, Discovery Education’s Senior Manager of Education Partnerships. “Going back to Brown v. Board of Education, the Topeka Public Schools has been at the center of the movement to make education more equitable for all. Today, the district is led by Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson, a nationally known leader in improving educational equity and a featured speaker for Discovery Education who shares innovative education strategies. Discovery Education is honored to be a part of the Topeka Public Schools’ rich history of improving educational equity, and we look forward to supporting the implementation of Dr. Anderson’s vision for using digital resources to create equitable learning activities for all students.”
For more information about Topeka Public Schools, visit the district website here.
For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Facebook, follow us on Twitter at @DiscoveryEd, or find us on Instagram and Pinterest.
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About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
Contact:
Discovery Education
Stephen Wakefield
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com
Phone: (202) 316-6615