NEBRASKA’S SCHUYLER COMMUNITY SCHOOLS EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH DISCOVERY EDUCATION TO LAUNCH NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

Stephen Wakefield, Discovery Education
(240) 662-5563, Stephen_Wakefield@discovery.com

– New Professional Learning and Leadership Initiative Will Nurture Teacher-Leaders and Supports District’s “SchuyPad” Initiative –

Schuyler, Neb. (November 7, 2016) – Nebraska’s Schuyler Community Schools today announced an expansion of its three-year partnership with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms. The latest phase of this collaboration focuses on professional development and will provide eight educators from Schuyler Central High School the opportunity to participate in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps initiative. A comprehensive professional development system, Digital Leader Corps supports the growth of teacher-leaders as they serve as change agents powering the district's transition to dynamic digital learning environments.

This new effort supports Schuyler Community Schools’ “SchuyPad” initiative.  Launched in 2013, the program has given all district high school students access to a personal device and is designed to provide students 24/7 access to learning at school, after school, and at home; prepare students for college and the workforce; personalize learning; and help students build important skills such as creative thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaboration.

Schuyler Community Schools’ teachers and students currently use Discovery Education’s Science, Social Studies and Math Techbooks, a series of digital textbooks that are aligned to rigorous standards, support a comprehensive curriculum, and include professional development.  The Social Studies Techbook series uses an inquiry-based instructional approach that emphasizes informational text literacy and the analytical writing and problem solving skills that students will apply in the classroom and beyond. Each subject area includes primary source documents and activities, digital investigations, a multimedia reference library, interactive maps and informational texts.  Utilizing an inquiry-based format built on the 5E model, the Science Techbook, through hands-on labs, digital explorations, an interactive glossary, and data analysis activities, helps teach students to read, write, and think like scientists. Math Techbook, the latest addition to Discovery Education’s award-winning line of digital textbooks, transforms the way students and teachers experience math through engaging instructional strategies and real-world problems that motivate and excite students with diverse learning styles.

In addition, Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K-12 curricular areas, is also being used by educators to enhance teaching and learning across the district.

Building on the successful integration of these services into classroom instruction, Schuyler Central High School is now participating in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps.  Featuring a unique combination of professional learning, pedagogy and tools, Digital Leader Corps offers participating educators proven approaches to integrating educational technologies and digital media into classroom instruction.  These approaches are then practiced in educator created, student-centered Learning Labs. In these labs, teachers practice and adapt their new skills in a classroom setting before sharing their successes broadly with their colleagues. The Digital Leader Corps program provides teachers with continuous customized, job-embedded consultation, with on-going modeling, coaching and feedback from Discovery Education experts in the pre-planning, stakeholder communications and implementation phases.

“Schuyler Community Schools, in partnership with parents and the community, is committed to providing students the educational experiences they need to become skilled, knowledgeable, and responsible citizens in a global society. We look forward to continuing to partner with Discovery Education on that mission,” said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Dan Hoesing. “The Digital Leader Corps will help our educators build the challenging, authentic, digital learning environments they need to create these experiences.”

In addition, the Discovery Education Community will continue to support Schuyler Community Schools’ educators in their efforts to transform students’ learning experiences with digital media. 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 proud to support Schuyler Community Schools’ commitment to digital learning by building the capacity of their teachers to make a positive impact on student engagement and achievement,” said Jason Barnes, Vice President of Partnerships at Discovery Education.  “By combining sustained professional development with dynamic digital content, the Schuyler team is creating authentic digital learning spaces that will engage today’s learners and advance student achievement.”

For more information about the Digital Leader Corps, or other services and resources from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.