NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE IS FOCAL POINT OF EXPANDED PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN MARYLAND’S TALBOT COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DISCOVERY EDUCATION Shawnee Cohn, Discovery Education240-393-5849, shawnee_cohn@discovery.com Stephen Wakefield, Discovery Education240-463-2894, Stephen_Wakefield@discovery.com – New Program for Professional Learning and Leadership Nurtures Teacher-Leaders and Supports District Strategic Plans – Silver Spring, Md. (April 21, 2016) – Maryland’s Talbot County Public Schools (TCPS) today announced an expansion of its 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, as 30 educators from all eight district schools are now scheduled to participate in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps. 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 phase of collaboration supports the Talbot County Public Schools Strategic Plan 2015-2020, which provides direction in all areas of the school system and ensures that TCPS students graduate college and career ready. Developed by a committee of parents, faculty, administrators, support staff, community and business members, the Strategic Plan focuses on three critical priorities: accelerating student growth, investing in partnerships, and maximizing organizational resources. Specific goals include equitable access to high quality and culturally relevant instruction; partnerships with diverse constituencies to build collaborative programs; and providing a 21st century education for all students. TCPS and Discovery Education’s partnership began last year, when the district brought the company’s dynamic digital Math Techbook™ to high school classrooms districtwide. Building on that success, TCPS is introducing Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps, which will help the school system develop a network of teacher-leaders prepared to design and implement successful and innovative teaching strategies to be shared with their peers. 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. “The Talbot County Public School system is deeply committed to providing each and every child equal access to a high-quality educational experience that prepares them for success beyond graduation,” said Dr. Kelly Griffith, Superintendent of Talbot County Public Schools. “Discovery Education’s professional development will help our educators build challenging, authentic digital learning environments districtwide that support students’ success beyond the classroom.” In addition, the Discovery Education Community will continue to support TCPS’ 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 partner with Talbot County Public Schools in our joint mission to provide each student access to high quality and culturally relevant instruction and curriculum,” said Kelly Burleson, Manager of Education Partnerships at Discovery Education. “The inspiring work of Dr. Griffith and her team illustrate the district’s deep commitment to helping educators grow their practice and preparing every student for college, careers, and citizenship.” For more information about the Digital Leader Corps, or other services and resources from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com. About Discovery EducationDiscovery 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 3 million educators and over 30 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.