Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), the fourth largest school system in the nation, has announced that an expanded partnership with Discovery Education will provide digital resources to all district classrooms.
MDCPS is currently involved in a coordinated effort to transform teaching and learning in the district by providing dynamic and interactive learning opportunities to all students. As part of its continued digital conversion, the district has now expanded its partnership with Discovery Education to provide all of its 348 schools with Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a collection of rich multimedia assets aligned to state academic and testing standards, as well as Discovery Education Science, a multimedia curriculum supplement for elementary and middle school science education. In addition, district educators will be provided extensive professional development preparing them for life inside a digital classroom.
The winner of the 2012 Eli Broad Prize for Urban Education, MDCPS previously piloted these resources successfully in a number of its Title I schools. Due in part to this success, the district expanded its use of Discovery Education’s digital services to all classrooms across the district.
For a successful implementation, Alberto Carvalho, MDCPS Superintendent and 2013 Florida Superintendent of the Year, placed priority on extensive professional development and quality digital content before investing in costly devices.
“While many school districts across the country are leaping headfirst into the digital age by quickly purchasing expensive digital devices, MDCPS is executing a focused and thoughtful transformation plan that includes high-quality content, robust professional development and a strong infrastructure,” Carvalho said.
Through the newly created MDCPS Digital Leader Network, educators will be provided with comprehensive professional development sessions. The educators chosen to participate in the Digital Leader Network will receive professional learning to build their professional capital, including experimentation with various instructional strategies and tools, as well as day-long professional development events over a period of three years. Digital Leaders will also be empowered to share best practices in instructional innovation with their colleagues.
“Discovery Education shares MDCPS’ vision for how the combination of digital content and professional development can transform teaching and learning,” said Coni Rechner, senior vice president, Discovery Education. “We look forward to continuing to support Superintendent Carvalho and his entire team as they continue their incredible work in Miami.”
