-Latest Phase in Collaboration Supports District’s Efforts to Reach the Goals of its Five-Year Strategic Plan, Janesville Promises-
Silver Spring, Md. (January 25, 2018) – Wisconsin’s School District of Janesville (SDJ) today announced an expansion of its partnership with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms. In this latest phase of this collaboration, Discovery Education will support SDJ’s efforts to improve student success and build and sustain a culture of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education through the implementation of a multi-year STEAM professional development initiative.
SDJ is committed to ensuring every student has equitable access to instructional excellence. To achieve this mission, in 2017 the district launched Janesville Promises. A five-year strategic plan that aims to transform SDJ’s culture and climate of teaching and learning for educators and students districtwide, Janesville Promises is focused on five key areas: Student and School Success, Relationships, Culture and Climate, Finance and Health and Safety.
Professional development services from Discovery Education will directly support the Culture and Climate and Student and School Success goals of Janesville Promises. Delivering measurable, proven research-based results, Discovery Education’s professional learning services show teachers and administrators how to maximize innovative resources that facilitate learning and empower them to integrate technology effectively and confidently into classroom instruction.
SDJ will be implementing Discovery Education’s STEM Leader Corps model over the next four years districtwide. STEM Leader Corps, which has been certified as meeting the Global STEM Alliance (GSA) STEM Education Framework developed by the New York Academy of Sciences and SRI Education, will help SDJ develop a robust team of teacher-leaders who will serve as change agents powering the district's transition to a STEAM-focused education culture.
Educators and Administrators from 17 schools, will participate in STEM Leader Corp. This capacity building effort will help administrators and teachers strengthen and sustain a culture of STEAM in their schools and guide them as they master new STEAM instructional approaches. With a focus on developing high-quality STEAM instruction, creating interdisciplinary lessons and units, and vertically aligning STEAM education school-wide, this initiative provides the robust professional development, job-embedded coaching, and administrative leadership support necessary to create centers of STEAM excellence. In addition, the launch of STEM Leader Corp will also help district educators more deeply integrate Discovery Education’s award-winning Streaming Plus digital content service into teaching and learning.
“The School District of Janesville believes that STEAM education provides today’s students a firm foundation for success in college, career and life,” said School District of Janesville Superintendent Steve Pophal. “We believe our expanded partnership with Discovery Education will play an integral role in creating the school climate and culture that will propel our students to even greater success, and I look forward to kicking-off this new phase of our relationship.”
Janesville School District educators will also be supported by the Discovery Education Community as they transform students’ learning experiences with dynamic 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 honored to be part of School District of Janesville’s efforts to create STEAM-focused learning environments,” said John David Son, Education Partnerships Manager at Discovery Education. “We look forward to working closely with Superintendent Pophal and his talented team as we help implement the district’s ambitious plan for providing all students exciting STEAM-based learning opportunities.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s professional development resources, digital streaming services, and more, 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-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.
