Grand Prairie ISD to Deliver Largest Professional Development Event in School History in Partnership with Discovery Education
-- 2,400 Educators from the District to Prepare for 21st Century Learners with Two-Day Intensive Training --
June 25, 2013
Silver Spring, Md. (June 25, 2013) - Grand Prairie Independent School District (GPISD), the 17th largest district in Texas, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content for K-12 classrooms, announced today an extension of its partnership that will bring the largest professional development event ever to educators across the district. On August 15 and 16, nearly 90 members from the Discovery Education team will conduct professional development sessions to support Grand Prairie's 2,400 educators in utilizing digital resources and proven instructional practices to enhance student learning.
"This new phase of our partnership with Discovery Education is another step towards fostering awareness, understanding and support for the district's digital transformation," said Greg Firn, Deputy Superintendent, GPISD. "As we ensure student success through engaging learning experiences and collaborative leadership, it is critical that we continue to engage our educators in powerful, effective professional development efforts such as this."
Focused on high-yield instructional strategies that result in sustainable improvements in student engagement and achievement, Discovery Education's professional development experts have designed customized professional learning opportunities for Grand Prairie to enhance teaching in ways that systemically impact learning. With topics such as "Engaging Students with Multi-Media" and "Read, Write and Think Like a Scientist," Discovery Education has partnered with the district to identify their goals and develop a customized learning plan that supports its ongoing digital transition.
Preparing educators for the district's deeper, long-term digital conversion plan, Discovery Education experts will provide at least four full days of professional development throughout the 2013-2014 school year for every GPISD teacher and principal. These learning experiences will showcase creative ways to motivate students and invigorate curriculum using the latest innovations in teaching and learning. Participants will see and experience model classrooms that incorporate the use of digital learning centers and lessons tied to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
As long time users of Discovery Education Streaming, a supplemental service that provides rich multimedia content, Grand Prairie is continuing to incorporate new and innovative digital resources into instruction.
"We use Discovery Education's digital content every day in our classrooms," said Maura Ayers and Eileen Little, teachers at GPISD. "This professional development will help us integrate this great resource even further into our instruction, ultimately benefiting our students with more engaging and dynamic lessons."
As part of the partnership between GPISD and Discovery Education, educators will also receive continued professional development support through the Discovery Educator Network (DEN). The DEN is the largest and most active community of educators passionate about teaching with digital media, sharing resources, collaborating and networking. The DEN gives educators access to a wide range of technology training resources, an expansive library of teacher-generated projects and tools, and in-person and online activities.
The partnership will also include support for educators as they integrate resources to help engage students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subject areas through Discovery Education STEM Camp. A dynamic series of standards-aligned STEM curricula available at no cost, Discovery Education STEM Camp will provide an opportunity to inspire and engage students in STEM through hands-on and virtual labs, engineering challenges, digital investigations, videos and career connections.
"Discovery Education is excited to deepen its partnership with GPISD and prepare its educators and administrators to bring their classrooms alive with innovative digital resources and proven instructional practices," said Brett Felten, director, Discovery Education. "This partnership further proves the district's commitment to providing quality learning resources that engage students, support teachers and positively impact student achievement."
For more information about Discovery Education and its suite of digital solutions, 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 that supports the implementation of Common Core, professional development, assessment tools, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Available in over half of all U.S. schools, community colleges and in 50 countries around the world, Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that accelerate 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.
###