NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AND DISCOVERY EDUCATION ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO RAISE AWARENESS AROUND BENEFITS OF DIGITAL LEARNING TOOLS
-- Partnership to Address the Digital Divide and Need for Increased Access to Resources in the Nation’s Urban School Districts --
August 27, 2013
SILVER SPRING, Md. [August 27, 2013] - Today the National Urban League and Discovery Education announced a new partnership to bridge the digital divide by transforming urban education and preparing students to be college, career and citizenship ready. This new partnership, which U. S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recognized during today's Civil Rights panel Discovery Education hosted commemorating the 50th anniversary of the "March on Washington," will seek to raise awareness about the benefits of digital learning and support programs that are deploying digital educational resources in meaningful and innovative ways.
Later this year, as part of a comprehensive effort to address the digital divide, Discovery Education and the National Urban League will host education thought-leaders and school district and community leaders for a forum at an Urban League affiliate focused on the state of digital learning. This event will explore the power of digital learning to transform education by improving student outcomes, closing achievement and opportunity gaps, boosting educator skills in and out of school, providing enhanced content, and improving efficiency and productivity.
"Fifty years after the height of the civil rights movement, the promise of equal education and educational attainment has yet to be realized. The achievement gap for African-American children, particularly in science and math, is a serious-but not insurmountable-barrier to their ability to fully participate in and benefit from the global economy," said National Urban League President Marc H. Morial. "We are proud to partner with Discovery Education, a leader in providing high-quality content that engages children and enriches learning and we look forward to integrating its STEM-focused products into our Project Ready STEM platform."
In addition, Discovery Education will make its Discovery Education STEM Camp curriculum and professional development resources available to the affiliate through the Urban League's signature program, Project ReadySTEM, which delivers out-of-school time STEM instruction to middle and high school age students across the nation. The program's goal is to ensure that students have the necessary support and opportunities available to them in order to succeed in STEM-related class work, and to expose them to STEM-related careers, including the fields of health, digital media production, app development, green jobs, and robotics. Discovery Education STEM Camp is part of Discovery Communications' "Connect the Dots" campaign, a new multimedia, national STEM education initiative designed to provide pathways for kids to achieve today and lead tomorrow by inspiring interest in STEM subjects and careers within industries looking for highly skilled workers..
"Bridging the digital divide in today's classrooms helps ensure that all students have the opportunity to build the skills needed for college, career and citizenship," said Bill Goodwyn, CEO, Discovery Education. "Schools across the country are quickly embracing the benefits of digital learning tools and the importance of increasing STEM education to prepare our children to compete in the global landscape. Our partnership with the Urban League is a great step toward ensuring the bar is set evenly for all of our students."
About the National Urban League
The National Urban League (www.nul.org) is a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization dedicated to economic empowerment in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League has improved the lives of tens of millions of people nationwide through direct service programs that are implemented locally by its 95 Urban League affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The organization also conducts public policy research and advocacy activities from its Washington, D.C. bureau. The National Urban League, a BBB-accredited organization, has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, placing it in the top 10 percent of all U.S. charities for adhering to good governance, fiscal responsibility and other best practices.
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.