Connecticut’s Bristol Public Schools (BPS) announced it is deepening its long-term partnership with Discovery Education, the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. In the latest phase of this multiyear collaboration, all district middle school students will receive access to a dynamic digital social studies textbook. In addition, district educators will have the opportunity to participate in professional learning that supports the creation of relevant and lively lessons that engage students wherever learning takes place.
BPS seeks to graduate all students with the essential academic knowledge, skills, and disposition to be self-sufficient and make meaningful contributions in a rapidly changing global society. Among the skills the district has identified as essential to preparing students for future success is civic literacy. Specifically, BPS seeks to prepare all students to:
- Participate effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay informed and understanding governmental processes
- Exercise the rights and obligations of citizenship at local state, national and global levels
- Understand the local and global implications of civic decisions
To empower educators to provide middle school students these essential skills, the district selected Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook. Featuring standards-aligned, core-curricular resources that use an inquiry-based approach to enhance literacy and critical thinking skills, the Social Studies Techbook aids teachers and students as they approach inquiry through the 5Es: Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate framework. From stories of ancient cultures to in depth explorations of civics and government, this comprehensive digital textbook takes concepts off the pages and brings lessons to life.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with Discovery Education,” said Leszek Ward, Bristol Public Schools’ Social Studies Coordinator. “Their flexible social studies resources provide our district’s educators an even greater ability to engage today’s technologically sophisticated learners in the study of world regions. We look forward to integrating these resources into instruction in the next school year.”
Middle school educators and students using the Social Studies Techbook will access the resource through Discovery Education’s award-winning K-12 platform, which is currently in use districtwide. Connecting educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources, the Discovery Education platform gives educators everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.
Discovery Education’s team continues adding, contextualizing, and organizing exciting new content and timely resources to the platform each month in response to current events and the ever-evolving needs of educators. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.
Finally, the K-12 learning platform is designed to work within school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows. Through expanded partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, and Clever, integrating Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform into existing IT architecture is easier than ever.
To help district educators quickly begin using these resources when the 2021-2022 school year begins, Discovery Education will this summer provide BPS teachers dedicated professional learning opportunities. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating technology and digital content into teaching and learning in ways that will maximize the district’s investment in digital resources, increase student engagement in instruction, and improve students’ academic achievement. These educators will then share their knowledge with their peers so that all educators are prepared to use these resources for instruction.
The continuation of the BPS-Discovery Education partnership also ensures educators will continue benefiting from the support of the Discovery Education Community. This global community of education professionals connects members in school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.
“Discovery Education looks forward to beginning this new phase our partnership with the talented team at the Bristol Public Schools,” said John David Son, Discovery Education Senior Manager of Education Partnerships. “The school system has put a lot of thought and planning into the classroom use of digital resources, and we expect to continue the success we shared with the initial roll-out of our digital platform.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the
