Ohio’s Antwerp Local Schools (ALS) announced an expansion of their partnership with Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. In this new phase of their multi-year collaboration, Discovery Education will assist the district’s ongoing efforts to create engaging, digital learning environments that support STEM instruction with a combination of powerful, award-winning digital resources and professional development.
Each day, ALS’s educators are guiding the more than 700 K-12 children they serve through an educational pathway that supports the development of the 21st-Century skills, knowledge, and behaviors that will enable them to successfully participate the global economy. The ALS team’s dedication to supporting the success of all students has led to the district’s high school being named among the top high schools in Ohio and the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the past two years. STEM education is viewed by the Antwerp community as an integral part of the educational pathway, and last year, the district embarked on a unique STEM-focused professional learning and capacity building program in partnership with Discovery Education called STEM Foundations.
The district seeks to strengthen that educational pathway and to provide students new opportunities to explore STEM and other disciplines within modern, digital learning environments. Therefore, the district has selected Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a premiere collection of curated K–12 digital content, and Discovery Education STEM Connect, an innovative, interdisciplinary K–8 supplemental digital resource that helps bring STEM to life, enhancing core curriculum for classroom use across the school system.
Discovery Education Streaming Plus is a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K–12 curricular areas. Discovery Education Streaming empowers educators to create dynamic learning environments that mirror students’ use of technology outside the classroom. Teacher resources include lesson plans, instructional strategies, and content collections organized around themes. Students can access images, primary source documents, podcasts, oral interviews, books on tape, articles, and videos, as well as a collection of new STEM resources designed to fuel a cultural shift in teaching and learning. Streaming Plus was also recently announced the winner of a coveted EdTech Digest’s Cool Tool Award in the Content Provider Solution category.
Students in elementary, middle and high school that have regular access to Streaming resources have higher attendance rates and are outpacing their peers on state assessments in reading, mathematics, and social studies. Additional findings tell a consistent story of how access to Discovery Education Streaming can be linked to higher student achievement, especially for racial/ethnic minorities and students impacted by poverty, disabilities, and limited English proficiency. Click here to learn more.
Discovery Education’s STEM Connect is a cutting-edge, web-based, interdisciplinary K-8 supplemental resource built on a 4Cs STEM skills framework, STEM Connect helps students develop the creative, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills they need for success beyond graduation. Featuring flexible, modular learning units, STEM Connect provides students an easy-to-follow educational experience that includes real-world challenges, career connections, and hands-on activities.
“The educators at Antwerp Local Schools are laser-focused on empowering all students to graduate with the necessary skills to thrive and remain competitive in an evolving, international workforce,” said Antwerp Local Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Martin Miller. “The expansion of our partnership with Discovery Education strengthens our STEM offerings and creates dynamic, digital learning environments that will help all of our students reach their highest potential.”
To ensure the ALS educators using their new digital resources are fully supported, Discovery Education experts will provide robust professional learning opportunities to district teachers. Through these interactive professional development opportunities, participants will learn best practices for integrating technology and digital content into teaching and learning in ways that will maximize the power of their new resources, increase student engagement in instruction, and improve students’ academic achievement.
Antwerp educators will also continue to receive support from the Discovery Education Community. 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.
“The team at Discovery Education is excited to broaden our relationship with the talented Antwerp Local Schools’ team,” said Joe Rotondo, Discovery Education Partnership Manager. “Dr. Miller and the district’s educators are re-envisioning K-12 education in Western Ohio, and we are excited to support their effort.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s digital curricular resources and professional learning services, 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.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the U.K. and reach over 5 million educators and 51 million students in more than 90 countries. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.DiscoveryEducation.com.
