In a significant move to enhance digital education, Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles Unified) has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Annenberg Learner and Discovery Education. This collaboration, launched on Monday, August 24, 2020, is set to provide educators, students, and families within the district with unparalleled access to high-quality digital resources, marking a new era in accessible and effective learning.
This innovative partnership empowers the Los Angeles Unified community with over 300,000 meticulously curated digital resources. These include standards-aligned activities and vetted, high-quality content, thoughtfully organized by grade level to ensure relevance and efficacy. Crucially, these resources are designed to support continuous learning across all devices, bridging the gap between home and classroom education.
“We are deeply appreciative of Annenberg Learner and Discovery Education for their invaluable support in equipping our students with the essential tools for a superior education,” stated Austin Beutner, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent, highlighting the importance of this collaboration.
Annenberg Learner: A Legacy of Educational Excellence
Annenberg Learner stands as the educational arm of the esteemed Annenberg Foundation, an organization with a long-standing commitment to advancing outstanding teaching across American schools. For over three decades, Annenberg Learner has been at the forefront of educational innovation, dedicated to empowering educators through the provision of multimedia resources. These resources, encompassing video, print, and online materials, are specifically designed for the professional development of teachers from kindergarten through college levels.
The core mission of Annenberg Learner is to ensure educators remain at the cutting edge of their fields. They achieve this by offering resources that are not only up-to-date with the latest subject matter but also grounded in contemporary learning research, enabling teachers to implement the most effective pedagogical strategies in their classrooms. Annenberg Learner distinguishes itself by offering over 100 multimedia courses and workshops, all streamed free of charge via their website, www.learner.org. This commitment to free access underscores their dedication to making high-quality educational resources available to all, focusing on both the teacher and the student as lifelong learners.
Bridging the Digital Divide: The Partnership’s Core Objective
The partnership between Los Angeles Unified, Annenberg Learner, and Discovery Education is strategically designed to address and overcome the challenges of the digital divide in education. In an era where digital literacy and access to online resources are paramount, this collaboration ensures that all students, regardless of their backgrounds, have equitable opportunities to thrive academically. By integrating Annenberg Learner’s rich educational content with Discovery Education’s robust platform, the partnership aims to democratize access to high-quality learning tools.
Alison Yoshimoto-Towery, Chief Academic Officer for Los Angeles Unified, emphasized this commitment to equity: “Los Angeles Unified is dedicated to fostering classrooms and school communities where every student, irrespective of their race, socioeconomic status, or living situation, is valued for their unique strengths and receives an equitable education with comprehensive enrichment opportunities. Our unique alliance with Discovery Education, enriched by Annenberg Learner’s resources, is a vital step in extending these core values into our virtual learning environments, ensuring our educators, students, and families are equipped for success.”
Discovery Education Experience: A Comprehensive Learning Platform
At the heart of this partnership is Discovery Education Experience, Los Angeles Unified’s chosen K-12 learning platform. Selected after a thorough review process that included overwhelmingly positive feedback from educators, Experience offers a flexible and award-winning digital learning environment. It connects educators to an extensive library of compelling, high-quality, standards-aligned content. This includes ready-to-use digital lessons and a wealth of professional learning resources, providing educators with the necessary tools to facilitate effective instruction in any learning setting. The ultimate goal of Experience is to create a lasting and profound educational impact on students.
Discovery Education consistently updates Experience with fresh, relevant content and timely resources each month. These additions are carefully curated to respond to current events and the evolving needs of educators, ensuring the platform remains dynamic and responsive. Sourced from trusted partners and aligned with California standards, these resources are designed to bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world, making learning more engaging and relevant for students.
Empowering Educators, Students, and Families
This partnership brings significant benefits to all members of the Los Angeles Unified educational community:
-
For Educators: Teachers gain access to a wealth of high-caliber resources and dedicated professional development opportunities. These resources are designed to enhance their instructional practices, providing them with innovative tools and strategies to engage students effectively. The professional development component ensures educators are proficient in utilizing these digital tools to their full potential.
-
For Students: Students are provided with stimulating and relevant digital resources that support their learning both within the classroom and at home. This access ensures continuous educational engagement, fostering a deeper understanding of concepts and promoting academic growth, regardless of the learning environment.
-
For Families: Families are empowered to actively participate in their children’s education through resources designed to extend learning beyond the traditional school day. Discovery Education Experience offers family-friendly content that supports home learning, creating a cohesive educational ecosystem between school and home.
Annenberg Learner Content Integration
A key component of this collaboration is the integration of Annenberg Learner’s extensive educational content into Discovery Education Experience. This integration significantly broadens the reach of Annenberg Learner’s valuable resources, making them accessible to a larger audience of educators, students, and parents across the nation. By incorporating Annenberg Learner’s content, Discovery Education Experience is further enriched, providing users with an even more comprehensive and diverse range of high-quality educational materials.
Wallis Annenberg, Chairman and CEO of the Annenberg Foundation, articulated the foundation’s long-term commitment to digital education: “As the pandemic persists, we face a critical question: How do we continue to enhance dynamic digital educational content, especially when so many children are learning from home, while simultaneously expanding learning opportunities for everyone? This is a challenge our foundation has been actively addressing for decades, particularly through our Annenberg Learner initiative. Therefore, I am immensely proud to support Discovery and the LA public schools in this vital endeavor, ensuring Learner’s exceptional resources are readily available to them.”
Professional Growth and Community Engagement
To facilitate the seamless integration of these new digital resources into classroom instruction, Discovery Education is providing Los Angeles Unified educators with targeted professional learning opportunities. These interactive sessions are designed to equip teachers with best practices for utilizing the new digital tools effectively. This focused professional development is crucial for maximizing the impact of the digital resources, boosting student engagement, and supporting continuous academic progress.
Furthermore, the partnership extends access to the Discovery Education Community, a global network of education professionals. This community serves as a platform for educators to connect, share insights, and inspire one another through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events. It fosters a collaborative environment that promotes professional growth and innovation within the educational sector.
Coni Rechner, Discovery Education Senior Vice President of National Education Partnerships, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Los Angeles Unified’s dedicated educators and Annenberg Learner on this crucial initiative. Annenberg Learner and Los Angeles Unified have pioneered an innovative approach to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students amidst the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are honored to have been selected to support this remarkable effort.”
To delve deeper into the offerings of Annenberg Learner, please visit www.learner.org. For comprehensive information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, explore www.discoveryeducation.com. Stay connected with Discovery Education through their social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
About Annenberg Learner
Annenberg Learner is the education division of the Annenberg Foundation, dedicated to advancing exceptional teaching in American schools. For over thirty years, Annenberg Learner has been instrumental in this mission by funding and distributing a wide array of multimedia resources, including videos, print materials, and web-based content, specifically designed for the professional development of educators across K-12 and college levels. These resources, spanning all academic disciplines, are crucial in helping teachers remain current in their fields and integrate the latest learning research into their classroom practices. More than 100 multimedia courses and workshops are available for free streaming at http://www.learner.org, reflecting Annenberg Learner’s commitment to both teachers and students as lifelong learners.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in providing standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 education. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and enhancing academic achievement worldwide. Discovery Education currently supports approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students globally, with its resources accessed in over 140 countries and territories. 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 drive success for all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
Contacts:
Shannon Haber
LAUSD Phone: 213-393-1289
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education Phone: 202-316-6615
Elizabeth Armour
Annenberg Learner Email: [email protected]
