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Kentucky’s Bell County School District Announces New Partnership with Discovery Education Supporting Phenomena-Based Science Instruction Districtwide 

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Charlotte, NC (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)—Kentucky’s Bell County School District (BCSD) today announced a new multiyear partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education. Through this collaboration, teachers and students in BCSD K-12 classrooms now have access to powerful digital products that help enhance the district’s science curriculum and support the introduction of phenomena-based learning in science lessons. Together, these resources will nurture student curiosity about the natural world and drive deeper engagement in science instruction. 

Located in the southeast corner of Kentucky, BCSD serves approximately 2,600 preschool through twelfth-grade students in several communities across Bell County. These students are served by 6 preschool through 8th grade school centers and 1 high school. The district partners with the Bell Whitley Community Action Agency to provide a fully blended preschool model that includes Headstart to help promote Kindergarten Readiness and offers a full day of kindergarten to help meet students’ needs. 

BCSD is dedicated to creating equitable learning experiences for all students that produce college and career-ready individuals prepared for success beyond the classroom. The district believes a firm foundation in science is essential for future success and sought to enhance their current curriculum by introducing phenomena-based learning into science instruction. To accomplish this, BCSD sought a suite of flexible learning resources that aligned with the NGSS learning standards and included hands-on learning activities for students. Following a thorough review of viable solutions, the district selected Discovery Education Experience and Discovery Education’s Science Techbook for classroom use.  

Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education Experience provides a powerful K-12 learning platform that facilitates engaging instruction in any environment. 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. Through expanded, lasting partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Brightspace, and Clever, integrating Discovery Education’s learning platform into existing Information Technology architecture is easier than ever. Discovery Education Experience will be integrated into learning in all K-12 classrooms.        

Accessible through Discovery Education’s award-winning digital platform Discovery Education Experience, the Science Techbook empowers BCSD teachers to easily integrate an innovative curriculum into instruction to create unique, student-centered learning experiences. Included in this comprehensive core curriculum are engaging digital resources and virtual investigations. In addition, embedded accessibility tools help more students connect to content than ever before, and a suite of time-optimizing resources provide teachers with more opportunities to focus on teaching. 

The Science Techbook includes ready-to-use, phenomena-driven lessons that motivate students with powerful technology tools—such as toggle-on authentic Spanish translation—that personalize the student experience, and labor-saving teacher tools that streamline preparation and grading. Science Techbook provides a seamless classroom experience complete with immersive, interactive ways to explore scientific phenomena, including hands-on activities, labs, and STEM connections.  

The Science Techbook delivers a wide range of high-quality resources that support students as they discover how science is practiced in the real world, while focusing on deeper understanding and the application of grade-appropriate science content. Recently, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook was certified as meeting the rigorous, evidence-based ESSA Tier III standards as set forth in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Discovery Education’s Science Techbook will be used in grades 4-12 in the Bell County School District. 

“The Bell County School District believes in the power of phenomena-based instruction to propel student learning,” said Angela Allen, the district’s Director of Academic Programs. “There is something incredibly powerful in using a natural event—like an eclipse or bird migration—to ignite student curiosity and drive engagement in learning. The new resources from Discovery Education support the creation of this type of learning experience and we look forward to seeing them in action.” 

BCSD educators using Discovery Education solutions will receive dedicated professional development from Discovery Education’s team of professional learning experts. These learning opportunities for teachers help schools recognize the full return on their edtech investment. Through Discovery Education’s interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional learning increases student engagement and supports the continued academic development of all students.  

In addition, all BCSD educators will now also enjoy access to the Discovery Educator Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Educator Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration.  

“The Bell County School District’s embrace of phenomena-based learning will create powerful educational experiences for all students,” said Caroline Shea, Discovery Education’s Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships. “We look forward to supporting the district’s progress as they bring science instruction to life for all learners.”

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.  

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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, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, 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, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. 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 future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com

Contact 
Stephen Wakefield 
Discovery Education 
Phone: 202-316-6615 
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com 

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Discovery Education Recognized with Multiple 2024 EdTech Digest Awards  

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Charlotte, NC (Wednesday, April 3, 2024) – Global edtech leader Discovery Education has been honored with multiple EdTech Awards from EdTech Digest. This year, Discovery Education won the following EdTech Awards: 

Discovery Education Experience: Cool Tool Award – Product or Service 
Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education Experience provides a powerful K-12 learning platform that facilitates engaging instruction in any environment. 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. Through expanded, lasting partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Brightspace, and Clever, integrating Discovery Education’s learning platform into existing Information Technology architecture is easier than ever.       

Mystery Science: Cool Tool Award – Science Solution 
Mystery Science, which joined the family of Discovery Education services in 2020, provides K-5 educators with simple-to-use, open-and-go, hands-on lessons that inspire students to love science. Each lesson begins by posing a question commonly asked by young students, followed by a series of brief videos and prompts to guide class discussion. The lesson concludes with a hands-on activity designed to bring learning to life. 

Pivot Interactives by Discovery Education was also named a finalist in the Curriculum and Instruction Solution category of the Cool Tool Awards, and Discovery Education’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Cowdrey, was named a finalist in the EdTech Trendsetter Awards Leader category. 

The EdTech Awards recognizes people for outstanding contributions in transforming education through technology to enrich the lives of learners everywhere. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform nurtures student curiosity and supports deeper engagement in instruction. 

EdTech Digest is a leading source of cool tools, interviews, and trends showcasing the future of learning. Celebrating its 14th year, the US-based program is the world’s largest recognition program for education technology, recognizing the biggest names in edtech – and those who soon will be. The 2024 finalists and winners were judged based on various criteria, including pedagogical workability, efficacy and results, support, clarity, value, and potential. “Like our world, the whole of education—from K-12, higher education, workforce learning sectors—is currently in flux. To the fierce, persistent, and indefatigable innovators, leaders, and trendsetters of edtech—we salute you!” 

“Discovery Education is proud to be recognized by the 2024 EdTech Awards. We thank each of the judges for their careful review of our products, and proudly carry the honor as an inspiration to continue nurturing student curiosity by connecting classrooms to the world,” said Jeremy Cowdrey, Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Education.  

Learn more about the 2024 EdTech Awards and the other winners here

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.    

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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, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, 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 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. 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 future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com

Contact 
Grace Maliska 
Discovery Education 
Email: gmaliska@dicoveryed.com 

Discovery Education Offers New Financial Literacy Resources Supporting National Financial Capability Month Activities

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Charlotte, NC (Wednesday, April 3, 2024) Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital resources nurture student curiosity and drive deeper engagement in instruction—presents educators a wide array of new, free digital resources to support National Financial Capability Month activities. 

Taking place annually in April, National Financial Capability Month was founded by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and is produced by the Jump$tart Coalition. To support financial literacy education during this observance and throughout the year, Discovery Education offers educators, students, and families a new collection of resources that can be used in any learning environment. The following resources are available for users of the award-winning Discovery Education Experience K-12 learning platform:  

  • In this DE Original episode – NBA and WNBA Game Changers: Financial Literacy – students practice good money habits by exploring the ways financial literacy skills can be applied every day to achieve their goals. Former NBA athlete, successful businessman, and community all-star Devean George shares how making responsible decisions with money has been one of his building blocks to success. 
  • On the Fixies Channel, a comical misadventure series for students in grades K-5, students meet Tom Thomas as he discovers the world, including how much money is in his piggy bank. 
  • The Cheddar K-12 Channel explores, examines, and explains answers to the questions students are curious about related to science, business, and technological innovations. In the channel, students in grades 6-12 can follow the journeys of jobseekers, find answers to big economic questions, and discover business briefings. 

In addition, users of the award-winning Mystery Science service can turn to the “How is Money Made?” episode. Mystery Science by Discovery Education is an engaging standards-aligned science curriculum for grades K-5 designed to help students stay curious. In this collection of 45-minute engineering lessons, Mystery Guides lead no prep, open-and-go lessons with step-by-step hands-on activities exploring scientific phenomena using common classroom items. 

Discovery Education also offers a collection of free resources created in collaboration with leading corporate partners, including:  

Educator Resources 
Take high school students on a journey of choices they can make around concepts such as using credit and making major financial decisions. The curated high school content makes it simple for educators by providing ready-to-use content such as self-paced modules, classroom activities, family connections, relevant research, and educator guides, with new resources added frequently. Pathway to Financial Success in Schools, created with Discover, is a free personal finance education program designed to empower students to take control of their financial futures. 

Lesson Plans 
Help students connect core economic concepts to current events and everyday life with ready-to-use digital lesson plans from Econ Essentials. Students can explore a series of interactive evidence-based resources that examine personal finance connections within the larger context of the global financial market. Brought to life by the industry-leading insights of Futures Fundamentals, Econ Essentials’ growing collection of resources examines real-world applications of complex market topics and covers everything from basic economics concepts to interest rates to supply chain dynamics.  

“With 25 states requiring financial literacy coursework for graduation, Discovery Education is committed to working with partners to ensure that financial literacy resources that meet this need are engaging for all students, and educators to plug into any lesson plan,” said Amy Nakamoto, General Manager of Corporate Partnerships at Discovery Education. 

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.    

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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, innovative classroom tools, and corporate partnerships, 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 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. 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 future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com

Contacts 
Grace Maliska 
Discovery Education 
Email: gmaliska@dicoveryed.com