Mississippi’s Vicksburg Warren School District and Discovery Education Launch New Partnership SILVER SPRING, MD (Thursday, May 20, 2021)—Mississippi’s Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) today launched a new multiyear partnership with Discovery Education that helps educators connect current classroom instruction to students’ possible future career paths. Supported by the CVS Health Foundation and the CATCH Global Foundation, this new collaboration empowers district educators in grades K-6 with the dynamic digital resources and professional learning they need to equip every student to succeed in challenging courses, meet academic standards, and graduate from school prepared for college and career ready. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. The Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) serves all of Warren County, Mississippi, and has an enrollment of approximately 7,200 students in grades Pre-K through 12. VWSD consists of three high schools (grades 9 – 12), three middle schools (grades 7-8), ten elementary schools, and an alternative program. As VWSD’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan calls for increased opportunities to build student’s college and career readiness, the district sought a flexible digital resource that could provide relevant, real-world learning experiences, expand digital learning in all disciplines and grades, and support instruction either in the classroom or remote environment. Following a careful review of available options, VWSD selected Discovery Education’s flexible K-12 learning platform for classroom use. Discovery Education’s platform connects educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give 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. “At the Vicksburg Warren School district, we work to graduate all students college, career and life prepared.,” said Superintendent Chad Shealy. “The partnership with Discovery Education provides dynamic digital resources our teachers need to engage students and fulfill this mission, and we look forward to kicking off this important initiative.” The funding to support VWSD’s partnership with Discovery Education comes from the CVS Health Foundation and the CATCH Global Foundation, both of which have an ongoing collaboration with Discovery Education to create and share content focused on improving health outcomes in the communities they serve. Specifically, Discovery Education, the CVS Health Foundation and CATCH Global Foundation collaborated to present Be Vape Free, a standards-aligned, no-cost, e-cigarette prevention resource for educators teaching grades 5-12. Be Vape Free resources are available within the Discovery Education platform or at the Be Vape Free website. SDOC’s partnership with Discovery Education also provides all district teachers access to 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. “Discovery Education is excited to begin this new partnership with the Vicksburg Warren School District,” said David Mitchell, Discovery Education’s Manager of Education Partnerships. “The digital resources provided by Discovery Education will not only support the VWSD’s efforts to connect student learning to possible career paths but will also play an important role in accelerating student learning and halting learning loss in the post-COVID-19 environment. We look forward to beginning work with Superintendent Shealy and district’s talented team of educators.” 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 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, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently 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 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. Contact Stephen Wakefield Discovery Education 202.316.6615 Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com