-Latest Phase of Multiyear Partnership set to Bring Digital Textbooks to all K-12 Classrooms-

Silver Spring, Md. (October 3, 2017) – Tennessee’s Maury County Public Schools (MCPS) today announced an expansion of their multi-year partnership with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms.  In the latest phase of this collaboration, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook™ will be integrated into classroom instruction in K-12 classrooms districtwide, empowering educators to build challenging, problem-based learning (PBL) environments that support science instruction and improve students’ college and career readiness.

Maury County Public Schools’ expanded partnership with Discovery Education will continue propelling multiple initiatives currently underway districtwide.  The introduction of Discovery Education’s digital science textbooks lends additional support to MCPS’ efforts to create problem-based learning environments aligned to the district’s Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness, which outlines specific learning targets for students at various grade levels, and are used to guide the school system in aligning district resources to community needs and expectations.

The deepening of Maury County Public Schools’ collaboration with Discovery Education also aids the ongoing implementation of the school system’s DIPLOMA Initiative. Designed to improve the quality of teaching as well as equitable and individualized opportunities for learning, DIPLOMA is guiding efforts to extend students’ universal access to technologies that will enhance creativity and innovation and help them become responsible citizens.

Discovery Education’s Techbooks are breakthrough digital textbooks that are aligned to rigorous standards, support a comprehensive curriculum, and are updated regularly at no cost. The series encourages all learners through interactive features that change the reading level of text and enable text to be read aloud. The Techbook series saves teachers’ time with a comprehensive design that places model lessons, student activities and assessments at their fingertips. Techbooks are platform neutral and can be used in one-to-one or one-to-many configurations and in any instructional environment.

Discovery Education’s Science Techbook series empowers educators to transform science instruction. Utilizing an inquiry-based format built on the Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate (5E) model, each Science Techbook includes rich, standards-aligned content such as video, audio, text, interactives with hands-on activities, and virtual labs that help educators differentiate instruction and provide a rich and engaging learning experience for students. Additional student features include bilingual text-to-speech and leveled reading tools, and note-taking and highlighting capabilities.

The Science Techbooks series also includes valuable STEM/STEAM resources as well. STEM Project Starters encourage students to connect math, technology, and engineering to their understanding of science concepts to produce creative solutions to real-world problems. In addition, the STEM In Action resources helps students connect their work to STEM careers, which promotes a clearer understanding of how skills used in school can be applied to jobs “in the real-world.”  Embedded formative assessment opportunities that help educators monitor student progress are embedded into each Techbook, and like all Discovery Education digital textbooks, the Science Techbooks work on any device and can be implemented in any instructional setting.  Since 2016, MCPS has used the Discovery Education Streaming Plus digital content service as well as Discovery Education’s Professional Development Services to support the success of all learners.

“Our previous success in implementing Discovery Education’s high-quality professional development and digital content services was one of the key factors in our decision to deepen this successful partnership,” said Dr. Chris Marczak, Maury County Public Schools’ Superintendent of Schools. “We look forward to continuing to work with Discovery Education on our joint effort to improve the learning experience for the more than12,000 children we serve.”

The Discovery Education Community will continue supporting MCPS’s educators’ efforts to transform students’ learning experiences with dynamic digital media. 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 continue the transformational work underway in the Maury County Public Schools,” said Rob Warren, Vice President of Education Partnerships at Discovery Education. “Together with Dr. Marczak and the talented Maury County team, we are creating the modern digital learning environments we know will prepare area students to be life-long learners, independent thinkers, fearless innovators and exemplary citizens.”  

For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources, professional development initiatives, and other 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.

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About the Maury County Public Schools
Maury County Public Schools is a pre-K through 12 school district in Southern Middle Tennessee operating 21 schools.  Visit MCPS online at mauryk12.org, like MCPS on Facebook at facebook.com/maurycopublicschools, and follow the district on Twitter @maurycoschools.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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