Partnership, $1 Million Donation Launch Florida Center for Digital Learning

  • By Kevin Hudson
  • 03/28/13

A partnership between the Helios Education Foundation and SRI International has launched a Center for Digital Learning in St. Petersburg, FL, with $1 million as the seed.

The initial donation by Helios will hire staff, develop a pipeline of prospects and projects, and build awareness of the work with hopes of eventual additional project funding coming from the federal government, the state of Florida, foundations, and other funders.

The center will actively create digital learning projects focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), while also evaluating digital learning models, supporting Florida-based demonstration projects and research, and improving methods of student collaboration and assessment, according to a Helios release.

"We want to learn more about how digital learning can improve student success. That's why we're excited about this partnership," said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna, in a release. "This new Center will provide insights into effective, efficient, and measurable methods of using digital learning in the classroom."

The two companies have worked together in the past, partnering with the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Pinellas County schools on the SunBay digital math program in 2009. That program trained 30 teachers in 10 schools and touched more than 2,500 students in Pinellas County, FL, according to a release.

Previous education partners of SRI International include the Miami-Dade School District, Florida Virtual High Schools, the Lastinger Center for Learning at the University of Florida, and the University of Miami.

About the Author

Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

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