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New Discovery Education PD Program Aimed at Creating Teacher Leaders

Discovery Education has launched a new professional development service designed to help foster and create teacher leaders capable of serving their district throughout a digital transition.

The program, called Digital Leader Corps or DLC, focuses on helping educators integrate technology and digital media into classroom instruction. Participants will also go through so-called student-centered learning labs, where they will get a chance to try out new teaching strategies in a classroom setting before sharing with peers in their own district. The DLC also provides continuous consultation with trainers throughout the program, from pre-planning to implementation.

The DLC uses multiple measures of data--like surveys, direct observation, gains in achievement, and digital content--to evaluate the effectiveness of participants’ professional learning and help districts monitor the program’s impact.

"As an early adopter and thought-partner of the Digital Leader Corps, we are very excited to be embarking upon this systematic change movement in Wake County Public School System,” said Todd Wirt, assistant superintendent of academics at Wake County (NC) Public School System in a statement. “We recognize the importance of having teachers at the forefront of transformation and we must support our teacher leaders in gaining the necessary skills to best prepare our students to be globally competitive, 21st century citizens."

Discovery also offers its DEN professional development community, a forum for sharing educational tips and learning about technology, and hosts a summer learning institute for its STAR educators.

In addition to Wake County, Albuquerque Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Baltimore County Public Schools, Kent County Public Schools, and Des Plaines Consolidated School District 62 are currently working with Discovery Education to implement the DLC model.

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

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