Professional Development

Defense Department Taps Partner for Overseas Teacher PD

• By Michael Hart
• 08/04/16

The United States Department of Defense has chosen a partner for a possible five-year contract to provide professional development to teachers at its elementary schools on military installations in foreign countries.

Catapult Learning, which provides professional development to K-12 teachers, will use a combination of face-to-face instructors and virtual learning tools at 168 schools in 11 countries and two U.S. territories run by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The contract is for one base year with the option of four more following that.

Eighty of Catapult Learning's instructors will spread out to implement system-wide professional learning and literacy model units that the company has developed with the DoDEA's primary goal in mind: successful adoption of the College and Career Ready Standards. The 80 instructors began in-person professional development sessions at all 168 schools in June and will follow up with a virtual support network.

The DoDEA schools employ about 15,000 employees who serve 74,000 children of active-duty military and civilian families.

"Partnering with the Department of Defense to improve the quality of education for the families serving in our military is an honor and a privilege," said Catapult Learning CEO Jeffrey Cohen. "We are thrilled to have been selected for this important work. With 40 years of experience and a team of experts dedicated to providing professional development to school leaders and teachers, we are confident in our ability to increase student achievement across the DoDEA schools."