Maryland District Gathers 9,000 Educators for Huge Professional Development Event

Discovery Education and the DC-adjacent Prince George’s County Public Schools have teamed up to put on a professional development event with all 9,000 district educators in advance of a digital textbook rollout planned for the 2014-15 school year.

The event, slated for June 16, will take place simultaneously across nine district sites and include more than 100 Discovery employees. Educators will focus on using digital resources in the classroom and new standards and participate in sessions on topics like evidence-based reading and assessments.

Starting next year, PGCPS will begin using the Discovery Education Science Techbook, the company’s digital textbook series replete with digital assets like video and virtual labs, in grades K-8.

"PGCPS is committed to preparing all students to graduate career or workforce ready," said Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, PGCPS CEO in a statement. "To achieve this goal, we must improve the quality of teaching in every classroom, equip teachers with the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities, and ensure that all facets of the system support teachers in this goal."

About the Author

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

Featured

  • AI artificial intelligence interface over laptop keyboard

    Microsoft Drafts AI Code of Conduct, Emphasizes Human Control

    Microsoft has published a draft code of conduct that lays out how its homegrown AI models should behave, with human control taking priority over model capability, autonomy, and even task completion.

  • Male teacher standing in front of the class explaining a lesson to a diverse group of elementary school students listening at their desks

    SMART Technologies Launches Audio Accessibility Solution for SMART Boards

    SMART Technologies has introduced SoundFlow, a plug-and-play broadcasting system that allows classroom audio content to flow directly from a SMART Board display to students' compatible hearing aids, earbuds, headphones, personal listening devices, or speakers.

  • digital data protection and cyber security

    White House Issues New AI Security Framework

    President Donald Trump has launched a new executive order aimed at maintaining United States AI leadership while addressing the security risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.

  • abstract glowing cube outlines

    Microsoft Positions Windows as a Platform for AI Agents

    The recent Microsoft Build 2026 developer conference highlighted a significant shift in the company's Windows strategy. Rather than presenting artificial intelligence as a collection of standalone features, Microsoft is increasingly positioning Windows as an operating environment for AI agents.