Five Efforts to Scale Digital Resources Statewide

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As the Senior Vice President of Teaching and Learning at Discovery Education, I’m blessed with the opportunity to work with school systems nationwide. Given that a large part of my role is focused on managing Discovery Education’s partnerships with State Departments of Education, I have looked there to learn more about what works in public education and how those lessons can be applied in school systems across the country. 

Importance of Partnerships

My first significant takeaway is on the importance of partnerships. In 2020, the Nevada Department of Education partnered with Nevada Gold Mines to ensure public school educators and students in grades K-12 statewide receive access to an award-winning daily learning platform for teaching, creating, and growing professionally.

Public and Private Partnerships

In Nevada, a unique public–private partnership was formed to support students in preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow. The collaboration between a corporate partner committed to the success of the state’s students and the Nevada Department of Education provides school systems with a powerful template that can be replicated in districts nationwide. 

Public-private partnership is also the bedrock of our newest partnership in Delaware. In that state, the Delaware Department of Education, Discovery Education, and DuPont are partnering to directly support the Delaware Pathways initiative — an innovative effort helping students develop the academic, technical, and employability skills needed for successful, in-demand jobs across Delaware. 

Professional Learning 

From the Arizona Department of Education, I have learned the value of implementing a multifaceted professional learning initiative. The Arizona Department of Education (AED) spent a significant portion of its federal relief funds to prepare students, teachers, and families for the return to classroom instruction.

While educators statewide enjoy access to a dynamic digital learning platform, AED is partnering with universities to provide professional learning to teachers across the state. The professional learning opportunities range from supporting all educators’ no-cost professional development that advances digital teaching and learning skills to expanding capacity for the Arizona K12 Center’s educator mentoring program. AED’s efforts are a textbook case of how to pair any major educational initiative with professional learning to ensure a successful and effective implementation. 

Leadership

From the South Carolina Department of Education (SC DOE) I have had the opportunity to witness the importance of leadership in improving equity. Understanding that not all students and teachers in the state have access to high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources, the SC DOE undertook an effort to rectify the situation. By purchasing four Learning Management Systems, a Learning Object Repository, and a suite of standards-based digital learning resources, every student and educator in South Carolina now have full access to high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources no matter their location or learning environment.

Communication 

Finally, the State Department of Education in New Hampshire (NH DOE) offers another great lesson on what works in public education. As the NH DOE creates plans to support school systems in what will be an uncertain school year, they have provided stakeholders with clear communications outlining their direction. An example of this was seen recently when the state announced a new partnership providing educators and students statewide a digital daily learning platform through the state’s Canvas Learning Management System.

The NH DOE was clearly thoughtful about the timing of their message and chose to share the announcement of their new initiative during their annual, in-person conference. This allowed the relevant stakeholders to see what they were getting, ask questions about its use, and network together to understand the specifics of the implementation. 

Following their initial announcement, virtual launch events for curriculum leads and principals across the state were held. The NH DOE also prioritized continuing to communicate news and updates surrounding this initiative throughout the months leading up to the opening of the school year, as they demonstrate their understanding that there is no such thing as overcommunication. 

Nevada, Delaware, Arizona, South Carolina, and New Hampshire have taken a leadership role in scaling the use of digital resources statewide. While each implementation has varied in approaches to public/private partnerships, scaling professional learning, improving equity, and communicating change, each has provided excellent examples of what works in public education. In these challenging times, school systems would do well to look at their unique approaches to improving public education and emulate the work of these state departments of education as appropriate in their own communities. 

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