-New Collaboration Supports District's Effort to Reimagine Teaching and Learning-

Silver Spring, Md. (February 15, 2017) - California's Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) announced today an expansion of its partnership withDiscovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms. In this new phase of collaboration, Discovery Education will support CUSD's efforts to develop district educators' capacity to build and sustain a culture of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education in their school system through the implementation of a multi-year STEM professional development initiative in 11 district elementary schools.

The deepening of CUSD's partnership with Discovery Education also supports the district'sCapoForwardinitiative. A reimagining of the educational programs in selected CUSD schools, CapoForward is transforming instruction by introducing a variety of innovative new teaching strategies into the learning environment. CapoForward also bolsters the district's mission to prepare students to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world and CUSD's goal of maintaining its position among the state's top-performing school districts.

Since 2014, K-5 classrooms across CUSD have used Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a comprehensive digital service that supplements instruction across all curricular areas, to create engaging and dynamic learning environments. Now, educators in the 11 elementary schools included in this initiative will participate in aprofessional capacity building model that develops and nurtures teachers and administrators as they create a culture of STEM within their school system. Through a shared leadership model, robust professional development, ongoing coaching, and administrative leadership support, educators participating in this initiative will develop a transdisciplinary curriculum preparing students for success beyond the classroom that can be scaled districtwide.

'We want every child engagedin meaningful, challenging, and innovative educational experiences that prepare them for greater opportunity and success after graduation,' said Martha McNicholas, President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. 'Discovery Education has been a great partner and we are thrilled to expand our relationship, as it will help us provide our educators additional resources and opportunities to evolve their classroom instruction and meet our district's goals.'

The Discovery Education Community will continue supporting CUSD educators as they transform students' learning experiences with digital media. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing and inspiration.

'We are excited to support the Capistrano Unified School District in their quest to reinvent instruction and build STEM-focused teaching experiences that truly engage students in learning,' said Dana Dodge, Education Partnerships Manager at Discovery Education. 'Discovery Education looks forward to partnering with Superintendent Vital and her talented team of administrators and teachers on this new endeavor.'

For more information about Discovery Education's Professional Development Services, Discovery Education Streaming Plus, or other initiatives from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

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About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education's services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Discovery Communications Inc. published this content on 15 February 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 15 February 2017 22:11:27 UTC.

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