WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2011 -- At the Microsoft 2011
Partners in Learning Global Forum , the Microsoft Corp. today announced new and
continuing collaborations with the U.S. Department of Education, the British
Council and the Smithsonian Institution to engage educators from their initial
desire to enter the profession to successfully inspiring students in their
classrooms. Microsoft believes that well-prepared educators can help today's
youth overcome the emerging opportunity divide and can help put students on a
path toward the education, skills and opportunities they need to prosper in the
21st century.
The Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum is the culmination of a
year's worth of country and regional events honoring teachers and school leaders
who are creatively and effectively using technology in their curriculum. The
event provides these exceptional educators with an opportunity to compete and
gain recognition at the global level and to share and collaborate on best
practices, key learnings and how to implement creative ideas.
"The Partners in Learning program is one of the many investments Microsoft is
making to help educators more effectively prepare our students for the jobs of
tomorrow," said Anthony Salcito, vice president of education at Microsoft Corp.
"At Microsoft, we believe that magic happens when business needs merge with
social responsibility, and in an increasingly competitive global economy,
bringing together organizations that are equally passionate about education can
be a successful formula for preparing the next generation of leaders."
Talented educators are critical to ensuring that students are better prepared
to compete for the higher-skilled jobs demanded by today's economy. To help
fulfill the growing need for educators in the United States, Salcito announced
in today's keynote that Microsoft will collaborate with the U.S. Department of
Education to support a campaign aimed at inspiring and recruiting young people
to enter the teaching profession. As part of this, Microsoft is assuming overall
management of the TEACH website. In the coming months, Microsoft will be taking
the lead in developing a coalition of private-sector companies and other key
organizations to further support the campaign and will be moving the site to
teach.org.
Microsoft also announced a new, five-year partnership with the British
Council, an international organization for educational opportunities and
cultural relations, to increase quality and access in education and training
around the world. This partnership will combine the assets of Microsoft and the
British Council to nurture the use of information communications technology for
innovative practice in teaching and learning in order to equip millions of
students with the knowledge and skills they need for life and work in the 21st
century. Microsoft and the British Council have each committed $1 million (U.S.)
to the partnership's first project, which will build 80 digital hubs at schools
across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda using Windows
MultiPoint Server. The project is expected to train more than 20,000 school
leaders and teachers and provide more than 100,000 learners and communities with
digital access, while promoting literacy throughout the region. The project was
inspired by similar work already underway in Africa by the British Council and
by a commitment that Microsoft and other partners made at the Clinton Global
Initiative in 2010 to build labs powered by Windows MultiPoint Server in 40
"lighthouse" schools in Haiti, serving 24,000 students.
"I welcome our new partnership with Microsoft, which will enable us to create
opportunities for millions of educators and students around the world," said
Martin Davidson, chief executive, British Council. "By working together to
harness technology for education and training, we can make a powerful
contribution to preparing young people throughout the world for life and work in
the 21st century."
Microsoft Partners in Learning, the Smithsonian Institution and
TakingITGlobal are continuing to expand the Shout program, which was announced
at last year's Global Forum in South Africa. The partnership harnesses the power
of technology to connect research and education resources with teachers and
their students so they can act as a driving force for significant, positive
contributions to the environment. This year's program will focus on water
quality and quantity, to ensure that water is safe for both people and the
environment, as well as managing the crises of too much water and not enough
water.
The 2011 Partners in Learning Global Forum is being held in Washington, D.C.,
Nov. 7-10. Winners of the 18 Global Forum Educator Awards will be announced, and
18 new Mentor Schools will be recognized at a gala dinner at the Donald W.
Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. More information about the
event can be found at http://bit.ly/pu4GSO or
https://www.facebook.com/partnersinlearning and by following #PILGF on Twitter.
About Partners in Learning
Partners in Learning is a 10-year, nearly $500 million commitment by
Microsoft to help education systems around the world. Since its inception in
2003, the Partners in Learning program has reached more than 196 million
teachers and students in 114 countries. Supporting the program is the online
Partners in Learning Network, one of the world's largest global professional
networks for educators, connecting millions of teachers and school leaders
around the world in a community of professional development.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft /quotes/zigman/20493/quotes/nls/msft MSFT
+0.19% is the
worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and
businesses realize their full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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