Burien, WA– Today Digital Promise, a national, independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to accelerate innovation in education, announced Highline Public Schools as one of nine new members accepted into the League of Innovative Schools. Highline is the only school district on the west coast inducted into Digital Promise for spring 2014.

The League of Innovative Schools is a national coalition of school districts and educational agencies that is both a professional learning network and an incubator for innovative educational practices. The League brings together educators, researchers, and entrepreneurs to demonstrate, evaluate, and replicate promising ideas, with the goal of improving student achievement.

“Membership in the League of Innovative Schools supports our goal to ensure that today’s kindergartners graduate tech-savvy and tech-literate,” said Superintendent Susan Enfield. “It also speaks to our commitment to innovation, to learning from the successes in other school districts, and to sharing our experience in using technology to push student learning.”

Highline was selected from a competitive and national pool of applicants, based on its leadership, evidence of results, innovative vision for learning powered by technology, and commitment to collaborating with other League members. Upon joining the League, members will share lessons learned; participate in national and regional forums; and partner with research institutions, technology developers, and one another to deliver better results for students.

“The idea behind the League is simple, but ambitious: Innovative superintendents can support each other in transforming the learning environment and improving engagement and achievement,” said Karen Cator, President and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Promise. “By adding these nine new members and the sum of their experiences, the League can become an even stronger catalyst for improving opportunity for students around the country.”

The nine members of the League of Innovative Schools spring 2014 cohort are:

Department of Defense Education Activity Kaiserslautern District — Kaiserslautern, Germany
Highline Public Schools — Burien, WA
Knox County Schools — Knoxville, TN
Lexington County School District One — Lexington, SC
Mentor Public Schools — Mentor, OH
Pascack Valley Regional High School District — Montvale, NJ
Richland School District Two — Columbia, SC
Rowan-Salisbury Schools — Salisbury, NC
South Fayette Township School District — McDonald, PA

With these additions, the League now includes 46 school districts and education agencies in 25 states, representing nearly 3 million students.

“We are excited to welcome the new members of the League and to offer these districts the chance to learn together,” said Sara Schapiro, Director of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. “These exemplary educators recognize that while there is no ‘silver bullet’ in education, by coming together to tackle some big problems, district leaders, researchers, and entrepreneurs can make a meaningful difference.”

New members will be officially welcomed March 26-28, at the national League of Innovative Schools conference at Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona.
For more information on the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools visit: http://bit.ly/dpleague.

Contact:
Jason Tomassini
Digital Promise
202-450-3363
jason@digitalpromise.org