America’s Promise Alliance and Apex Learning® Partner with School Districts to Increase Nation’s Graduation Rate

Four School Districts Receive Digital Curriculum to Increase Graduation Rates and College Readiness

WASHINGTON & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--America’s Promise Alliance and Apex Learning® today announced a three-year partnership with four school districts to provide comprehensive digital curriculum at no cost.

“Research shows when this occurs, performance increases and learning accelerates; students stay in school, earn credits, and achieve at higher levels, resulting in increased graduation rates”

Miami-Dade School District (Florida), Norman Public Schools (Oklahoma), St. Mary’s School District (Maryland), and Cross County School District (Arkansas) will address student retention and dropout prevention by implementing remediation programs for struggling students and credit recovery for students who have failed courses; provide additional instruction resources for teachers in traditional classrooms; increase student enrollment and exam scores for Advanced Placement; and offer original credit for students who are unsuccessful with traditional instruction, transfer students, and students who need flexible scheduling options.

Every year, 1.3 million students drop out of school — one every 26 seconds, 7,000 every school day. America’s Promise Alliance (the Alliance) is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. It was founded in 1997 with General Colin Powell as its founding chairman, and is chaired today by Alma Powell. Apex Learning® is the leading provider of digital curriculum for secondary education and is a member of the Alliance’s Business Leaders Council and Education Innovators group. The partnership with these districts will support America’s Promise Alliance’s Grad Nation Campaign, which is a 10-year initiative to mobilize Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for the 21^st century workforce. The goal of the Grad Nation Campaign is to improve the nation’s overall high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020.

"The Grad Nation project will help us spearhead the changes we seek, moving to digital content and developing educational environments to meet the demands of today's learners," said Alberto M. Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Digital curriculum plays a significant role in empowering students to take charge of their learning. “Research shows when this occurs, performance increases and learning accelerates; students stay in school, earn credits, and achieve at higher levels, resulting in increased graduation rates,” said Cheryl Vedoe, CEO of Apex Learning. “Increasing access to high quality online learning for more youth can improve our chances of achieving the Grad Nation goals, changing outcomes and ultimately succeeding as a nation. The outstanding vision of the leadership of these school districts and Apex Learning’s expertise were a natural fit,” said Elizabeth Morgan, PhD, executive director, Grad Nation Campaign, America’s Promise Alliance.

Digital curriculum helps teachers meet the needs of all students based on their individual learning needs. “Students have different needs and learning styles, which should drive the way we instruct,” said Norman superintendent Dr. Joseph Siano. “Grad Nation is providing us an unprecedented opportunity to develop a sustainable, blended learning model for 21st century students, and we are excited and honored to be one of four districts in the nation to be selected.” By the end of this school year, Norman will be offering — through the partnership — courses for original credit, including Advanced Placement. Students will be able to enroll in one or more online courses that are supervised by a Norman teacher, and attend the classes either on campus as part of the school day or virtually in addition to their regular course load.

This type of flexibility allows students to respond to a model of instruction that fits their learning style. A classroom model using digital curriculum as the primary source of instruction helps teachers effectively meet the needs of all students based on their individual skill level, from struggling students to those excelling. “Our teachers and students are excited to work in a blended learning environment where students learn at their own pace and learning is truly individualized,” said Dr. Matt McClure, Superintendent of Cross County School District.

Encouraging young people to stay in school and become better prepared for college and the workforce is a key strategy in the Alliance’s Grad Nation campaign. Grad Nation is a 10-year effort to mobilize all Americans to take action to reduce the nation’s high school dropout rate. “The Apex Learning digital curriculum individualizes learning and will help our teachers ensure students stay on track toward graduation,” said Dr. Michael Martirano, Superintendent of St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth by raising awareness, supporting communities, and engaging in nonpartisan advocacy. Through our Grad Nation campaign, we harness the collective power of our partner network to mobilize Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce. Building on the legacy of our Founding Chairman General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of our young people is grounded in the Five Promises – caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others. For more information about America’s Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org.

Apex Learning is the leading provider of digital curriculum for secondary education. Since its inception in 1997, Apex Learning has more than 3.7 million student enrollments in more than 4,700 school districts. The company’s standards-based online courses in math, science, English, social studies, world languages, and Advanced Placement are successfully used for original credit, credit recovery, remediation, alternative schools, distance learning, and exam preparation. Apex Learning, headquartered in Seattle, is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools and its courses are approved for National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility. For more information visit: www.apexlearning.com or call 1.800.453.1454.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6844015&lang=en