News
Microsoft To Expand Partners in Learning
- By David Nagel
- January 23, 2008
Microsoft this week said it intends to redouble (or retriple) its commitment
to education through its Partners in Learning program. Over the next five years,
the company will "triple the impact" of the initiative through three
of the programs under the Partners in Learning umbrella: Innovative Teachers,
Innovative Students, and Innovative Schools.
The idea of Partners in Learning is to bolster STEM (science, technology, engineering,
and math) education programs and enhance technology in schools by providing
funding for tools and training programs for students and teachers.
The Innovative Teachers program provides teacher professional development resources,
such as a worldwide collaboration portal; the Innovative Students program provides
"affordable" software to governments for the use of students in schools
and homes using Windows-based PCs; and the Innovative Schools program provides
guidance to schools and governments for "holistic school reform, plus a
road map for technology integration to help schools meet their education objectives."
According to Microsoft, its new effort represents a $235.5 million investment
in these programs over the next five years. That amounts to about $500 million
over the program's first 10 years. It started back in 2003 as a part of the
company's "Unlimited Potential" project. Further information can be
found here.
About the Author
Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters.