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.