Digital Promise and Verizon Innovative Learning Schools

With master’s and doctorate degrees from Harvard University, Dr. Christine Johns serves as superintendent of Utica Community Schools in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Alongside her activities as superintendent, Dr. Christine Johns has worked closely with education groups such as Digital Promise. 

In its efforts to accelerate innovation in education, Digital Promise engages educators, researchers, and entrepreneurs in activities that support and advance teaching strategies and technologies to improve student outcomes. The organization oversees a variety of people-driven projects and networks, including Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS). 

Supported by the Verizon Foundation and Verizon Wireless, the VILS initiative aims to close the digital learning gap by improving access to technology for students and teachers. The initiative currently serves 28 school districts across the country. In addition to working directly with participating schools, the program provides a variety of resources and tools to help other schools better use technology for learning. 

Based on insight from participating educators, VILS has a created a guidebook for implementing schoolwide technology initiatives. The guidebook features chapters on technology management, digital literacy and responsibility, and progress monitoring. VILS also has compiled a number of online resources for teachers interesting in using mobile technology to support and advance classroom activities. More information about VILS and other Digital Promise projects is available at www.digitalpromise.org.

Digital Promise Promotes Innovation in Education

The superintendent of Utica Community Schools in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Dr. Christine Johns has fostered academic excellence for 12 years, in part by spearheading efforts to achieve a 93.6% graduation rate. To this end, Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns participates in Digital Promise, a nonprofit created in 2008 to enhance progressive learning opportunities. 

Guiding the Digital Promise program is Challenge Based Learning (CBL), in which students, families, and teachers cooperate to explore significant ideas and issues. CBL works by employing experiential learning with new practices in computer technology and media. Students of the program combine classroom activities with critical reflection, discussion, and writing. 

CBL guide students through three phases:

- Engage. Students learn to translate abstract concepts into practical action steps.

- Investigate. Participants collaborate in considering solutions while meeting academic benchmarks.

- Act. Learners develop evidence-based solutions for results-oriented evaluation.

Practitioners will meet in July 2019 for the Digital Promise Challenge Institute in Monterey, California. The event will create a peer network between educators and leaders to encourage innovations specific to participants’ schools and districts.