Indiana Department of Education Announces At-Home Learning Initiative in Partnership with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations

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Last Updated on April 6, 2020 by Indiana Department of Education

SOURCE: News release from Indiana Department of Education

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today, in partnership with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS) announced a partnership to offer at-home learning experiences for K-12 students, aligned to Indiana curriculum standards.

“Providing our students with access to high-quality and evidence-based materials is critical during this extended time of out-of-school learning,” said Indiana State Superintendent Dr. Jennifer McCormick. “I am grateful for IPBS and their local television affiliates for partnering with us to create engaging educational experiences for Indiana’s children.”

Developed with the input of educators, PBS LearningMedia offers free, Indiana standards-aligned resources contextualized for educational use. The resources include grab-and-go activities, lesson plans, interactive lessons, and media that illustrate specific topics or themes, and support materials across multiple subjects. With offerings such as the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel, the WORLD Channel, and programs such as NOVA and Into the Outdoors, IPBS member stations are committed to ensuring educational programming and resources are widely accessible to students in Indiana. Accordingly, all eight IPBS television stations have published programming schedules and corresponding curriculum resource materials focusing on math, science, social studies, literacy, and other subjects. Television program schedules have been augmented with information about grade-level appropriateness, subject area focus, and learning objectives.

“Our goal was to package easy to use materials that combined the best of PBS educational TV programming and learning resources. We knew it would need to be accessible for a broad range of learners across Indiana, from the youngest child to the graduating senior. We also knew it needed to include easy-to-use parent guidance and coaching for teachers,” said Mark Newman, executive director of IPBS. “Our stations reach virtually every family in the state, including those who don’t have internet access or computers at home.”

For more information and access to PBS LearningMedia, please visit: www.pbslearningmedia.org. To view current schedules for grade level and subject programming, as well as correlating materials, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/elearning/2020-covid-19-remote-learning. In addition, you can visit the IPBS website of the TV station nearest you. For a map of regional IPBS television stations, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/news/ipbs-tv-locator-map-040320.pdf.

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