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Teachers Throughout Pennsylvania to Receive Free Educational Resources and Training on Thinkfinity.org Through $100,000 Verizon Grant

    HERSHEY, Pa., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Pennsylvania
 Department of Education (PDE) has received a $100,000 grant from the
 Verizon Foundation to train teachers to use the free educational resources
 available on Thinkfinity.org and to raise awareness of the program within
 the state.
 
     The Verizon grant, announced Monday (Feb. 11) by the PDE during the
 Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo & Conference here, will be part of
 a three-year partnership with PDE and will help Pennsylvania teachers
 quickly gain expertise with, and access to, the online resources of
 Thinkfinity.org.
 
     Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's free, comprehensive program
 and online portal to 55,000 educational resources, including
 standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and interactive tools
 and materials for students provided in partnership with many of the
 nation's leading educational and literacy organizations.
 
     Thinkfinity.org offers elementary through high school teachers
 resources across eight academic disciplines, from science to English to
 mathematics, to improve student achievement. Thinkfinity.org is designed to
 help teachers gain access to online resources quickly and requires no
 passwords or software downloads.
 
     "Since taking office, Gov. Edward G. Rendell and the Department of
 Education have advocated the use of innovative technology in the classroom
 to aid student achievement," Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said.
 "The Verizon/Thinkfinity grant will provide Pennsylvania with an
 opportunity to thoughtfully populate the resources and materials component
 of a standards- aligned system, with resources and materials that support
 our curricular frameworks."
 
     In addition to providing standards-based resources from the nation's
 leading educational and literacy organizations, Thinkfinity.org also offers
 a free, robust professional development program for teachers and trainers.
 
 

     The Verizon grant will be used to:
      -- Provide professional development opportunities to classroom teachers
         statewide, utilizing an established cadre of mentors.
      -- Provide Thinkfinity.org resources aligned to state academic standards
         and assessment anchors in support of Pennsylvania's Standards Aligned
         Systems (SAS) initiative.
      -- Raise awareness of Thinkfinity.org resources and professional
         development opportunities to educators statewide through the coaching
         and mentoring communities of practice already established within the
         state's educational portal.
 
     "Verizon is proud to partner with the Pennsylvania Department of
 Education and educators in their mission to increase student achievement
 and empower today's students with the skills to pursue a life of learning
 and the high- tech skills for tomorrow's global job market," said William
 B. Petersen, president -- Verizon Pennsylvania. "Through Thinkfinity.org,
 teachers gain
 
     immediate access to quality educational resources to more efficiently
 develop their lesson plans, giving them more time to work directly with
 students."
 
     The Pennsylvania Department of Education oversees Pennsylvania's public
 schools, including its 501 school districts, 29 intermediate units and
 other local education agencies. The department's mission is to lead and
 serve the educational community in order to enable each individual to grow
 into an inspired, productive and fulfilled lifelong learner.
 
     Content for Thinkfinity is provided through a partnership between the
 Verizon Foundation and 11 of the nation's leading organizations in the
 fields of education and literacy: the American Association for the
 Advancement of Science, the International Reading Association, the John F.
 Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family
 Literacy, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for
 the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council
 of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society, ProLiteracy
 Worldwide and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
 
     The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon
 Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education
 through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and
 prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than
 $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and
 abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon
 employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined
 contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest
 employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have
 volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's
 inception in 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit
 www.verizon.com/foundation.
 
     Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:   VZ), headquartered in New York, is a
 leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless
 communication innovations to mass market, business, government and
 wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable
 wireless network, serving nearly 66 million customers nationwide. Verizon's
 Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and
 seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon
 Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications,
 information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced
 fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce
 of nearly 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues
 of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
 
     VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches
 and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other
 information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at
 www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News
 Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news
 releases.
 
 
 

SOURCE Verizon