Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate Gain Adoption Across K-12 Districts and Schools as Remote Learning Continues

RESTON, Va., May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard Inc., a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, today announced accelerated adoption and implementation of Blackboard Unite for K-12—a holistic suite of virtual learning tools and resources, including the learning management system Blackboard Learn and virtual classroom Blackboard Collaborate—in schools and districts across the U.S.

Between February and April, more than 180 districts became new Blackboard partners or expanded their engagements to include additional Blackboard solutions, with one in two students across the nation benefitting from unprecedented access to virtual classrooms, digital resources, and communications solutions provided by Blackboard.  

"We're proud to be working hand-in-hand with a growing number of K-12 districts and schools across the country working tirelessly to ensure students have access to high-quality remote education during this unprecedented time," said Christina Fleming, Vice President of K-12 at Blackboard. "This shift to fully virtual learning is driving innovation when it comes to the way educators deliver instruction, students engage with learning resources, and educators and families communicate. We look forward to continue partnering with districts and schools as they continue to adapt and evolve their virtual learning models in the fall and beyond."

Among those districts and school networks that have chosen to leverage Blackboard's solutions to address their complex challenges are:

• Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, Louisiana: A large district serving over 34,000 students spanning K-12, Calcasieu Parish has been a Blackboard client for over 20 years. As longstanding users of both Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate, educators across the district were able to quickly pivot to fully remote teaching models earlier this year, relying on Blackboard's virtual classrooms to engage students in creative ways. Calcasieu recently expanded their Blackboard portfolio to include Blackboard Mobile and Blackboard Teacher Communication to ensure consistent home-to-school communication.
• Spokane Public Schools, Washington: Spokane Public Schools has partnered with Blackboard for over a decade to build and evolve its digital teaching and learning program for its roughly 30,000 students through a variety of Blackboard Unite for K-12 solutions, including Blackboard Learn, Web Community Manager, and Blackboard Mass Notifications. With these tools in place, and the addition of Blackboard Collaborate, the district was able to quickly transition to a fully online learning model earlier this year and enable teachers to conduct synchronous instruction.
• East Harlem Scholars Academies (Scholars Academies), New York: Part of East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP), Scholars Academies is a network of public charter schools serving more than 1500 students across two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. As a result of COVID-19, an edtech platform that could serve a variety of needs was critical. To quickly address those needs, Scholars Academies partnered with Blackboard to accelerate the implementation of a learning management system, virtual classroom, professional development series, and school-to-home communication tool in the fall.  
• MAAC, California: As a federally funded Head Start program delivering early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services, MAAC was looking to implement an integrated digital environment that was nimble enough to meet the evolving needs of students and families beyond COVID-19. MAAC made the strategic decision to partner with Blackboard, leveraging both Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate, to quickly begin delivering remote learning and support to over 1,800 children ages 0-5 and their families, as well mothers in their pre-natal program.

Visit http://blackboard.com/unite to learn more about how Blackboard Unite for K-12 brings together Blackboard's Teaching and Learning  and Community Engagement solutions. Unite for K-12 supports districts and schools as they transition to online learning models through a virtual classroom, learning management system, accessibility tool, mobile app, and a services and implementation kit.

About Blackboard

Blackboard's mission is to advance learning in partnership with the world's education community so that more students, educators and institutions can realize their ambitions today and prepare for tomorrow. Learn more at www.blackboard.com and follow @Blackboard on Twitter.

Contact: Hillary Marder, [email protected]

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.

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