NBC News and University of Phoenix Donate Subscriptions to Chicago-Area Schools in Honor of Teacher Appreciation Week

To promote the use of technology in the classroom, the gift to Chicago's middle and high schools grants access to the award-winning "NBC Learn K12" for two years

CHICAGO, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NBC News announced today at the "Education Nation Experience" opening in Chicago, that the network is partnering with University of Phoenix to donate licensed subscriptions to its award-winning "NBC Learn K-12" to all middle and high schools in the Chicago area. In honor of "Teacher Appreciation Week," this gift grants schools two-years' worth of access to the rich collection of NBC News videos, primary source documents, images, and resources specifically designed for use in the K-12 classroom.

"We are excited to share the resources of NBC News' educational arm—NBC Learn—with Chicago's schools," said Michael Chen, President of the Strategic Initiatives Group and Education Nation. "We believe that by incorporating technology into the classroom, students can get excited and engaged with their course subjects in new ways. We hope that Chicago's students experience that when using NBC Learn's unique video content."

"The community of America's educators are the ones we must empower with the resources and knowledge to improve the quality of education in our schools," said Dr. William Pepicello, president of University of Phoenix. "Toward this goal, I'm excited to partner with NBC to grant the NBC Learn licenses to Chicago, which will serve as a powerful tool for the teaching arsenal that involves teachers, students and parents in the learning process."

For more information on NBC Learn, visit www.nbclearn.com or check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/nbclearn.

The "Education Nation Experience" installation on the plaza in front of NBC Studio 5 will be open to the public and school groups from May 2nd- May 7th. The state-of-the-art exhibit is designed to engage school groups and the broader community by using video and interactive tools to explore the skills, knowledge and training required to succeed in the 21st Century. With help from Telemundo, the experience will feature bilingual content and Spanish materials will be available to visitors of the exhibit.

The "Education Nation Experience" is part of NBC News' "Education Nation Chicago," which also includes education-focused programming on NBC News, NBC Chicago and Telemundo, a Teacher Town Hall (May 1st) and "Job One" workforce panel featuring U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan, Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel and top Chicago-area CEOs and business leaders (May 5th).

For more information on "Education Nation Chicago" visit EducationNation.com, nbclearn.com, check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/EducationNation or facebook.com/nbclearn or follow us on Twitter @EducationNation.

SOURCE University of Phoenix