HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), one of the nation’s preeminent tech-enabled education companies, is responding to the nationwide wave of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic by offering free online curriculum, platforms, training, and technical assistance for students, families and school districts.
“The spread of COVID-19 is a global pandemic disrupting the lives and livelihoods of billions of people around the world,” said K12 CEO and Chairman Nate Davis. “With schools closing their doors – potentially for months – K12 is committed to providing the support and tools that will enable students of all ages to continue to learn and grow.”
In the face of this unprecedented disruption of education, K12 is offering free resources for families at home with their children during the school year, as well as for those looking for virtual education options over the summer. For schools and districts, K12 is offering a menu of options, including free services, to support technical and capacity needs. And for adult learners who may be looking to upgrade their skills, K12’s newest subsidiary, Galvanize, is providing free resources from its data science and software engineering offerings.
“K12 has more than twenty years of experience serving thousands of districts, institutional customers and students with virtual education platforms worldwide,” said Davis. “These are challenging times, but we are uniquely ready, willing and able to support education. And while online schools might not be for everyone, K12 is here for any ONE.”
More information on these offerings and other resources can be found at www.k12.com/coronavirus, or by visiting the links below or calling 855.593.7280.
Resources for Schools and School Districts
For any school or network of schools – district, independent, religious, or charter – attempting to scale online offerings quickly, K12 is offering the following solutions. All courses are available in Spanish and 64 other languages.
- Free training for teachers from brick-and-mortar schools as they transition to the online education environment
- Complimentary access for at least 30 days to its K-12 digital course catalog, professional development, and educational services
- Complimentary access for at least 30 days to K12’s content and hosting platform, which includes K-8 and core middle school and high school courses, to help any school in standing up content, systems and teaching staff
- Free webinars for administrators, mentors, and teachers to answer questions and share best practices regarding K12’s curriculum and tools, and provide the basics of getting started with delivering online education
Resources for Students and Parents
Leveraging the expertise of its thousands of public-school teachers and the experiences of more than 120,000 enrolled students and their families, K12 is offering free access to a host of resources for families through June 30, 2020:
- Free unlimited access to 17,000 eBooks at a wide range of reading levels with Big Universe. Nearly 2,000 of these titles are available in Spanish. Big Universe is accessible online by computer, tablet and smartphone.
- Free library of webinars and materials for those encountering online learning for the first time.
- 50% discount on tuition for new students at The Keystone School, a private K-12 virtual school. All content is available in Spanish and 64 other languages.
Online Summer Camps through Destinations Career Academy
K12’s Destinations Career Academy (DCA) will host free career exploration summer classes for students in grades 8-11, along with a free online DCA Coding Camp for students ages 13-18.
The free online DCA summer camps and classes offer a safe and engaging way for high school students to keep their minds sharp and take their first steps in exploring long-term career pathways.
- DCA Summer School will offer exploratory courses in Business and Marketing, Health, and Information Technology from June 24-July 22, 2020.
- DCA Coding Camp will feature two courses: Video Game Design & Programming from June 15-27, and Virtual Reality from July 6-17, 2020.
- Virtual campers who complete at least one of the two Coding Camp sessions will be eligible to participate in an eSports Tournament hosted by the High School eSports League (HSEL) in late July.
Resources for Adult Learners in Software Engineering and Data Science
Galvanize, a leader in developing talent and capabilities for individuals and corporations in technical fields such as software engineering and data science, offers full-time and part-time immersive online bootcamps for aspiring and established professionals with the education and resources they need to thrive in the digital economy, including the following free classes and webinars:
- Introductory prep classes for Galvanize Data Science and Hack Reactor Software Engineering
- Learning webinars for Galvanize Data Science and Hack Reactor Software Engineering
Resources from K12 Partners
- Using Tallo, students age 13 and older can connect with employers and colleges across the country for job and scholarship opportunities. Now is a great time to develop your professional digital profile, showcase your strengths and passions, and get noticed on the free web-based networking platform.
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To help teachers prepare to provide effective, rigorous and engaging online instruction, Modern Teacher is providing a full set of resources. The resources, available at Modern Teacher, include:
- Daily webinars on best practices and challenges to anticipate
- Free organizational tools
- Digital e-learning activities that leverage free content
- Collaboration and engagement strategies for students in an online environment
- Through Nepris, students in grades K-12 can learn directly from industry professionals by participating in live virtual chats and watching authentic industry videos covering a wide range of careers. These industry chats and videos will help bring real world relevance and career exposure to students at all grade levels. Nepris is now enabled for parents and teachers to allow students to join live chats from their remote locations, with free webinars offered every day.
More information on these offerings and other resources can be found at www.k12.com/coronavirus, or by visiting the links above or calling 855.593.7280.
About K12
K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) helps students of all ages reach their full potential through inspired teaching and personalized learning. The company provides innovative, high-quality online and blended education solutions, curriculum, and programs to students, schools and enterprises in primary, secondary and post-secondary settings. K12 is a premier provider of career readiness education services and a leader in skills training, technology staffing and talent development. The company provides programs which combine traditional high school academics with career technical education through its Destinations Career Academies. Adult learning is delivered through K12’s subsidiary, Galvanize, a leader in developing capabilities for individuals and corporations in technical fields such as software engineering and data science. K12 has delivered millions of courses over the past decade and serves students in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The company is a proud sponsor of the Future of School, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gap between the pace of technology in daily life and the pace of change in education. More information can be found at K12.com, destinationsacademy.com, jobshadowweek.com, and galvanize.com.
