Metro Atlanta Teachers Participate In Groundbreaking Education Program Promoting Critical Thinking In Students

Jun 29, 2018 11:00 AM ET

NEWNAN, Ga. and NEW YORK, June 29, 2018  Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today announced the metro Atlanta launch of their Ignite My Future in School initiative. Teachers from over 20 area school districts will experience the program’s Day of Discovery at Newnan High School in Newnan, GA. This professional training event connects local educators with Discovery Education field experts to learn about Ignite My Future in School, understand its purpose and receive hands-on training with the curriculum.

The initiative offers educators sustained curriculum support through instructional resources and year-round assistance ensuring computational thinking is embedded into core subjects such as math, sciences, arts, and social studies. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to obtain critical thinking skills that will be required for 21st century careers across all industries.

Ignite My Future in School will help ensure that Atlanta school systems can maintain a strong talent pipeline and inspire students to enroll at one of the region’s 66 colleges and universities. Moreover, twenty-one Georgia based companies were recently named to the 2018 Fortune 500; most headquartered in Atlanta, and requiring future employees with robust computational thinking skills.

“Our teachers are educating our young people for today and preparing them with the skills needed for lifelong learning,” said U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a member of the Senate committee that oversees education. “Thank you to the teachers participating in this program developed by Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education. You and your students will benefit from this opportunity as we equip our students with the skills they need to make a positive impact in their communities in the future.”

“Unlocking the minds of our amazing students is the key element to their future success”, said U.S. Congressman John Lewis, D-Ga., a member of the Congressional STEM Education Caucus. “The resources and educational development that Tata Consultancy Services and Discovery Education will provide to some educators of the 5thCongressional District will be an invaluable new method of reaching our students and preparing them for the STEM careers presently available and the careers of the future.  I applaud the initiative for engaging teachers, administrators and school districts for they are the front line when attempting to reach and motivate our youth.”

“Industry can play a pivotal providing context and relevance to help educators and students realize how the skills they learn in school translates to the world of work. Through Ignite My Future in School we are empowering school systems to foster foundational skills, building capacity for teaching, and cultivating future ready talent in communities across the United States, which is key as we move into a Business 4.0 era of cross-industry digital transformation and rapid economic change,” said Balaji Ganapathy, Head of Workforce Effectiveness, TCS.

TCS and Discovery Education have also launched the digital platform, IgniteMyFutureInSchool.org providing teachers nationwide with an exclusive, cost-free, virtual professional development experience that includes lesson plans, curriculum resources, eLearning courses, and webinars. These resources are aligned to national standards, as well as the K-12 Computer Science Framework.

On a national level, Ignite My Future in School has a goal of engaging 20,000 teachers and one million U.S. students by 2021. As a first step towards this objective, TCS and Discovery Education have partnered with U.S. school districts in the D.C area, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin as early adopters and launch sites of this transdisciplinary approach. Since its debut, the program has engaged educators from every state, over 3,300 in total, while impacting more than 185,000 students.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS):

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last fifty years. TCS offers a consulting-led, Cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of IT, Business & Technology Services, and engineering. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has over 394,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $ 19.09 billion for year ended March 31, 2018 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.

To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News

About Discovery Education:
As the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional learning, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries around the globe. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

Stay connected with Discovery Education on FacebookTwitter and Instagram @DiscoveryEd.

Media Contacts:

Ben Trounson, Tata Consultancy Services, b.trounson@tcs.com

Katie Pearson for Tata Consultancy Services, katie.pearson@fleishman.com

Charmion N. Kinder, Discovery Education, charmion_kinder@discovery.com