School Net and Discovery Learning Presentations

Led by Jason Martinez, several members of the Denver Public School system spoke to the Technology Task Force today about the success they have enjoyed in implementing their Instructional Management System. SchoolNet, a program Idaho is soon to employ thanks to a generous donation by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, gives classroom teachers and school administrators the data they need to guide instruction and raise student achievement.


Wuanita Vann, a high school teacher from Denver who described herself as data-averse, spoke enthusiastically about how the data system won her over. Because she can access student data more quickly, she is much better able to serve her student population. This is especially true for at-risk students. She can now get information before or shortly after students arrive in her classroom—not months or sometimes a semester later, as it worked in the past. The system also allows her to plan interventions and collaborate with other teachers to develop individualized learning strategies for students who need remediation. SchoolNet allows her to more efficiently locate problems so she can spend more time developing solutions.

“I get the whole picture of a student,” said Wuanita. “It’s like Gatorade for teachers…It really has revolutionized the way we work.”

The team from Denver did a good job explaining how online data could benefit school systems and teachers; Hall Davidson, from Discovery Learning, showed how his company could further augment this online data bank.

Not only can teachers access student information, state content standards, curriculum and online assessments, Discovery Learning also has worked with SchoolNet to provide digital content that teachers can incorporate in their classrooms. The digital content and multimedia further enhance classroom learning and engage a new generation of students who are accustomed to assimilating information from media. Whether it is engaging video or interactive media opportunities that inspire student creativity, Discovery Learning represents a serious online resource for teachers.