Middletown City School District (MCSD) was accepted today into the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of forward-thinking school districts organized by Digital Promise, a nonprofit organization with the mission to accelerate innovation in education and improve the opportunity to learn for all through technology and research.

MCSD was selected from a competitive national pool of applicants based on its leadership, evidence of results, innovative vision for learning, and commitment to collaboration.

“We at Middletown City Schools are honored to be a part of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. The Middie Modernization Movement is growing a culture of innovation in Middletown Schools and we’re excited our students will benefit from this partnership. We believe every student has dreams and Middletown’s partnership with the League of Innovative Schools will help those dreams come true,” said Marlon Styles, Jr., Superintendent at MCSD.

The League of Innovative Schools, launched in late 2011, accepts new members through an open application process once per year. With the new members, the League now includes 102 school districts in 33 states. The full list of members can be found at digitalpromise.org/districts.

"As we expand our efforts to identify, build, and scale the innovative work of our League districts, I am excited to welcome a new cohort of districts who deepen the diversity, populations, and contexts of the network and move us further in  advancing equity and excellence for every learner,” said Kimberly Smith, executive director of the League of Innovative Schools.

League members are represented by their superintendent, who commits to:

• Attend biannual League meetings, which feature classroom visits, collaborative problem-solving, and relationship-building with peers and partners;

• Participate in League challenge collaboratives on a broad range of topics relevant to the changing needs of school districts;

• Support Digital Promise research and provide feedback so it translates easily into classroom experiences and expands what we know about teaching and learning;

• Engage with entrepreneurs to advance edtech product development steeped in the latest learning science and meets district needs; and,

• Participate in the League’s professional learning community by connecting with other members online, in person, and at each other’s school districts.

“Middletown is an urban district and we’re not only eager to share our innovative approaches to educating students, but also collaborating with other like-minded educators to help the League of Innovative Schools accomplish its goal of closing the equity gap in our country,” said Styles.

In addition to superintendents’ participation, there are also opportunities for other school administrators, principals, and teachers to participate in League and Digital Promise initiatives.

The League will officially welcome new members at its fall 2018 meeting on October 10 in Park City, UT, held in partnership with Juab School District, Uinta School District #1, and Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.

For more information on the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, visit: digitalpromise.org/league.

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About Digital Promise
Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.