Celebrating over 10 Years of Verizon Innovative Learning
Verizon Impact Forward Blog Series
As the 2023-24 school year draws to a close, we would like to highlight the incredible work of the Verizon Innovative Learning initiative, which helps millions of students and educators excel with access to tech, educational tools, and free skills training. As part of our responsible business plan Citizen Verizon, we are working to provide 10 million youth with digital skills training by 2030. Launched in 2012, Verizon Innovative Learning brings together education and cutting-edge technologies to help transform classroom learning and instruction. This commitment was critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated the critical importance of not only digital skills, but access to technology and connectivity.
The Verizon Innovative Learning initiative has reached over 7 million students since launched. In the 2023-24 school year alone, we inaugurated 34 new schools and 37 new Labs.
Through Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, with nonprofit partner Digital Promise, we provide students and teachers with free devices equipped with a Verizon data plan. Teachers receive professional development and guidance from a Verizon Innovative Learning Schools coach to support incorporating technology in their curricula. By investing in both teachers and students, this program cultivates powerful learning that extends beyond the classroom. The skills students gain allow them to be successful in the new digital economy, preparing them for jobs of the future. Likewise, education leaders benefit from expert guidance and a learning community focused on sustainable approaches to digital equity. Over 78% of educators surveyed in 2022 said the program enhanced their ability to tailor lessons to meet the individual needs, interests, and strengths of each student, and over 76% indicated the program enhanced student engagement. Seventy-eight percent of students in our latest Verizon Innovative Learning Schools cohort qualified for free and reduced-price lunch, underscoring our commitment to bridging the digital divide for all youth. The program’s national footprint includes 626 schools in 115 school districts across 39 states and Washington, D.C.
Building on the impactful Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program , in 2018, we deepened our investment in schools by launching the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab program. Led in partnership with nonprofit Heart of America and Arizona State University, we create emerging technology labs in Title 1 schools across the country to foster student innovation. Through a tech-infused curriculum, created by the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, students leverage emerging technology – such as augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D printing – as well as design thinking and social innovation to make a positive impact in their communities. At the close of the 2023-24 school year, the program reached 88,000 students through 143 Labs.
We’re proud of the impact these programs are creating in communities around the U.S. St. Louis for example, is now home to four Verizon Innovative Learning Schools and two Labs. Two additional Labs are slated to open in the fall 2024. Paris Bateman, the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Coachat Yeatman-Liddell Middle School in St. Louis Public Schools, credits the program for supporting students in a variety of ways, including improving both schoolwide attendance and behavior. “The Verizon Innovative Learning Lab is exactly what equity looks and feels like,” Ms. Bateman said, “Since opening the Lab, our student attendance has increased by 30%, in-school suspensions have decreased by more than 50%, and out of school suspensions have decreased by 40% in comparison to previous years.” Across the Midwest, the program serves over 76,000 students and 3,759 teachers across 84 schools, reaching communities in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri,Ohio, and Wisconsin.
In New Jersey, we’ve expanded the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program to 18 schools and seven labs that are addressing barriers to digital inclusion for more than 12,000 students. In 2023, Verizon employees gave back by supporting device distribution at Orange High School, Orange Preparatory Academy of Inquiry and Innovation, and Oakwood Avenue Community School.” With the mutual learning experiences, teachers have developed a stronger sense of community, providing support to each other, and collaborating on ways to support the instructional use of technology with our students. The integration of collaborative learning and planning, along with consistent and reliable access to Wi-Fi has significantly increased student engagement, awareness, and motivation,” said Dana Gaines, principal of Oakwood Avenue Community School. “With the internet-enabled Verizon Innovative Learning devices, students are no longer limited to conducting research or exploring new ideas only at school; they can now continue their exploration and learning activities at home and beyond.” During the 2024 school year, the program will expand to both Englewood and Rahway New Jersey school districts. In the Northeast region of the country, there are 112 Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, serving over 99,000 students and 6,347 teachers in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington DC.
In 2021, we launched our newest offering, Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. This free online portal gives educators a robust suite of training tools and innovative apps to bring next-gen tech into the classroom. The site provides more than 350 K-12 lessons, immersive learning experiences with augmented and virtual reality, and professional development courses to help educators integrate technology into the classroom. Nationally, over 34,000 educators have benefitted from the platform, who collectively reach over 5.5 million students.
Closing the digital divide will require creative solutions and close collaboration with teachers, youth, and schools. Through the holistic approach of Verizon Innovative Learning, we will continue to invest in transforming education to ensure that all students have the skills and technology to succeed.
Verizon Impact Forward is our ongoing series highlighting Verizon’s local approach to corporate social responsibility, including the community-based partnerships that make this work possible.