Scholastic, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and DonorsChoose.org Launch the "Teacher Wall"-- A Video Network for Teachers

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with DonorsChoose.org, announce the launch of the Teacher Wall, a social network for teachers to share best practices, thoughts on education and ideas for education reform. The Wall was unveiled at NBC News Education Nation 2011.

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The Teacher Wall is a virtual town hall that gives teachers an opportunity to talk about the things that are most important to them—from challenges to "A-ha! moments," from lessons learned to job satisfaction, from curriculum to parent engagement. The topics tackled on the Teacher Wall showcase a wide range of voices and provide teachers with a chance to interact and share with one another, all while adding to the conversation on America's schools.

Videos on the Wall represent the diversity of America's teachers and students: Emily, a Special Education teacher in Honolulu, HI, discusses the challenges she faces with students who do not read on grade level; Logan, a Science teacher from Rochester, NY, shares ideas for using the film X-Men to pique students' interest in genetics; and Erin from Sioux Falls, SD talks about building community in her classroom.

"We are excited to provide teachers with an online space and outlet for their thoughts and stories about teaching," said Vicki Philips, Director of Education, College Ready, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Their voice is important to the education debate and we look forward to learning from what they tell us on the Teacher Wall."

Teachers who join the Teacher Wall community upload video responses to questions relating to teaching practice and classroom experiences. The site launched today with more than 3000 participating teachers and more than 8000 individual videos, discussing issues ranging from the challenges teachers face in their classrooms to successes they have achieved during their careers to professional development strategies and more.

"We know that when teachers collaborate in their schools, students benefit," said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer of Scholastic. "We're excited to provide teachers with a chance to share big ideas and grow their teaching practice online with teachers in communities all around the world. The conversation on the Wall is already robust, and it will only get better as more educators join the community."

For more information about the Teacher Wall, to create an account or join the conversation, visit www.teacherwall.org.

SOURCE Scholastic