Participant Teams Up With Teach.org For Social Action Campaign For ‘TEACH’

In connection with Participant Media’s two-hour television special TEACH, from Academy Award® winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, premiering on CBS Friday, Sept. 6 at 8PM ET/7C with an encore airing on Pivot on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 8PM ET, Participant will kick off a year-long social-action campaign, in conjunction with the non-profit organization TEACH.org, to elevate and promote the profession of teaching. Designed to reframe the perception of teaching among students, parents, and teachers themselves, the campaign also aims to attract the best and the brightest college-age students, to the profession.

Participant EVP of Social Action & Advocacy Chad Boettcher said, “More than half of today’s teachers—roughly 1.8 million of 3.3 million—will be eligible to retire within the next decade which provides us with a once in a generation opportunity to recruit the best in class to help shape the future of America. We want to engage Americans in a dialogue about the rewards of great teaching, and encourage local communities to provide the resources to help every teacher be the best.”

“Our challenge is to convey that the values and opportunities top students look for in a career are precisely the qualities today’s teaching profession offers,” said Gary Freilich, executive director of TEACH.org. “Education is a career for those who seek inspiration, satisfaction, personal development and social impact.”

The multi-platform campaign to ignite a conversation about how the profession of teaching is admirable and rewarding, worthy of our best students,will run on air, online and at the grass-roots level. The special will feature comedic interstitial content that reinforces the importance of teachers and the profession. For the online component, Participant will drive people to its digital hub,www.takepart.com/teach, which will offer resources to help students, parents and teachers learn more about innovations in the classroom, find ways they can get involved and share content they see about the revolution underway in the teaching world. People will also be given the opportunity to text “TEACH” to 77177 to receive regular updates on campaign activities. On-the-ground activities will primarily consist of recruitment and informational events in partnership with Teach.org on college campuses nationwide.

TEACH.org, Participant’s primary collaborator in the campaign, is a non-profit organization guided by a coalition of diverse public, private and government advisors. These include the U.S. Department of Education, Teach for America, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, United Negro College Fund, National Network of State Teachers of the Year and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Corporate coalition members include Microsoft Partners in Learning and State Farm.

The special, from Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim (“The First Year,” “Waiting for Superman,” “An Inconvenient Truth”) and Participant Media, captures the essence of what it means to be a teacher through the lens of a year-in-the-life of four public school teachers. Hosted by Queen Latifah, TEACH will give an intense and emotional illustration of how passion, innovation and a toolbox of learned skills drive these educators as they navigate the ups and downs of the 2012-2013 school year. Viewers will go into the public school district classrooms of: Matt Johnson, a 4th grade teacher at McGlone Elementary, Denver; Shelby Harris, 7th grade math teacher at Kuna Middle School, Kuna, Idaho; Joel Laguna, a 10th grade AP World History teacher at Garfield High, Los Angeles; and Lindsay Chinn, a 9thgrade algebra teacher at MLK Early College, Denver.

TEACH, a film by Davis Guggenheim, is a Participant Media Presentation of a Pivot Original, and a Little Room production. It was co-written with David Wild, executive produced by Jeff Skoll and produced by Lisa Zimble and Shannon Dill.

About Participant Media
Participant (participantmedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant’s more than 40 films include GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, SYRIANA, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., WAITING FOR ‘SUPERMAN’, THE HELP, CONTAGION and LINCOLN. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network TakePart.com and Pivot, its new television network for Millennials, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.

About Pivot
Pivot (Pivot.tv), which launched nationally August 1st, is a new television network from Participant Media serving passionate Millennials (18-34) with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. Pivot focuses on entertainment that sparks conversation, inspires change and illuminates issues through engaging content and, through its website TakePart.com, connects audiences to a wealth of content and customizable actions. Pivot is also changing the media landscape, available via traditional Pay TV subscription and integrating a Live and on demand streaming option via its interactive, downloadable Pivot APP. In both content and delivery, Pivot is TV for The New Greatest Generation. Follow Pivot on Twitter at @pivot_tv and on Facebook atfacebook.com/pivottelevision.

About TEACH.org
Half of America’s teachers will be eligible to retire over the next decade. We have an urgent need and unprecedented opportunity to drive the transformation of K-12 education by encouraging and empowering our nation’s most talented students to teach. TEACH is leading the movement to recruit the next generation of teachers by redefining the profession as a top career choice. This public-private partnership includes the U.S. Department of Education, leading U.S. companies like Microsoft and State Farm, education organizations and teacher associations. Learn how you can get involved at TEACH.org.