Verizon Innovative Learning Reaches New Milestones, Expanding Doughboy Foundation’s WWI Education Outreach
Published: 26 February 2025
By Theo Mayer
Education Program Manager
The Doughboy Foundation
On February 20, 2025, Verizon Innovative Learning announced it has now reached 8.5 million students, moving closer to its goal of empowering 10 million learners by 2030. For the 2024–2025 school year, the initiative welcomed 34 additional schools and school systems, expanding its network beyond 590.
New Participating Districts
Among the latest additions are:
Expanding in Existing Networks:
- Chicago Public Schools (IL)
- Compton Unified School District (CA)
- Kansas City Public Schools (MO)
- Orange Public Schools (NJ)
New Districts Welcomed:
- Allentown School District (PA)
- Bastrop Independent School District (TX)
- Dove Schools (OK)
- LISA Academy Public Charter Schools (AR)
- Vineland Public Schools (NJ)
Verizon Innovative Learning & Doughboy Foundation Partnership
In late 2021, the Doughboy Foundation formed a strategic partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning, a corporate social responsibility initiative committed to integrating cutting-edge, technology-driven resources into the U.S. education system. By spring 2022, a formal agreement was in place, embedding the Doughboy Foundation’s humanities-based educational technology (EdTech) resources within Verizon’s primarily STEM-focused content.
Through this partnership, the Doughboy Foundation gained an essential platform to connect with thousands of educators seeking interactive, historically rich teaching materials—helping bring history to life for a new generation of learners.
This collaboration was further recognized when the Doughboy Foundation’s WWI teaching resources received the 2024 EdTech Award for Best Social Studies Solution, an accolade highlighting the program’s innovative approach and the strength of this partnership.
A Forgotten Chapter in American History
These educational materials stem from a concentrated effort initiated by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission (WWI Commission) during the WWI Centennial period (2014–2019).
Led by Commissioner Dr. Libby O’Connell, the Commission convened scholars, educators, and historians to address a major gap in U.S. history education: the United States’ role in World War I. Despite its profound and lasting impact, WWI had largely faded from collective memory—and from textbooks.
When the WWI Centennial commemoration concluded in 2019, the Doughboy Foundation took the initiative to preserve, expand, and distribute these resources, ensuring that students and educators had access to engaging, high-quality materials that highlight the war’s enduring legacy on America.
Key Educational Resources
✔ Missing Textbook Pages – A free to distribute 20-page digital eBook supplementing traditional U.S. and world history textbooks with core content on America’s role in WWI.
✔ How WWI Changed America – A nine-part educational series examining how this pivotal moment reshaped American culture, politics, economy, and society.
✔ Augmented Reality (AR) App – An interactive visitor guide for the new National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C., using AR technology to bring history to life.
✔ Virtual Explorer Version – A digital version of the WWI Memorial’s AR experience, allowing students and educators anywhere to explore the site remotely.
These resources offer an immersive, multimedia-driven learning experience, ensuring WWI history remains accessible, engaging, and relevant to today’s students.
📚 Explore WWI Teaching Resources: staging.doughboy.org/education/wwi-teaching-resources/
📚 Find WWI Lesson Plans on Verizon Innovative Learning: verizon.com/learning/lesson-plans/search?cid=DB&q=WWI
📲 Discover the WWI Memorial Apps: staging.doughboy.org/education/apps/
For further inquiries or more information about the Doughboy Foundation’s Education Outreach Program, visit staging.doughboy.org/contact/ and reach out to the Education Program Manager.
