Bringing creativity into any classroom with Khan Academy

Today, I’m excited to announce the launch of a major partnership between Adobe and Khan Academy.

Last October, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Sal Khan, the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, during Adobe MAX to discuss the state of education and what we were learning after a tumultuous year of (mostly) online school. During that conversation one of the things that really struck me was our shared vision for the future of education — where every student would be empowered with the skills, growth mindset, and creativity to achieve their goals.

Today, I’m excited to announce the launch of a major partnership with Khan Academy that increases access to creative and digital skills for teachers and underserved students across the world. Currently, Khan Academy reaches more than 120 million registered users. Our goal is to support the development of new, free online learning resources that foster creative and critical thinking skills, helping all students reach their potential and ultimately, be better prepared for college and career pathways.

As part of this partnership, Adobe is proud to be named Khan Academy’s Creativity Partner, co-creating learning resources including a free, self-paced course for educators titled “Teach Creativity with Adobe and Khan Academy,” and more than 100 free accompanying lesson plans and projects for all grade levels and subjects — from STEM, to humanities, to digital media and storytelling through high impact imagery, graphics and video.

The self-paced course for educators on the Adobe Education Exchange offers more than 20 lessons, a hands on assignment, and a certificate for 20 accredited professional learning hours. Throughout the year ahead, Khan Academy will be adding content in their teacher PD courses focusing on the importance of creative thinking and communication in STEM. Additionally, they will be creating 10 new videos and articles teaching students the importance of creative problem-solving.

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week (May 3 – 7), starting today and through May 17th, we are giving teachers an opportunity to win a creativity kit from Adobe or a “drop in” visit from Sal Khan for their class and students.

Adobe and Khan Academy are committed to working together to support students of all backgrounds by creating broad access to educational resources that will help them succeed in the future workforce. Today’s announcement builds upon activities and lessons we co-created for teachers in response to classes shifting to remote learning called “Khan and Create” last March.

In a year that upended pretty much everything we knew about teaching and learning, Sal’s powerful words resonate: “Our goal is to accelerate learning on a global scale. I believe there is vast and untapped potential for millions of new students to join the flourishing creativity economy. We are grateful for Adobe’s support in reaching those kids. Creative problem solving and creative thinking can help students reach new heights in school, open up college and career opportunities, and ultimately achieve new levels of personal wellbeing.”