Dive Summary:

• Microsoft is adding an additional $250 million into its ed-tech professional development program, Partners In Learning Project.
• In additions to training teachers in IT and other "21st Century Skills," the program--which has been in operation since 2003 and is the corporate extension of chairman Bill Gates' philanthropic work with his wife, Melinda--also works on digital inclusion programs with governments and is connected to the company's YouthSpark education initiative.
• With the latest investment, Microsoft is expected to extend the program's global footprint and reportedly wants to increase the number of teachers involved to 20 million by 2018.

From the article:

Microsoft today added another $250 million to its Partners In Learning Project, a global professional development program it has created to equip teachers with the skills they need to teach IT and other future-looking subjects. Microsoft has been running this program since 2003 and to date has invested $750 million in the project. It is a bit of soft diplomacy/marketing for Microsoft — education, after all, is one of Microsoft’s target verticals for its software and IT services businesses. ...