New division will offer broad range of support in school improvement, human capital development, and program implementation

New York, NY, June 23, 2010 – Scholastic Education, a division of Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced the creation of Scholastic Achievement Partners™ (SAP). This new group of professionals will provide advice, consultation and a full complement of services to help school district leaders tackle their toughest challenges in improving schools, developing the skills and expertise of teachers and leaders, and effectively implementing academic improvement initiatives. The SAP team will be organized around two practice areas:

• Scholastic School Improvement Services™ (SIS), offering wrap-around services to schools seeking to bolster student performance and build human capital.
• Implementation Services (IS), offering comprehensive program and project management support to help districts effectively implement literacy and math improvement initiatives

“For more than a decade, our proven intervention programs have helped children become better readers and do better in math,” said Margery Mayer, President of Scholastic Education. “While these skills are central to any school reform effort, we know that district leaders are facing an increasingly diverse array of challenges in turning around low performing schools and investing in the skills of their staff. In this complex academic landscape, we are excited to expand the range of areas in which we can partner with districts to help every student realize his or her academic potential.”

Scholastic School Improvement Services (SIS) will implement a research-based framework for whole school reform that is proven effective and designed to create lasting change and success. A key element of this new team is a deep partnership with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), well-known for its history of helping schools and districts implement the organizational changes necessary to build a culture of excellence in their buildings.

“Since its inception, ICLE has provided professional development, executive coaching and leadership training to schools across the country,” said Bill Daggett, Chief Executive Officer of ICLE. “The marriage of our approach with the full range of Scholastic resources will offer a complete package of services to schools seeking an all-inclusive strategy for reform.”

Implementation Services (IS), meanwhile, will build on Scholastic’s already established efforts in helping districts successfully implement comprehensive reading and math intervention programs, centered on Scholastic’s READ 180®, System 44®, Expert 21™ and Do the Math® programs.

“In our more than 10 years of partnering with districts to successfully implement academic interventions, we have developed a clear sense of what works and what doesn’t,” said Duncan Young, Senior Vice President, Scholastic Achievement Partners. “With an incredibly talented group of professionals, we look forward to building on these efforts to help district and school leaders succeed in raising student achievement.”

For more information about Scholastic, visit our Media Room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

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Contact: Dina Paul-Parks, Scholastic, 212.343.6424 / dpparks@scholastic.com