Upper Saddle River, NJ - May 18, 2005 -- Pearson Education, the leader in educational publishing, is announcing the formation of the Strategic Partnerships Group within Pearson School Companies. The group will partner with U.S. school districts to develop customized solutions intended to improve student performance and related professional development.

These solutions include creating specific plans of support and action for districts tailored to their educational needs, and identifying those specific materials that will help students and educators attain the highest possible academic achievement.

"We asked ourselves: how can we be more effective for our customers, and not only help them define their goals, but help them to achieve them?" said Kathy Hurley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships Group. "The Strategic Partnerships Group's mission is to create a true collaborative process with school districts and educators throughout the country."

The Strategic Partnerships Group team includes Deborah deVries, Vice President, Strategic Market Development; and Joe Small, Vice President, Strategic Sales and Alliances.

Hurley will be in charge of the new group, while deVries will focus on partnership opportunities with other industry organizations and associations, and market development. Small will work closely with districts, determining their specific concerns and needs, and providing hands-on advice, guidance and assistance to help ensure Adequate Yearly Progress as mandated by NCLB.

To assist with its outreach to schools and districts, the Group has retained a team of consultants with experience at all levels of educational administration, and expertise in key areas of management, curriculum, professional development, assessment and testing.

The Consultant Team includes Joseph Bage, Adjunct Instructor for Fitchburg State College, MA and former Superintendent from Massachusetts; Fernando Elizondo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Elizondo Education Strategies, Inc., and former Superintendent from California; Donna Elmore, Dean of Education at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College; Dick Fairley, President of CRF & Associates; Joan Kowal, Superintendent in Residence at Nova Southeastern University/Fischler School of Education, FL, and former Superintendent in several large urban districts; Barbara Nielsen, former K-12 Education Advisor to Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina and former State Superintendent for South Carolina; Gloria Tejeda, former Deputy Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer for Hayward School District, CA; and Walter Tobin, former Superintendent from South Carolina and two-time South Carolina Superintendent of the Year.

"Pearson Education has done a tremendous job of pulling together a diverse group of experienced education consultants to help them fulfill their strategic partnership goals," said Nielsen. "It is encouraging to see a company with Pearson Education's reputation and stature reach out to school districts as a partner, rather than just as another vendor."

"Pearson Education is taking a step in the right direction," said Dr. Darline Robles, L.A. County Superintendent of Schools. "I fully support a meaningful dialogue on increasing student performance, and appreciate this effort to partner with districts in developing collaborative goals and solutions."

"We welcome the opportunity to partner with Pearson Education and its diverse educational portfolio in our ongoing mission to create the highest quality public education for all children," said Paul Houston, Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators, "and to continue to train highly qualified school leaders and educators."

About Pearson Education
Educating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.com) is the global leader in educational publishing, providing scientifically research-based print and digital programs to help students of all ages learn at their own pace, in their own way. While virtually all students in America learn from a Pearson program at some point in their educational career, about three million college students are currently pursuing their courses online using Pearson Higher Education's products. In the U.S., nearly 25,000 schools use Pearson technology to help instruct preK-12 students and manage how they are doing. Pearson provides schools customizable services to create, deliver, score and report educational assessments, both in print and online, that help promote learning. The company is home to such renowned publishing brands as Pearson Prentice Hall, Pearson Longman, Pearson Scott Foresman, Pearson Early Learning, Pearson Learning Group, Pearson Digital Learning, and Pearson Addison Wesley. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. In addition to Pearson Education, Pearson's primary operations include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

Contact:
Rod Granger
Pearson Education
212-782-3486
rod.granger@pearsoned.com