Upper Saddle River, NJ – March 18, 2008—The education company Pearson was awarded the contract from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to provide elementary reading programs for its schools around the world. The estimated value of the contract over 5 years is approximately $12 million. The reading programs, from Pearson’s elementary school publisher Scott Foresman are:

• Reading Street, for DoDEA’s Integrated Reading Program, PK-Gr.6.
• Decodable Readers Bookshelf Collection, Reading Street, for DoDEA Decodable Text Collections Program, K-2.
• My Sidewalks, for DoDEA Three-Tier Literacy Intervention Program, K-2.

Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana said, “Through this contract, Pearson Education is providing the children of our servicemen and women with some of the best reading tools available, and helping the Department of Defense ensure that these students have access to the quality education they deserve.”

DoDEA's schools serve the children of military service members and Department of Defense civilian employees throughout the world, operating 199 schools in 14 districts located in 12 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Solidly anchored in the most current scientific research, Reading Street was the top-selling elementary reading program in the U.S. in 2007. The curriculum focuses on the priority skills that are proven to be indicators of reading success identified by the National Reading panel: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Since its launch in 2006, school districts around the nation have documented significant improvements in reading comprehension skills for their students learning with the Reading Street curriculum.

My Sidewalks is a reading intervention program designed to provide explicit and intensive instruction to meet the individual needs of struggling readers. Developed by leading experts, My Sidewalks on Scott Foresman Reading Street is intended for students who need Tier III - intensive - intervention that is provided outside of their core reading program.

The agreement continues Pearson’s relationship with the DoDEA. In 2007, Pearson Longman for ESL was awarded a contract for use in DoDEA schools throughout the world. Adopted programs included Pearson Longman’s Pockets and Backpack for DoDEA preK and K-5 students, Shining Star for students in grades 5-8, and NorthStar for high school students. DoDEA also adopted in 2007 Prentice Hall’s Realidades Spanish program for their DoDEA Foreign Language Program, Level I-III Spanish.

About Pearson

Pearson (NYSE: PSO) is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12, Pearson provides effective and innovative curriculum products in all available media, educational assessment and measurement for students and teachers, student information systems, and teacher professional development and certification programs. The company’s respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, TeacherVision and many others. Pearson’s comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

Contact:

Rod Granger
Pearson
212-641-6114
rod.granger@pearson.com