Atlanta, GA, May 5, 2008 – Created to help teachers and students close the academic achievement gap, Pearson's Words Their Way™: with English Learners is launching at this week's International Reading Association (IRA) conference in Atlanta, GA. Program authors Donald Bear and Lori Helman are hosting events and holding book signings in Pearson's booth # 1345 during the conference.

Part of the well respected Words Their Way™: Word Study in Action series, the new K-5 program builds and expands spelling, vocabulary, and word-recognition skills, giving English Language Learning students a solid foundation to master the English language. It provides hands-on learning experience by sorting words and pictures into specific categories such as concepts, letters, syllables, spelling patterns, and sounds. The program offers opportunities for individual, small-group, and whole-class instruction in regular, bilingual and dual-language programs and monitors progress and guides instruction with weekly assessments.

Every state is focused on the need to address this issue. In California, where the English Language Learner population is particularly high, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell delivered his fifth annual State of Education Address and discussed his plan to help close the state's achievement gap "that exists between students who are white and students of color, as well as with English learners, students in poverty, and students with disabilities." O'Connell also said, "This gap threatens the future competitiveness of our state in this demanding global economy."

Also at IRA, Pearson will have over 20 other presentations featuring renowned authors like Jon Scieszka, Joetta Beaver, Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Freddy Hiebert. Topics include Motivating Boys to Read, Building the Literacy Community, Supporting Fluency and many more.

About Pearson
Pearson 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. Our respected brands include NovaNET, SuccessMaker, Waterford, KnowledgeBox, Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, PowerSchool, TeacherVision and many others. Our 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:
Matt Murphy
(480) 457-6024 or (480) 294-3959
Matt.Murphy@Pearson.com