New York, NY (April 3, 2003) -- In the 2001-2002 school year, 66 percent of K-12 public schools hired new classroom teachers, with an average of three newly hired teachers per school.1 To help these first-time teachers ease into the classroom, Scholastic.com, the most trusted online destination for educators, has created the New Teacher Site, at www.scholastic.com/newteacher. The free site offers unparalleled standards-based content, timesaving productivity tools, downloadable resources, professional development, and expert advice for PreK-8 teachers. In addition, new teachers can take advantage of exclusive educator pricing, with more than 50 percent off essential classroom materials at The Teacher Store at Scholastic.com.
 
“From juggling classroom management, to creating lesson plans, to preparing students for standardized tests, the first year of teaching can be both exciting and overwhelming to new teachers,” said Victor Aluise, Vice President, Scholastic Internet Group. “With 96 percent of teachers using the Internet as a teaching aide, Scholastic.com provides first-year teachers with a single online source for all of their teaching needs. The New Teacher Site gives beginning educators all of the curriculum, content, professional and personal development tools they need to start their first year off right.”
 
FREE CLASSROOM MATERIALS at the New Teacher Site on Scholastic.com: First-year teachers spend an average of $701 out-of-pocket on classroom materials- more than double the average amount that teachers receive in discretionary funding from their school and/or district (average = $332.50). To offset the costs of setting up a new classroom, Scholastic.com provides all new teachers with a $10 Coupon towards books from Scholastic Book Clubs, when they sign up at www.scholastic.com/newteacher. In addition, first-time teachers can receive a complementary copy of Instructor New Teacher, a leading professional magazine focused on the needs of new teachers. Educators can order a free copy of Instructor New Teacher through www.scholastic.com/newteacher.
 
FREE CURRICULUM RESOURCES at the New Teacher Site on Scholastic.com: New teachers starting careers in grades PreK-8 can prepare lessons and activities, and fulfill all of their curriculum needs online. New educators will find:

• The Teacher Toolkit -This timesaving suite of web tools helps new educators create customized lesson plans, assignments, tests, quizzes and presentations. The Teacher Toolkit features a comprehensive database of state-by-state standards to enable educators to align all created curriculum materials to specific state standards. Starting July 3, 2003 on Scholastic.com, teachers can participate in an interactive, online summer workshop to help them create effective lesson plans and resources to use in their classrooms this fall.
• Classroom Homepage Builder­ - Teachers can create a customized classroom homepage using the easy step-by-step tutorial. Through the homepage, the teacher can give parents up-to-date classroom reports, recommend book lists and web sites, post homework reminders and links to classroom assignments, and offer suggestions on how to encourage academic success in the home.
• Best Practices for Reading Instruction and Themed Resources - The New Teacher Site features a variety of timely, comprehensive lessons and activities based on high-interest teaching themes. Resources include: professional articles and teaching methods for building successful readers, thematic activities, lesson writing assignments, rubrics, online interviews, research projects, and more.
• Printable Teacher Calendar - A printable calendar features special online chats and web activities to help teachers plan lessons in advance, in a month-by-month format.

 
ONE-STOP SHOPPING at THE TEACHER STORE on Scholastic.com
New educators can shop The Teacher Store for convenient one-stop shopping for every classroom and professional development need at exclusive educator pricing, with discounts more than 50 percent off. New teacher products available at The Teacher Store include:

• Easy and Effective Ways to Communicate with Parents - This must-have guide for teachers of grades 3-5 offers practical techniques and tips for parent conferences, open houses, notes home and more, to make every interaction with parents a positive and productive one. (Paperback: $10.95.
• The New Teacher's Complete Sourcebook - These success guides for teachers-one for grades K-4 and one for grades 5 and up-provide strategies for maximizing learning in the classroom, preparing dynamite lesson plans, creating an effective classroom management plan and other tips for tackling the first year. (Paperback: $17.95 each).
• New Teacher Collection - This resource pack for teachers contains 27 trade book titles, a leveled literature index, and a guide for building successful readers. There are six collections, one each for grades 1-6. (Paperback Collection: $54.95 each.)

 
About Scholastic.com
Scholastic.com is the leading website for PreK-8 teachers, students and families. For educators, The Teacher Resource Center offers free, standards-based content that spans reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science. It includes thousands of teacher-tested lesson plans; engaging student online activities; tools for the creation of free, personalized classroom homepages; and online ordering for Book Clubs and Software Clubs. The Teacher Store at Scholastic.com is a unique online shopping experience that features an extensive, relevant selection of classroom and professional development materials at preferred teacher-pricing. For parents and families, The Scholastic Store Online offers a broad mix of merchandise carefully selected for its developmental appropriateness and kid appeal, with learning benefits endorsed by a panel of early childhood experts. A robust Family area on the site facilitates home-to-school connections through sections entitled “What's Up At School” and “Smart Parenting.” Kids will be delighted to find games and activities featuring their favorite Scholastic characters on Scholastic.com, including Clifford the Big Red Dog^TM, Harry Potter and Captain Underpants.

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