New York, NY (September 25, 2006) -- The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the preeminent organization of middle level and high school principals and school leaders, and Scholastic Education, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, are collaborating to bring research-based online professional development in literacy leadership to the nation’s middle and high school principals.
 
SCHOLASTIC RED® Professional Development has developed a suite of online professional development courses to help all middle school and high school teachers, literacy coaches, and principals meet the literacy needs of striving readers.  The suite, Foundations of Adolescent Literacy: A Professional Development Program for the Whole School, includes a course for all middle and high school teachers, Strategies for All Secondary Teachers; a course for secondary literacy coaches, Supporting Secondary Teachers in Literacy Instruction; and a groundbreaking new course for principals and school leaders, Leading a Literacy-Focused School.  The faculty on Leading a Literacy Focused School includes Dr. Mel Riddile, 2006 MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year, and Dr. Melvina Phillips, NASSP consultant for Literacy and Professional Development and author of Creating a Culture of Literacy, a landmark publication from NASSP on middle and high school literacy reform.
 
“We are proud to collaborate with NASSP to bring this innovative professional development program to middle and high school principals, coaches and teachers,” said John Lent, Vice President, Professional Development at Scholastic Education. “Foundations of Adolescent Literacy will provide secondary principals an action plan and the practical tools and resources they need to get their schools laser focused on raising reading levels and achievement for all students.”
 
“According to recent research, ensuring that students have sound reading skills is one of the most important things teachers and administrators can do,” said NASSP executive director Gerald N. Tirozzi.  “We are pleased to be collaborating with Scholastic, an industry leader in children’s publishing and a pioneer in reading and literacy, on this groundbreaking program. Our combined expertise in school administration and adolescent literacy makes for a viable and timely educational resource for secondary school leaders.”
Foundations of Adolescent Literacy, along with all SCHOLASTIC RED courses, is aligned to national and state professional development standards and correlated to all major reading programs.  Teachers, coaches, and principals complete online lessons and then come together in facilitated study groups to reflect on their learning, share student work, and practice strategies modeled in the courses by master practitioners.  Every SCHOLASTIC RED course is accredited by RED’s university partners for graduate credit.
 
Nationwide, 92% of all teachers who use SCHOLASTIC RED complete their courses, 99% would recommend SCHOLASTIC RED to other teachers and 100% of the districts that use SCHOLASTIC RED continue to offer additional RED courses to their teachers year after year.
 
More than 20,000 teachers in over 300 school districts have participated in SCHOLASTIC RED Professional Development. 
 
For more information visit www.scholasticred.com or www.nassp.org  
 
About National Association of Secondary School Principals
Celebrating 90 years of excellence in school leadership, NASSP is the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders. NASSP provides its members with the professional resources to serve as visionary leaders.  NASSP promotes the intellectual growth, academic achievement, character development, leadership development, and physical well being of youth through its programs and student leadership services.  NASSP administers the National Honor Society™, National Junior Honor Society™, and National Association of Student Councils™.  For more information, visit www.principals.org.
 
About Scholastic Education
Scholastic Education is a leader in the education marketplace, providing learning solutions for students through research-based technology products and multimedia supplemental instructional materials that support student achievement in grades pre-K through high school.  Grounded in the most current scientific research, Scholastic Education develops technology products and services that include instruction, intervention, assessment, instruction, data management and professional development.
 
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.  Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys.  The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com.

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