Anaheim, CA (October 22, 2003) -- Quality Education Data, Inc. (QED), a leading education market research and database firm, announced today at the National School Boards Association's T+L2 Conference that it is presenting its annual Technology Leadership Awards for 2003 to Apple Computer, Inc. and Dell Inc., the top sellers of computers to K-12 school districts in the U.S.
 
Dell, which holds 27% of installed base and 37% of intent to purchase market, is the leading supplier of desktop and laptop computers using the Windows operating system. The other leader, Apple Computer, with 28% of installed base and 30% of intent to purchase, sells Macintosh computers with its own proprietary operating system.
 

 
“Schools have long purchased more Apple computers than have most segments of the market,” said Jeanne Hayes, President of QED. “Dell's success in providing strong K-12 education solutions has continued to grow during this school year.”
 
QED is also presenting awards to Pearson Digital Learning and Chancery Software Ltd, in recognition of their dominance in Student Information Systems (SIS) already in place in schools, with 28% and 27% of installed based, respectively. SIS programs report attendance, grades and test scores for each student. According to QED, school districts are planning to make significant investments in these programs to meet new state and federal requirements for more robust reporting of students' progress by socio-economic status, ethnic background and other characteristics. In this growing area of investment, no clear industry leader for future purchases has emerged.
 

 
“Even though we know that districts plan to purchase about $300 million worth of SIS software systems in 2003-2004, the field is still too fragmented to recognize the market leaders yet,” said Hayes.
 
Other 2003 Technology Leadership Award winners are:
 
Instructional Management Software: Renaissance Learning was the leading company for instructional management software, both in installed base (35% of districts) and in intent to purchase (18% of districts).
 
Multi-Student License Comprehensive Courseware: With 72% of districts planning to purchase Comprehensive Courseware in the 2003-2004 school year, the leaders are:

• Riverdeep Interactive Learning Ltd.
• Scholastic Inc.
• PLATO Learning, Inc.
• Pearson Digital Learning

“The increasing focus on subject-specific learning means that products such as Cornerstone and Skillsbank from Riverdeep, Read 180 from Scholastic, Plato Learning Systems from PLATO Learning and Successmaker and Destinations from Pearson Digital Learning are being used for whole-class and small-group instruction, rather than on a stand-alone basis. This growing usage demonstrates the strong focus on using technology as a tool to improve learning, rather than viewing technology as a stand-alone function in schools,” said Hayes.
 
QED's Technology Leadership Awards are given to the top-selling hardware and software companies, based on district-level technology coordinators' responses to QED's annual Technology Purchasing Forecast. QED's Forecast projects K-12 education technology spending and leading companies for both installed base and intent to purchase for the current school year.
 
This year, 446 district-level technology coordinators responded to the survey. The report also includes comparative data about both budget sources and relative importance of technology decision-makers, allowing marketers to develop plans and projections for the school year ahead. QED's 2003-2004 Technology Purchasing Forecast is currently available from QED. For more information, visit http://www.qeddata.com/pubs_Techforecast.htm.
 
 
Established in 1981 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, QED is a leading provider of K-12 and high education mailing lists, marketing services, and market research focused exclusively on the education market. QED Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Scholastic Inc., the global children's publishing and media company. QED's National Education Database™ provides comprehensive access to U.S. and Canadian educational institutions and is the core data resource that supports all QED products and services, including custom education market research, database design and annual research reports tracking critical educational trends. In 1997, QED introduced its National Registry of Teachers by Names, a database of over 4.3 million educators by name, telephone-verified at the school building level. In 2002, QED acquired The Heller Reports, adding a variety of news publications and the annual EdNET conference to its offering of products and services designed to help education marketers stay current on market trends.

Contacts: