Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Launches California Teachers’ Network Facebook Community
California teachers can enter to win $1,000 in education materials by sharing how they teach students about the importance of giving back this holiday season
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — December 10, 2009 — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt today announced the launch of an online community designed specifically for California teachers on the popular social networking website Facebook. The “California Teachers’ Network” was created to provide educators with an online forum to discuss education issues, new education technologies and share tips that enhance learning in the classroom. The site takes teacher collaboration beyond the traditional school site and district boundaries allowing teachers from across California the opportunity to share ideas about the best ways to educate students. Teachers will also be able to interact with authors of the Company’s various academic publications.
“Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is committed to innovation and harnessing the latest technologies to help teachers collaborate,” John Sipe, Vice President of K–12 Sales for HMH’s California Region, said. “To launch the site, we’re inviting teachers to share how they are teaching students the importance of giving back during the holiday season. The most compelling entry will earn $1,000 worth of education materials.”
Providing collaborative and collegial opportunities can help improve performance, according to several academic studies including a 2006 RAND Corporation study and a survey of 2,000 California teachers by researcher Ken Futernick in 2007. HMH’s move to enhance teacher communication via social networking platforms is the latest example of the Company’s commitment to delivering the latest technology solutions to help California schools and teachers.
HMH has also created Learning Village, a customized technology platform that allows school districts to compile and organize free and standards based materials, lesson plans and other teacher-created instructional materials. HMH’s DataDirector™ technology helps educators make sense of a huge range of data to provide longitudinal tracking and reporting of student assessment data, student demographic data and program/event attendance, as well as professional development activities, paraprofessional activities and student grades and teacher data.
“Technology will play a critical role in the ongoing effort to improve education from the way teacher’s teach, how students learn and how progress is measured. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is committed to investing to develop the best academic technology to ensure that every school has the best tools with which to serve California communities,” Sipe concluded
Visit the California Teachers’ Network. View the HMH Holiday Contest.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world’s largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.
CONTACT:
Margeaux Esler
Randle Communications
916-448-5802
mesler@randlecommunications.com
Josef Blumenfeld
Vice President, Communications
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
617-351-5432
josef.blumenfeld@hmhpub.com