The top three stories of 2008 in the PreK-12 educational publishing industry were: 1. The transformation of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through combining operations into a single K-12 division and selling off other divisions to pay down debt. 2. Leadership changes at the top of McGraw-Hill Education and Pearson, with new presidents appointed at both major publishers. 3. Pearson's expansion into international markets through the acquisition of English-language schools in China.

1. Volume 40, Number 1 | Jan. 5, 2009
EM’s Top PreK-12 Stories of 2008
As the PreK-12 educational publishing industry launches
into a new year, EM reviews the top stories of 2008
that are likely to resonate in 2009:
#1. Transformation of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Under Way:
Houghton Miffl in Harcourt (Boston) combined operations
of most of its previously siloed school business into
a single K-12 division comprising School Publishers, Holt
McDougal, HMH Supplemental Publishers, Heinemann,
International and Learning Technologies. Th e transformation
and the need to pay down debt resulted in the
sale in May of the Houghton Miffl in College division to
Cengage Learning and spawned the prospect of the sale
of the Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Trade division. (Dec.
8, Nov. 24)
#2. New Leadership at McGraw-Hill, Pearson:
New leadership took over at McGraw-Hill Education
(New York) and Pearson (London and New York) amid
restructuring and reorganization at both publishers.
McGraw-Hill named Peter Davis, who since 2006 has
been executive vice president of global strategy for
McGraw-Hill Cos., president of McGraw-Hill Education,
succeeding Henry Hirschberg, who retired. At Pearson,
Peter Cohen, previously CEO of Educate (Baltimore), was
tapped to be CEO of Pearson’s U.S. School Curriculum

2. Group, succeeding Martha Smith. At the helm of the
realigned U.S. education businesses as a K-16 group is
Will Ethridge, formerly president and CEO of Pearson
Higher Education, International and Professional. Steve
Dowling, who was president and CEO of Pearson School
Cos., was named senior vice president corporate development
and president of Pearson Inc. (New York), the
legal entity of Pearson in the U.S. (Sept. 1, March 31)
#3. Pearson Acquires Chinese English-Language
Schools:
Pearson’s (London and New York) rising international
focus expanded with the acquisition of the LEC chain
of 15 schools in China that provide private English-language
instruction to students age 5-12. (May 12)
#4. Green Comma Launches:
Arising from a period of consolidation and restructuring,
Green Comma (Somerville, Mass.) was launched by
educational publishing veterans Tom Barber and Amit
Shah as a strategy company focused on developing
social studies basal and supplemental print and digital
products. (Nov. 10)
#5. McGraw-Hill Solutions Debuts Math Connects:
Th e McGraw-Hill Education School Solutions Group
(New York) launched Math Connects, the group’s fi rst
vertically aligned program for grades PreK-8 developed
through both Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Glencoe/
McGraw-Hill. (March 3)
#6. CA Begins Reading Adoption Amid Cautious Math
Buying:
Th e California state Board of Education adopted 33
of 35 reading and language arts textbooks submitted
under 15 imprints from six publishers in fi ve categories,
creating a competitive list for schools to begin purchasing

3. in spring 2009. Th e state approval came as districts
demonstrated cautious purchasing of math textbooks in
2008; among 20 of the largest districts that EM tracked,
10 districts reported they were piloting programs this
year or postponing purchasing in one or all of the segments.
(Nov. 24)
#7. Haights Cross Restructures:
Streamlining operations and cutting costs, Haights
Cross (White Plains, N.Y.) cut 74 positions at Triumph
Learning, its test prep and intervention business, or
about 20% of the workforce. With the sales of Oakstone
Publishing and Sundance/Newbridge behind it, Haights
Cross still has Triumph Learning and Recorded Books
on the market. (Dec. 8)
#8. Princeton Review to Sell K-12 Services:
Princeton Review expected to close the sale of its K-12
Services business in December, divesting an operation
that is not directly aligned with the company’s core college
and graduate school admissions test preparation
business or growing supplemental education services
opportunity. (Dec. 8)
#9. Questar Assessment Delists Common Stock:
Questar Assessment (Brewster, N.Y.) terminated the registration
of its common stock, which had been trading at
about $2 per share on the OTC Bulletin Board. Th e PreK-
12 assessment fi rm sought to invest in growth rather