Arkansas State-wide Implementation of ExploreLearning Gizmos Exceeds Expectations

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- ExploreLearning, a business unit of Cambium Learning Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABCD), announced today that its partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education and the Northwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative to bring the company's award-winning online simulation library, called Gizmos, to middle school classrooms statewide, has far exceeded its first-year goals.

With funding provided by an Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant from the state, the Northwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative partnered with ExploreLearning in December 2009 to improve student achievement in Math and Science through the use of advanced classroom technology, including ExploreLearning Gizmos.  

Due to incredible demand from school districts across Arkansas, the partnership is now serving 450 Arkansas schools representing over 110,000 students.  To help teachers effectively integrate these tools into the curriculum, the partnership has also put on 133 training events all across Arkansas, with many more planned for the fall.  

Teresa Chance, an assistant director for the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative and project director for the EETT grant's Gizmo implementation says, "I am amazed by the number of applications to be part of the program!  The only things more satisfying are the stories I am hearing about the positive impact of Gizmos in the classroom.  Both the teachers and the students absolutely love them!"

David Shuster, Ph.D., founder and publisher of ExploreLearning, adds that "our involvement in the statewide project has been extremely gratifying. The leadership from the Northwest Arkansas Education Cooperative has been tremendous, and the project has been well supported by all of the Cooperatives and STEM Centers in the state.  Reports from the field confirm that the implementation is achieving its goals and is helping a great number of students to deepen their understanding of challenging math and science concepts.

About ExploreLearning

ExploreLearning.com is home to the world's largest library of interactive, online simulations for math and science in grades 3-12. With more than 450 Gizmos online, ExploreLearning's growing base of inquiry-based learning materials provides a powerful enhancement to the way teachers teach and students learn. Gizmos bring research-proven instructional strategies to classrooms in all 50 U.S. states, and in 31 countries around the world. ExploreLearning is a Charlottesville, VA-based business unit of Cambium Learning Group, Inc. [Nasdaq: ABCD] based in Dallas, TX. For more information, please visit http://www.explorelearning.com.

About Northwest Arkansas Educational Service Cooperative

Northwest Arkansas Educational Service Cooperative (NWAESC) provides educational services to member school districts in Northwest Arkansas beyond those they can provide for themselves. NWAESC places a high priority on service and believes in going the "extra mile" to anticipate and meet the needs of its districts, and help them achieve their educational goals. NWAESC's Professional Development Program provides administrators, teachers, and support staff with quality professional development opportunities that will expand knowledge and skills, and will develop strategies and techniques that will assist in improving student achievement.

SOURCE Cambium Learning Group, Inc.; ExploreLearning