News From the Iowa Caucuses Helps Launch Scholastic News Election 2012 Website

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic News^®, the market leader of newsmagazines for grades 1-6, and the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps™, a team of talented student reporters, ages 10-14, are launching the Scholastic News Election 2012 website with coverage of the Iowa Caucuses at www.scholastic.com/election. Honored for its 2008 election coverage with a min Best of the Web Award, the Scholastic News site provides age-appropriate news and information about the electoral process for use in the classroom and at home. The content, including coverage of the caucuses by three Iowa-based Scholastic News Kid Reporters, complements the comprehensive election coverage and teaching guides that will appear in issues of Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic^® magazines during the year. The Election 2012 website features stories written by Scholastic News editors as well as reporting by the Scholastic News Kid Reporters who will cover the candidates' campaign stops as well as the primaries and caucuses from their hometowns across the country. In addition to news coverage, the website includes an interactive map that provides up-to-date information on each state during the caucuses and primaries, and games such as "The Seven Hats of the President" to help kids learn about the responsibilities of the President.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100907/SCHOLASTICLOGO )

Students can also participate in polls on election topics and issues facing the country. In late August, the 2012 Scholastic Election Poll will open, and students will be able to "cast their vote" for President of the United States. Voting will take place online and through ballots made available in the 2012 back-to-school issues of Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic magazines. Since 1940, the outcome of the Scholastic Election Poll has mirrored the outcome of the general election in every election but two (in 1948 when students chose Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman and in 1960 when more students voted for Richard M. Nixon than John F. Kennedy). In the 2008 Election, a quarter of a million students in first through eighth grades participated in the poll.

"The Election 2012 website is a key supplement to the coverage we provide in our Classroom Magazines because it allows students to delve further into the electoral process and the issues surrounding the election," said Suzanne McCabe, Editor of Junior Scholastic magazine. "Starting with today's Iowa Caucus results and continuing through the November election and January's inauguration, this presidential election offers a terrific opportunity for students to experience history firsthand, and we know that the resources we provide on our website will help them appreciate and understand the process."

The Scholastic Election site is housed on Scholastic.com, the website of Scholastic Inc., the global children's publishing, education and media company, and the most trafficked website for teachers, with 1.6 million unique teacher visitors each week.

About Scholastic Classroom Magazines

Scholastic is the leading publisher of educational magazines, including news for kids, with 28 publications for grades pre-K-12, reaching more than 25 million students and teachers across the country. Teachers rely on these publications to enhance instruction in such subjects as reading and language arts, science, math, social studies, current events, history, geography, world languages, and art.

About the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps

The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps is a group of 59 young reporters, ages 10-14, from across the country. For more than eleven years, the Kid Reporters have covered "news for kids, by kids." Their stories appear online at the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website and in issues of Scholastic classroom magazines, including Scholastic News® and Junior Scholastic®.

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.