Pearson Announces New Online Education Services for Grades K-12

COLUMBIA, Md., June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson, which delivers Connections Academy, the full-time online school program for grades K-12, has announced today a collection of new online learning solutions to meet the growing and complex needs of K-12 educators and families in the wake of CV-19.

"Our first response to CV-19 in March was to quickly share online teaching and learning resources with educators and families -- some of our best practices from twenty years supporting full-time online schools. Now, we've invested in bringing more holistic online learning programs to schools and families. As trusted partners, we can help educators every step of the way deliver quality online learning to students who may need, or want, to learn from home," said Tom ap Simon, managing director for Pearson's Online & Blended Learning division.

Pearson's five new services for school districts include:

1. A turnkey Virtual School in a Box, for school districts seeking a full-time, district-run online school program; complete with online courses, a world-class technology platform (learning management system), and professional development for teachers.  
2. The District Backup Plan helps districts move quickly between online and in-person instruction with access to the essential courses needed to support quality online education through intermittent closures.
3. CoursewarePLUS provides the greatest flexibility for districts to build their own program -- founded on Pearson's catalog of online courses and technology platform, with options for additional support services as needed to serve students.
4. Developed by Pearson online education experts, the Teaching for Impact Professional Development course is for district teachers who want to improve their online teaching skills and is designed to work with any platform (platform agnostic).
5. The Special Populations Consultation Service provides consultation to Special Education Administrators and Professionals on best practices in designing, implementing, and monitoring an online and/or blended program serving students with disabilities including students with Section 504 Plans, students with Individual Education Programs (IEP's), and more.

All solutions place emphasis on student engagement, from teaching best practices to activities embedded throughout the curriculum.

A new Parent Pulse Report shows that 91% of parents believe schools need to be better prepared to switch to virtual learning programs, while 81% of parents believe teachers need more training in online teaching. Ninety percent of parents feel that "this situation" [CV-19] will make online learning more commonplace in the future.

For students, online summer school is now available and offers over 100 flexible course options. For back-to-school, Connections Academy full-time online public schools are available in 29 states.  Pearson Online Academy is also available for students seeking an online private school option.

A pioneer in K-12 online schooling, Connections Academy consistently earns high marks from parents in its annual satisfaction survey. Ninety-four percent of parents recommend the schools to other families, while 95% tout the high-quality curriculum.

Connections Academy was built from the ground up for the online environment; over a million students across the US have received all or part of their K-12 education from a Connections Academy school.

For more information on district programs, please email [email protected] or visit go.pearson.com/OnlineLearningEfficacy

For families, visit https://www.connectionsacademy.com or https://www.pearsononlineacademy.com

For Media Inquiries:

Allison Bazin, [email protected], (609) 247-0275

About Pearson

We are the world's learning company with more than 22,500 employees operating in 70 countries. We provide content, assessment and digital services to learners, educational institutions, employers, governments and other partners globally. We are committed to helping equip learners with the skills they need to enhance their employability prospects and to succeed in the changing world of work. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people. Visit www.Pearson.com for more.

SOURCE Pearson

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