Pearson Canada Announces New Partnership with ASCD

Educators Will Now Have Access to ASCD's Premier Resources and Online Professional Development

TORONTO, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Pearson Canada, the education services and technology company, and ASCD, the global provider of programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner, today announced a distribution agreement providing the entire spectrum of Canadian educators access to ASCD's powerful professional development resources.

Through this new agreement, Pearson Canada will begin distribution of ASCD's extensive catalogue of professional books nationwide. Authored by global leaders in the world of education such as Robert Marzano, Carol Ann Tomlinson, and Heidi Hayes Jacobs, ASCD's books have been translated in 33 languages, providing educators around the globe a unique perspective on the trends shaping education today.

ASCD's PD in Focus^® online platform is also now available to Canadian schools through this partnership. PD in Focus offers educators on-demand access to hundreds of hours of high-impact videos, plus related resources and activities.

Designed to bring practical classroom applications to life, PD in Focus couples examples from contemporary teaching with insights from some of the most important voices in education today. With powerful search capabilities and discreet tagging, PD in Focus enables users to quickly find the material most relevant to their needs. And because it's web-based, users can access it anywhere there's an Internet connection, any time they need it—including from mobile devices and tablets.

"ASCD is pleased to partner with Pearson Canada," said ASCD executive director and CEO Dr. Gene R. Carter. "Together, we offer Canadian educators the variety of effective, high quality professional development resources they need to continue to meet the needs of today's constantly evolving student populations."

"Pearson Canada has a strong presence in the K-12 school market as a leading provider of professional development for teachers and school administrators. Our new partnership with a premier organization like ASCD enhances our profile and allows us to offer some very exciting new products and services to our Canadian customers," said Marty Keast, president of Pearson Canada's School Division.

About ASCD
ASCD is the global leader in developing and delivering innovative programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner. Comprising 150,000 members—superintendents, principals, teachers, professors, and advocates from more than 145 countries—the ASCD community also includes 58 affiliate organizations. The non-profit organization's diverse, nonpartisan membership is its greatest strength, projecting a powerful, unified voice to decision makers around the world. To learn more about how ASCD supports educators as they learn, teach, and lead, visit www.ascd.org.

About Pearson
Pearson is an international learning company with world-leading businesses in education, consumer publishing, and business information, focusing on education in the broadest sense of the word. It has more than 34,000 employees based in more than 60 countries, including approximately 660 people in three locations across Canada.

Pearson Canada's mission is to work side-by-side with provinces, districts, teachers, students, and parents to ensure that every child is prepared for a post-secondary education and career (NYSE: PSO). www.pearsoncanada.ca

SOURCE Pearson Education