Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - June 30, 2008

State of Georgia Department of Education Selects Learning Village, Operating on Microsoft SharePoint Platform

Next-generation Learning Village solution delivers 21st century curriculum management and resources to district teachers.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — June 30, 2008 — Today at the 2008 National Educational Computing Conference, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology (HMHLT) announced that the Georgia Department of Education will implement the Learning Village curriculum management solution operating on the Microsoft .Net SharePoint platform. This is part of a statewide effort to provide a unified framework for the delivery of high-quality educational experiences, resources and professional development that enhance and differentiate teaching and learning. The initial program launch will target the district’s ninth grade math teachers.

The Georgia Department of Education serves more than 1.5 million students among nearly 2,700 schools in grades pre-K–12, and employs over 100,000 teachers. The Department’s goal is to empower its educators — using Learning Village as the vehicle through which they can differentiate instruction, manage the vast array of learning resources, and inform and enrich instruction through increased collaboration and communication with students, teachers, parents and administrators.

Learning Village is a powerful K–12 enterprise curriculum management solution that promotes the delivery of 21st century skills. It enhances district-wide decision-making and curriculum planning by optimizing and organizing all assets via one central hub, which becomes the dashboard for driving all curriculum decisions in a consistent manner. Students and teachers can access a wealth of resources tailored to their individual styles and preferences, all in a collaborative and stable environment that draws on the best practices of the district. As a content-neutral enterprise portal, Learning Village permits open access to content or resources from any source — whether via third-party providers or via student- or teacher-generated content — creating flexibility and choice. In combination with the Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, Learning Village allows for easy integration with other applications, and supports scalability to large volumes of users with fast response times.

"By adopting Learning Village and the Microsoft SharePoint platform, we will be able to ultimately provide over 100,000 teachers with the resources they need to support our new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, in support of our vision to lead the nation in improving student achievement," said Travis Willard, Chief Information Officer, Georgia Department of Education. "Through an online community for collaboration, teachers will have access to best practices to personalize learning in an interactive environment."

The Georgia Department of Education is focused on providing the state-wide leadership necessary to ensure that all public students have the opportunity to succeed. By infusing the Learning Village enterprise technology into the daily learning environment and opening access for student, teacher and parent participation, the Department believes that it will accelerate learning, create consistency from school to school and district to district, extend the school day, stimulate involvement, and support continuous professional development. The Department will also begin offering Destination Math®, an interactive math solution, also from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology, to its ninth grade students across the district as a way to promote critical higher thinking mathematics skills.

"Learning Village is a transformational curriculum management solution that fosters strong accountability, and ensures that the investments schools and districts have made in content and technology are integrated, aligned and applied in ways that matter," said Scott Kirkpatrick, President of HMHLT. "With a strong track record of serving many of the nation’s leading districts, this new generation of Learning Village, now powered by Microsoft, promotes teaching and learning in ways not previously possible."

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education company with approximately $2.5 billion in combined revenue. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class pre-K–12 educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology (HMHLT) develops and delivers highly engaging, interactive pre-K–12 solutions that inspire excellence and innovation, and raise student achievement. With a rich portfolio of curriculum-based technology products and services in all subject areas, HMHLT provides a powerful, research-proven approach for integrating core and supplemental instruction, intervention, assessment and reporting, professional development, and school-to-home connections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology’s flagship brands include Destination Math^®, Destination Reading^®, Learning Village^®, the Edmark^® House Series, as well as well-known titles such as The Print Shop^®, Reader Rabbit^®, and Kid Pix^®. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology also offers the popular SkillsTutor^®, Earobics^® solutions. For more information, call 888-242-6747 or visit www.hmlt.hmco.com.