Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Enhances Spanish Curriculum Through Strategic Alliances

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, the leading content provider of secondary educational products, announces two strategic alliances with two firms -- Quia and Espasa Calpe -- to enhance middle and high school Spanish-language curricula through technology. Two new products -- Buen viaje! Interactive Workstation and eCoach Spanish CD-ROM -- will be available through these alliances.

To supplement Glencoe/McGraw-Hill's popular Buen viaje! Spanish language program, the Interactive Workstation provides an online version of the Buen viaje! workbook as well as a classroom management tool. eCoach is an interactive CD-ROM that offers students reinforcement and remediation to the textbook and workbook. Students can use eCoach to complete assignments in class or at home to help achieve mastery of the Buen viaje! content.

"The need to understand other languages and cultures has never been more important than it is today in the global economy," said Glencoe/McGraw-Hill president Steve McClung. "Given that reality, it is vital that American students receive every opportunity to excel in Spanish and other world languages. Both Quia and Espasa Calpe are well respected by Spanish teachers around the world. Through these partnerships, we are enhancing the world-language materials that help teachers teach and students learn."

Interactive Workstation Saves Teachers Time

Together with Quia, a renowned innovator in Web-based educational technology, Glencoe's Buen viaje! Interactive Workstation helps teachers with planning and grading. Teachers can easily distribute student assignments, track homework and scores, give quizzes, and provide games for added practice activities. Teachers also can check the class roster and view class statistics so that they can tailor instruction to the needs of any student.

Buen viaje! Interactive Workstation includes an online format of the curriculum's workbooks where students can complete assignments and practice activities. The workstation also has full audio support so students can actually hear the correct pronunciations of the Spanish they are learning via the Internet. Previously, Quia offered Spanish teachers online workstations; however, users created their own content. Glencoe, through its new alliance with Quia, is the only publisher that offers both the benefit of its proven content combined with a technology solution for Spanish teachers.

"We're pleased to partner with an established provider of education solutions like Glencoe/McGraw-Hill," said Jennifer Gu, vice president of development for Quia. "Together, we are offering materials that truly advance instructional effectiveness and classroom achievement."

eCoach Gives Students Added Practice

For students struggling with Spanish or who need additional practice, Glencoe will launch eCoach during the fall of 2005 through an alliance with Espasa Calpe, a well-known international Spanish curriculum technology developer. The CD-ROM includes interactive exercises that leverage varying strategies to reach all types of learners. Through eCoach, teachers receive the benefit of a virtual tutor in the classroom, saving them time and energy. Teachers also can recommend eCoach to parents to supplement the core program at home -- especially for those parents who don't speak Spanish.

"Espasa and Glencoe looked at the U.S. market and saw a need for a Spanish tutorial software program," said Michael Burke, director of the Spanish as a Foreign Language Division at Espasa. "Glencoe/McGraw-Hill is superior content, combined with our technology expertise, provides students with a better way to learn Spanish."

About Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill is a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of electronic and print products that inspires educational achievement in the pre-K through 12th grade, higher education and professional markets. McGraw-Hill Education is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 300 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2004 were $5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

About Espasa Calpe

The Espasa Calpe publishing company was founded in 1905 and joined the Planeta Group in 1992. It publishes a wide variety of books and online tools for teaching Spanish that are popular in Europe. Espasa Calpe is available online at http://www.esespasa.com/. (Click on the British flag in the top left-hand corner of the site for the English-language translation.)

About Quia Corporation

Quia's mission is to improve education through Web-based technologies. In 1998, it pioneered the "create-your-own" concept, giving instructors the ability to create customized educational software online, built around their own course materials and made available to students over the Web. This service, today used by more than a million educators, is available at http://www.quia.com/.

SOURCE: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: McGraw-Hill Education
April Hattori
+1-212-904-2078
april_hattori@mcgraw-hill.com
Tom Stanton
+1-212-904-3214
tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com

Web site: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/
http://www.esespasa.com/
http://www.quia.com/