BOSTON – March 26, 2020 – Learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt today detailed the comprehensive support efforts now in place for educators, students and school districts navigating the challenges of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To enable continued access to high-quality materials, keep educators and students connected, and support the community at large with meaningful, engaging free educational resources, HMH has established a wide-ranging collection of flexible learning opportunities and offerings on its centralized online response hub.
“The level of disruption facing our education system nationwide is unprecedented, and we want the educators we serve to know that we are here for them. The safety of our employees and customers is our top priority, and we are squarely focused on providing the flexibility and support necessary to help our entire community through this challenging time,” said Jack Lynch, CEO, HMH. “HMH’s deep commitment to delivering connected learning solutions that are effective, engaging and equitable is more important than ever.”
HMH’s efforts to support customers and communities include:
- Flexible curriculum access and virtual professional development delivery: HMH will expand access for districts using its programs and services, including free additional digital licensing, renewals and extensions through the summer, liberal permissions to deliver content in additional formats and forms, including print where needed, and virtual delivery of professional services and coaching for educators. All information is detailed at hmhco.com/learningsupport.
- Use of AI-driven personalized learning platforms Waggle, Writable and Amira: HMH is offering district administrators temporary use of its personalized learning solutions Waggle (adaptive math and literacy instruction and practice, grades 3-8), Writable (writing skills practice, grades 3-12) and Amira Learning (early literacy assessment and practice, grades K-3). These online tools will be offered for no additional charge and are ideal for virtual learning, providing real-time insight and feedback to continue the momentum of classroom learning and keep students and teachers connected. Full details can be found here.
- Free daily activities and learning tasks for continued at-home learning: Drawing upon their own experience supporting at-home learning due to school closures, HMH’s K-12 learning architects and services professionals are sharing their favorite resources and strategies to help teachers and families support continued learning in math and ELA (K-12). New activities and learning tasks will be released daily and added to a growing collection of existing resources that are completely free to all.
- Expert, targeted support for superintendents: The International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) and The School Superintendents Association (AASA) have partnered to provide fee webinars that offer advice and strategies on the most critical issues leaders are facing in this current landscape. Topics include successful distance learning and leading through times of crisis.
- For Heinemann customers, comprehensive, teacher-centric support: Heinemann has launched a weekly e-newsletter with online teaching resources, advice from its author community, new opportunities for professional development and ways for teachers to connect with peers and work together to pursue excellence even in adversity. In-person workshops have been moved to virtual delivery and Heinemann authors are providing guidance around online delivery of their curricular resources. Ongoing updates may be found here.
- Urgent book donations for at-home learning: HMH has made urgent donations of 65,000 books (with more to come) to partners at First Book and Save the Children, who are supporting students without access to the internet with quality books at home.
- HMH Books & Media open read-aloud permission for teachers and librarians: HMH Books & Media, home to nearly two centuries of award-winning literature for adults and children, is granting an open permission to educators and librarians who would like to use HMH books to engage their students and community remotely through virtual storytelling and read-aloud opportunities.
- Expanded support services: HMH has extended technical support service hours to ensure schools have real-time support as they shift to remote learning and teaching models.
HMH is working daily with customers and will continue to assess critical learning needs, providing responsive support for districts, teachers and students. Additional resources will be made available, and updates will be posted regularly at hmhco.com/learningsupport.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a learning company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K–12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students’ potential and extend teachers’ capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 3 million educators in 150 countries, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com
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Leah Riviere
Senior Communications Manager
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
617-351-5020