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<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG>Education Week today published an article on News
Corp's move into K-12 education which lays out the Murdoch / Klein overall plan,
of which partnering with AT&T around "interactive curricula" for tablet
computers is just one aspect. As would be expected, News Corp plans to jump into
the $1 trillion / year K-12 for-profit market whole hog.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG><FONT size=4><STRONG>"In talking with schools, News
Corp.'s name rarely comes up, Berger said, owing to the distance between
education and the phone-hacking scandal. Though Wireless Generation
did </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/09/14/03wirelessgen.h31.html"><FONT
size=4>lose a $27 million contract</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> in 2011
with New York State, and in a May interview with <EM>The New York
Times</EM> Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of
Teachers, </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/news-corporation-forms-new-brand-for-education-division/"><FONT
size=4>asked</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> "What parent would want
personal information about themselves and their children in the hands of Rupert
Murdoch, given the current circumstances?"</STRONG></FONT></DIV></STRONG></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV
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<H1 style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"
id=page-title class="asset-name entry-title"><FONT size=4>News Corp. Ed.
Division Moves Into K-12 Curriculum</FONT></H1>
<DIV style="COLOR: rgb(153,153,153); FONT-SIZE: 10px" class=asset-meta><FONT
size=4><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold"
class=byline>By <SPAN class="vcard author"><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); TEXT-DECORATION: none"
class="fn url" href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/">Jason
Tomassini</A></SPAN> on <ABBR class=published
title=2012-07-23T15:00:09-05:00>July 23, 2012 3:00
PM</ABBR> </SPAN><STRONG><SPAN
class=separator>|</SPAN> </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
id=Article-Comments-Count-25716
href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2012/07/news_corp_ed_division_moves_into_k-12_curriculum.html#comments"><FONT
size=4>3 Comments</FONT></A></DIV></DIV>
<DIV
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<DIV><FONT size=4><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>UPDATED</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Global media conglomerate News Corporation jump-started
its fledgling—and mostly quiet—education division today, </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_536.html"><FONT size=4>unveiling
Amplify</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG>, a new brand for its education business
that will include education software products and, in a surprising move,
curriculum development.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>The re-branded division will include three initial
focuses, beginning with pilot programs during the upcoming school
year:</STRONG></FONT></P>
<UL style="LIST-STYLE-POSITION: outside">
<LI><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.youtube.com/v/U_sMsaYDn8E"><FONT size=4>assessment and data
analysis</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG>, mostly through Wireless Generation,
the software company News Corp. purchased a majority stake of in 2010;
</STRONG></FONT>
<LI><FONT size=4><STRONG>a tablet-based </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.youtube.com/v/bsQUbr10Xbw"><FONT size=4>digital learning
platform</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> that will customize content,
assessments, and course materials to each student using performance data and
will be delivered, at least initially, through a partnership with AT&T;
</STRONG></FONT>
<LI><FONT size=4><STRONG>English language arts, science, and
math </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ADWIvJcqAzw"><FONT
size=4>curriculum</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG>, adapted to the Common Core
State Standards. The content will be licensed from other publishers or written
by Amplify in-house and combine text, interactive elements, and assessments to
adapt to individual students. </STRONG></FONT></LI></UL>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>"It's both a branding exercise, but beyond that it's an
introduction to our vision and where we're going," Joel I. Klein, the head of
the education division whose new title is Chief Executive Officer of Amplify,
said in an interview.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>While the assessment tools have been Wireless
Generation's bread-and-butter for several years, the tablet platform and
curriculum development marks a new direction for News Corp., one that places it
in competition with giant education companies such as Pearson and McGraw-Hill,
rather than just education-software providers.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>While Klein wouldn't mention any competitors by name,
it's clear that Amplify, like those larger companies, intends to offer a
complete range of services: curriculum content, the technology platforms through
which it is distributed, and the tools that allow students and teachers to get
more out of it.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>For its move into curriculum, Amplify will partner with
publishers such as Lapham's Quarterly and Lawrence Hall of Science at the
University of California-Berkeley, and develop its own content through Wireless
Generation. The content will be digital and interactive, but Klein suggested
some would be distributed digitally in the early going.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Amplify's tablet platform will be made available on
devices powered by AT&T broadband and wireless networks. The Associated
Press reports the schools won't have to pay to participate in the pilot program
but more information on school selection and how the product will end up in
classrooms will be released soon, according to </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.amplify.com/"><FONT size=4>Amplify's website</FONT></A><FONT
size=4><STRONG>.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Larry Berger, co-founder and executive chairman of
Wireless Generation, said in an intervierw that News Corp.'s investment in
curriculum is among the largest he's seen during his 20-year career, though
Berger would not disclose the monetary value of that investment.
Klein <EM>told the <EM>Wall Street Journal</EM></EM> that News
Corp.'s education division made $70 million in investments last
year.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>(Berger serves on the board of trustees of Editorial
Projects in Education, the nonprofit corporation that
publishes <EM>Education Week</EM>.)</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Since being purchased by News Corp., Wireless
Generation, which says it serves 3 million students in the United States, has
grown from about 400 employees to 830 employees. There hasn't been much news out
of the education division during that time. Last year, Klein, the former New
York City Schools Chancellor, was immediately thrust into a close advisory role
to News Corp. chief executive Rupert Murdoch during the </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/08/10/37newscorp-2.h30.html"><FONT
size=4>phone-hacking scandal</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> that rocked
News Corp.'s British newspaper division and the company. <BR><BR>When asked
if Amplify would have been unveiled much earlier if not for the phone-hacking
scandal, Klein scoffed. He said the company looked "thoroughly" into additional
acquisitions in education but decided instead to develop products through, and
invest in, Wireless Generation, which fueled its growth.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>"There's a difference between being in incubation mode
and being in hiatus mode," Berger said.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Since Klein </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.newscorp.com/news/news_533.html"><FONT
size=4>re-focused</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> all of his energy on
education in mid-June, there have been major changes at the company. News Corp.
recently decided to </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/marketplacek12/2012/06/news_corp_to_split_join_education_business_with_publishing.html"><FONT
size=4>split into two companies</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG>, one for its
lucrative film and television operations and another for its publishing
business. Education will be part of the latter. Over the weekend, News Corp.
chief executive Rupert Murdoch </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RUPERT_MURDOCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT"><FONT
size=4>resigned</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> his directorships of
several British newspapers, setting off speculation that those assets may be
sold.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>In talking with schools, News Corp.'s name rarely comes
up, Berger said, owing to the distance between education and the phone-hacking
scandal. Though Wireless Generation did </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/09/14/03wirelessgen.h31.html"><FONT
size=4>lose a $27 million contract</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> in 2011
with New York State, and in a May interview with <EM>The New York
Times</EM> Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of
Teachers, </STRONG></FONT><A
style="OUTLINE-STYLE: none; COLOR: rgb(51,102,153); FONT-WEIGHT: bold; TEXT-DECORATION: none"
href="http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/news-corporation-forms-new-brand-for-education-division/"><FONT
size=4>asked</FONT></A><FONT size=4><STRONG> "What parent would want
personal information about themselves and their children in the hands of Rupert
Murdoch, given the current circumstances?"</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Regardless of the real stink on the News Corp. name,
Amplify should help further the education division's
distance.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>Klein and Berger hinted at additional education deals in
the future, but wouldn't disclose more details. Both were adamant that the
current education market isn't serving schools' digital learning needs and that
Amplify's products will "transform" and "reimagine" learning. This, of course,
will require teachers, administrators, and most importantly, students to get on
board, Klein acknowledged.</STRONG></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><STRONG>"If students don't find it engaging, exciting and
inspiring, it has very little value," he
said.</STRONG></FONT></P></DIV></DIV><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>