(Press Release) New York, NY, May 12, 2010 — Pearson today announced a publishing agreement with Franklin Covey Co. and The New York Times bestselling author, Sean Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make, to create a new title, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students, as a college textbook and multimedia courseware. The content is scheduled to be available to the higher education market in late Spring 2011.
With a fast growing percentage of college students relying on multimedia courseware to learn, take exams and interact with their professors and fellow students, Pearson and Franklin Covey will develop the 7 Habits content to provide college students with state of the art e-learning and class management tools. The two are partnering to develop a number of products for use in the higher education market.
News Facts:
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students textbook and courseware will initially be offered in conjunction with Pearson's MyStudentSuccessLab (www.mystudentsuccesslab.com), an online personalized learning tool for the higher education market.
• Courseware will include specific e-tools, such as a study plan, enrichment activities, flashcards, videos and podcasts.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students is targeted for college orientation and for use in college student success courses, currently offered to 1.5 million freshmen in the U.S.
• The current economic crisis is seeing an influx of older students returning to community colleges nationwide, with many of them completing their coursework through distance education courses online. Statistics from the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) show nearly four million students taking college courses through distance education. This is greatly affecting the demand and need for e-learning tools for the higher education market.
• A 2007 survey conducted by Sloane Consortium found that more than one-fifth of U.S. students enrolled in higher education are taking at least one online course, which was defined as a course in which "at least 80 percent of the course content is delivered online."
Sean Covey, Chief Innovation Officer and Education Practice Leader, Franklin Covey Co., said, "College is such an important time for learning, both emotionally and intellectually. It's the perfect environment for college students to apply the 7 Habits to their lives, providing them with a foundation on which to build a road to success both personally and professionally."
Timothy C. Moore, Publisher for FT Press, a division of Pearson, said, "Sean Covey is an author who is absolutely devoted to helping enable greatness through learning for as many young people as possible. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students textbook and courseware will help him to accomplish that mission."
Nancy L. Forsyth, President of Pearson Teacher Education and Student Success, said, "Helping students succeed in college and in life is Pearson's primary mission. A partnership with Franklin Covey Co. and Sean Covey, whose missions are aligned with Pearson's, makes perfect sense. We look forward to the opportunity to bring the strength of Covey's 7 Habits content to the college course market."
About Franklin Covey Co.
Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) is the global consulting and training leader in the areas of strategy execution, leadership, customer loyalty, sales performance, and individual effectiveness. Over the company's history, Franklin Covey clients have included 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Franklin Covey has 42 direct and licensee offices providing professional services in 155 countries. For more information, please visit www.franklincovey.com.
About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education services, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to www.pearsoned.com.