Press Release: Scholastic Launches 2016 Presidential Election Website

NEW YORK—January 21, 2016—Today, the editors of Scholastic News® announced the launch of the Scholastic News Election 2016 website, a resource designed to immerse kids in the 2016 Presidential Election and enhance the news stories found in the award-winning Scholastic classroom magazines.

Visit the Scholastic News Election 2016 website at: www.scholastic.com/election.

The Scholastic News Election 2016 site features age-appropriate news and information about the electoral process. Throughout the election, students will have the opportunity to learn about the candidates and the democratic process, track the latest primary and caucus results on interactive maps, and vote in polls on the issues that matter most to them.  Also featured are original reports from the campaign trail written by Kid Reporters ages 10-14 in the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps, the country’s oldest and largest national student reporting program.

“The 2016 election is an exciting opportunity to engage kids in current events by introducing them to the intricacies of democracy and our country’s electoral process,” said Stephanie Smith, Editorial Director of Scholastic News Editions 3, 4 & 5/6. “From primary and caucus debates to Inauguration Day, our hope is that the Scholastic News Election 2016 website will spark students’ interest in politics and history while providing teachable moments through a deep dive into the relevant issues that our nation is facing today. We make the election engaging, educational, and fun.”

Before the general election in November, additional features will be published on the Scholastic News Election 2016 website, including an Electoral College map, detailed profiles of the final candidates, and the Scholastic Student Vote, a mock-election that allows kids across the country to cast their votes for President of the United States online, or through print ballots for Scholastic News magazine subscribers. Since 1940, the outcomes of the Scholastic Student Vote have mirrored the outcomes of every general election, except two: in 1948, students selected Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman; and in 1960, students selected Richard M. Nixon over John F. Kennedy.

Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, publishes 28 print and digital classroom magazines that reach nearly 25 million readers annually, and are available online at: www.scholastic.com/news.