Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 15:16:16 -0400 From: "The Association of Educational Publishers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: AEP ONLINE/The Newsletter of Educational Publishing 8-20-02
AEP ONLINE is a member service of THE ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHERS, supporting the growth of educational publishing and its positive impact on learning and teaching. We publish the first and third Tuesdays of each month. ************************************************** We welcome your comments at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please send us the e-mail address of staff in your company or organization who should be added to our distribution list. To unsubscribe send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" and your name in the subject line. ************************************************** FRONT PAGE FOR August 20, 2002 -2001 a Good Year, Our Survey Says NEWS IN BRIEF -From Headquarters ...NCLB: Update on AEP Letter ...AEP Board Expansion Approved ...Children's Magazine Month Web Site Launched ...Exclusive AEP Discount for EdNet 2002 ...Tickets for CEF Conference and Gala -Education ...Regulations Proposed for Title I ...Few Prefer School Transfer ...ED Appoints Developers for 'What Works' -Legislative Watch ...ACLU Challenges Constitutionality of Digital Millennium Copyright Act -Markets and Trends ...MDR on Marketing: Education Mailing List Do's and Don'ts -In the Industry ...Member Spotlight: Partnership for Learning ...Movin' On/Up: Appointments and Job Openings ...Announcements ...New Products DATES TO REMEMBER -Calendar IN CLOSING -Tips ...E-mail Newsletters: Let the Reader Decide ************************************************** FRONT PAGE: 2001 A GOOD YEAR, OUR SURVEY SAYS Despite a tight economy and the impact of terrorist attacks, last year was a good one for educational publishing, according to AEP's recent survey of member business. In a Web- and mail-based inquiry conducted in early 2002, most member contacts who responded reported increased education-related sales in 2001--a trend consistent with data from the Association of American Publishers, says Market Data Retrieval's Sharon Sanford, who helped formulate survey questions and co-presented the results at our June educational publishing summit. In fact the survey, which asked members about 2001 performance and 2002 outlook, showed surprisingly upbeat results, says Scott Knickelbine of Lownik Communication Services, which analyzed the data and participated in developing the survey. "When the survey committee originally formulated questions, we were expecting to measure a certain amount of retrenchment. But we saw not only increased new product development and marketing activity, but also an anticipation that respondents would continue to spend more." Knickelbine adds it's important to remember the information was collected in March 2002, when the economy looked to be recovering--not in context of current stock-market declines. Still, it's instructive to note that members responded to the considerable challenges of 2001 with increased activity--and that among those who did see sales growth (slightly more than half did), 71 percent attributed their success largely to new products. "It shows the industry is trying to respond to a changing demand pattern in the market," Knickelbine says. "They're not seeing an expanding pie out there, but by changing their offerings, they're tapping into new funding streams." While the survey didn't ask about the nature of the new products, Knickelbine confirms many members have expanded into test preparation and materials explicitly aligned to standards in their major target markets. As for the increased marketing, Knickelbine says it wasn't confidence in the education market generally--a view of the sector as "recession-proof"--that motivated spending. "When we asked about the market in general, only 44 percent were expecting a moderate increase. But when asked about their own company's sales projections, 66 percent said they were expecting increases. Coupled with their expectation to continue expanding both marketing and R and D, that finding shows they are confident about their own companies' products and strategies for sales growth, even in an economy where expansion generally is modest." This inaugural survey, conducted mainly through a Web site developed by Jersey Cow Software, garnered a 34 percent response rate--fairly good, says Knickelbine; and its reflection of membership (by category) was accurate, he adds, given that participants were self-selected. "But the more people we can get, the more detailed our reports can be," he points out. He recalls that many conference attendees wanted to know how marketing practices were different, among those who reported the greatest sales increases. "That's not a matter of asking more questions; you need to have enough respondents, to do a subdivision that is statistically valid," he says. In addition to AEP staff, Jean Lownik of Lownik Communications, market consultant Marylyn Rosenblum, and Bob Wickenden of Jersey Cow Software also served on the survey committee. Find the survey results at http://38.151.33.7 under AEP Online/AEP Presentations. NEWS IN BRIEF: ===From Headquarters=== ...NCLB: UPDATE ON AEP LETTER AEP received a response from the Department of Education to our letter asking for clarification and guidance on scientifically based research, as defined in the reauthorization of the ESEA. (Go to http://www.edpress.org/press/index.htm to download the letter. See our July 23 issue for more on the original letter.) Susan Neuman, the assistant secretary for the office of elementary and secondary education, did not grant our meeting request; she referred us to the Reading First Web site for program guidance: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/readingfirst/ReadingFirstGuidanceFINAL.doc. As part of our commitment to advocacy on your behalf, AEP is seeking to collaborate with other associations to provide our members with resources and references to help you navigate these new requirements. In addition, AEP's advocacy committee chairman is seeking a meeting with a Congressman. For more information contact Stacey Pusey, communications manager, at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 856-241-7772. ...AEP BOARD EXPANSION APPROVED With a vote of 71 yeas to 1 nay, AEP's Board expansion was approved by our membership. Thank you to everyone who voted, and congratulations to our new Board members: * Suzanne Barchers, managing editor, Weekly Reader; consulting editor Teachers Ideas Press/Libraries Unlimited * Rachelle Cracchiolo, president and co-owner, Teacher Created Materials Inc. * Bodie Marx, president, Siboney Learning Group * Sharon Sanford, general manager, Market Data Retrieval * Becky Snyder, vice president and publisher, ABC-CLIO Schools' Division * Robert Wickenden, president and owner, Jersey Cow Software Company Inc. * Linda Winter, president, Winter Group ...CHILDREN'S MAGAZINE MONTH WEB SITE LAUNCHED AEP and Demco Inc., have recently unveiled the Children's Magazine Month Web site. Featuring lesson plans, excerpts from magazines, and research on their importance, the site will be online year round. If you wish to support Children's Magazine Month on your Web site, please contact Penni Starer, programs manager, for an electronic logo. You are our best resource for reaching our target audience. Go to http://www.childmagmonth.org and check back as we update information. ...EXCLUSIVE AEP DISCOUNT FOR EDNET 2002 As you may have heard, AEP has arranged for its members to receive a $70 discount on the upcoming EdNet conference "B2B Central for Knowledge and Networking", which will take place September 22-25 in Los Angeles. In order to take advantage of this special offer, please note that you are an AEP member when you register at http://hellerreports.com/online/register.htm. ...TICKETS FOR CEF CONFERENCE AND GALA AEP still has four seats left for the annual Committee for Education Funding Legislative Conference and Gala on September 17, 2002. The scheduled keynote speaker is Senator Hillary Clinton. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill and is an all day affair with an evening banquet. Visit http://www.cef.org for more information. If you would like to purchase one of AEP's tickets, contact Joan Scavuzzo, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tickets are $250 each. ===Education=== ...REGULATIONS PROPOSED FOR TITLE I The Department of Education has released proposed regulations for the current ESEA's iteration of Title I. As stated previously in Secretary Paige's July 24 "Dear Colleague" letter, the Department again assures states they will have significant flexibility in key areas such as accountability. Find the document at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SASA/nprmtitleifinal.pdf. ...FEW PREFER SCHOOL TRANSFER Though the federal government has reported that about 8,600 public schools nationwide--having missed at least two consecutive "adequate yearly progress" goals--must now offer their students transfers to other schools, it's looking as if the chaos many educators were expecting this fall may not occur after all. As reflected in a recent article in EDUCATION WEEK, evidence from around the country shows few takers for this new option. In Colorado Springs, less than two percent of those eligible requested transfers with similar results elsewhere: In Fulton County, GA, 331 out of 11,000 eligible; in Montgomery County, MD, 101 out of 6,000 eligible. Recent local reform efforts that offer school choice have shown similar trends. In Philadelphia, where the 70 schools to be overhauled in a dramatic reform plan this fall also must offer transfers, only 170 students from those schools had requested them as of late July, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER reported. The reasons behind the reluctance? Families may hold fast to neighborhood connections, have insufficient information about alternatives, and, simply, adopt a wait and see attitude, say researchers and parents. Current federal funding priorities, though, favor school choice: While a set percentage of now-expanded Title I money is earmarked for transportation of transferring students, about $22 million less is devoted to school improvement in the current budget, compared to the previous one, says federal funding expert Charles Blaschke of Education Turnkey. "It fell between the cracks," he says. ...ED APPOINTS DEVELOPERS FOR 'WHAT WORKS' The U.S. Department of Education recently announced it had awarded a five-year, $18.5 million contract to a special joint venture to develop the ambitiously named What Works Clearinghouse. The national online database, mentioned in the No Child Left Behind act, is intended to "summarize evidence on the effectiveness of various programs, products, and strategies intended to enhance academic achievement and other important educational outcomes." The organizations named were the Campbell Collaboration of Philadelphia and the American Institutes for Research of Washington, D.C., along with their subcontractors, Aspen Systems of Rockville, MD; Caliber Associates of Fairfax, VA; and the Education Quality Institute of Washington, D.C. The Department's announcement contained some phrases by now familiar to AEP ONLINE readers. "By providing educators with ready access to the best available scientific research evidence, the clearinghouse will be an important resource for enhancing the quality of local decision-making and improving program effectiveness," Secretary of Education Rod Paige stated. "And it will help transform education into an evidence-based field." As per the Department, the Clearinghouse will contain: - an educational interventions registry--listing potentially replicable programs, products, and practices claimed to enhance important student outcomes and synthesizing the scientific evidence on their effectiveness. - an evaluation studies registry--linked electronically to the interventions registry, information about the effectiveness studies for the program, products, and practices cited. - an approaches and policies registry--evidence-based research reviews of broader educational approaches and policies. - a test instruments registry--"scientifically rigorous" reviews of test instruments used for assessing educational effectiveness. - an evaluator registry--identifying evaluators and evaluation entities that have indicated their willingness and ability to conduct quality evaluations of education interventions. For more information on the Campbell Collaboration, the American Institutes for Research, and their principal investigators, see http://www.campbellcollaboration.org and http://www.air-dc.org. Find the Department's press release at http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/08-2002/08072002a.html. ===Legislative Watch=== ...ACLU CHALLENGES DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT Benjamin Edelman, represented by the ACLU, has filed a suit against N2H2, a maker of filtering software, alleging that the defendant is infringing his right to free speech. A student at Harvard University, Edelman has been researching the accuracy of blocking software. Because N2H2 does not publicly release the lists of sites it blocks, Edelman seeks to create a tool that would allow him to extract the list from the software. In addition, he wants to share his research tools and findings with others. A provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA), however, prevents the use of technological measures to access copyrighted works. According to the ACLU, the DMCA lets you "look under the hood," but you can't build the tool that lets you open it up. While "cracking" into the code of the blocking software sounds illegal, Edelman contends that it is necessary to properly critique the program. And that "critique" is where the Constitution comes into play. In a nod to the First Amendment--protecting our rights to criticize, comment, report news, or educate--all copyright laws subscribe to the Fair Use Doctrine. Edelman contends that the DMCA illegally limits the Doctrine as it applies to technology. Go to http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/Edelman_N2H2_feature.html for more the ACLU's case; visit http://www.copyright.gov/laws/ to download the full text of the law. ===Markets and Trends=== MDR ON MARKETING As AEP's 2002 Platinum Sponsor, Market Data Retrieval provides a monthly column on marketing in the education industry to AEP. We feature a condensed version here; for the complete article, go to http://www.edpress.org/infoarchives/info/market/mdr/8-02.htm. This month's column was written by Mike Subrizi, the company's director of marketing. EDUCATION MAILING LIST DO'S AND DON'TS How important is it to select the right list for your direct-mail campaign? Considering that an estimated 30 percent of your success depends upon that choice, no single factor is more influential. In addition to tracking the success of various lists and matching prospects to the characteristics of your best customers, keep in mind the "do's": -Mailing to prime contacts who may not respond directly, but who will influence the purchasing decision. -Using--and testing--different types of lists: compiled lists, response files, and "hot" lists (new teachers) each have different benefits. -Swapping lists one-to-one (one-time use only) with companies whose products are similar or complementary. -Asking tough questions of your list suppliers: How do they collect their information? Is deliverability guaranteed? A nondeliverable address or one that is incorrectly categorized can be costly when you factor in printing, postage, and creative expenses. So, don't skimp on the cost of a high-quality list. And, avoid the "don'ts": -Mailing to your entire in-house list, regardless of buying history. But don't stop mailing successful, "tried-and-true" lists, in favor of new ones. Rather, conduct a test of any new list, and then rank the results against all others. Cut only the lists that don't meet your response requirements. -Testing only the list. Testing across various timings (mail windows) and various promotional offers usually means split-testing the same list segment, to make sure you are properly determining which element worked. -Confusing home and school addresses in your analysis. Remember, many education lists have a mix: Try to identify which you are mailing to, and track your response rates by type of address. Finally, remember that perfect execution on your print promotion can be all but wasted if list selection is hasty. And experts can help determine how to segment your list for testing, as well as which criteria to use. You can get the ball rolling simply by defining your target audience and the characteristics of your current customers. ===In the Industry=== Be sure to e-mail your personal news, as well as professional -- new products, promotions, job openings, etc. -- to [EMAIL PROTECTED], so we can include the info in an upcoming issue. ...MEMBER SPOTLIGHT The place to learn about companies and colleagues in the educational publishing industry... PARTNERSHIP FOR LEARNING What's the single most under-utilized resource in today's schools? It's parents. Partnership For Learning is a Lansing, Michigan-based non-profit publisher working to help families and communities maximize children's learning. Partnership for Learning works with media, corporate, government, foundation, school, and community groups to conduct research, facilitate dialogue, and equip people to make better-informed education decisions and work more effectively as partners with schools. At present that work is carried out primarily through two award-winning publications. Each publication is published bi-monthly and reaches a combined audience of around 160,000 readers. MICHIGAN LEARNING addresses the needs of families with children Pre-K through grade 12 and helps parents improve their child's learning, both at school and at home. It's full of hands-on advice from parents, insider tips from teachers, and candid analysis from the experts on how to get the most from our education system from kindergarten through graduation. WONDER YEARS, AGES 0-5, a collaborative project with Wayne RESA and Michigan Children's Trust Fund, provides families and caregivers with information on how to make the most of their child's early years. In addition, each month Partnership For Learning posts a wealth of educational resources, tips, and reviews to supplement their print publications at http://www.PartnershipForLearning.org. Visitors to the site will also find media services like Learning News, a unique, daily education headline email service enabling reporters, policy makers, and school officials to scan and respond to breaking education news. Samples of both magazines can be obtained by calling 1-800-832-2464 or by visiting the Web site. For specific editorial information, contact Linda Wacyk, publications editor, at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ...JOB BANK Position wanted: -Marketing position for publishing firm focusing on children, tweens, or teens. Go to http://www.edpress.org/infoarchives/job-bank/ and click on Help Wanted or Position Wanted to see details on this and other positions. ...ANNOUNCEMENTS * Chelsea House Publishers, a unit of Haights Cross Communications, Inc., has announced the introduction of "Chelsea Clubhouse," a new imprint for the K-6 marketplace. The first 30 titles under the imprint are available immediately. http://www.chelseahouse.com * The 2002 edition of Electronic Library from ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management has added 25 new publications. it has also been redesigned for easier navigation. http://eric.uoregon.edu * National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has chosen Michele Clayton of San Pedro, Cal., as 'Teacher of the Year' for creatively promoting injury prevention. http://www.nfpa.org/riskwatch/teach_award.html * The Pfizer Foundation has awarded an $850,000 grant to the Biotechnology Institute to support the development of a five-year teacher-training initiative about genomics. http://www.biotechinstitute.org * The October 2002 issue of TEACHING K-8 will explore social studies and the vital role of community in learning. http://www.teachingk-8.com ...NEW PRODUCTS * Educational Research Service has published the 29th edition of the annual publication "Salaries and Wages Paid Professional and Support Personnel in Public Schools." Among the findings, the difference is narrow between salaries of an experienced teacher and a relatively new administrator. http://www.ers.org * Market Data Retrieval has released the new report "Educator Buying Trends: A National Survey." According to MDR's research, educators in the K-12 market are purchasing nearly $2 billion of instructional materials and school supplies for their classrooms per year. http://schooldata.com/reports.html#trends * The latest Peak Group/Heller Report is "Wireless Technologies in Education--From Pilots to Mainstream," which looks at the emergence of wireless technologies in education and the impact on future directions and opportunities. Go to http://www.hellerreports.com/EduOrdForm061402.htm to order and receive the prepublication discount. * Polyester, a children's software developer, has developed Firefly, a Web research application that helps children collect and organize information on the Internet. The company has also launched Scribblebug, a writing application for the K-8 market. http://www.polyester.com DATES TO REMEMBER: ===Calendar=== For the complete education industry calendar of conferences and events, see http://www.edpress.org/infoarchives/. IN CLOSING: ===Tips=== ...E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS: LET THE READER DECIDE Ok, so you want to get on the bandwagon and offer weekly or monthly e-Newsletters to individuals who OPT-IN to receive them. But don't assume that everyone wants to receive fancy HTML versions. If you are sending HTML email, you must also create a text version of the same newsletter. When your visitors register to receive email from you, ASK them if they'd prefer an HTML or text version. Then, send them what they ask for! Also, before you send either version out, send a copy to yourself and a few other people around your office. It's especially good to send it to people who are using Macs and Windows machines and a couple of different browsers. What looks good to you on your machine might be hard or impossible to read on another. Keep tweaking it until you get it right. NEVER, NEVER, send out a link in a newsletter without testing it first! Finally, to avoid having your e-mail classified as spam, you must include information on how to unsubscribe. For an easy way to check various US and international laws regarding spam, head to http://www.spamlaws.com. Also, it's good business to allow people to unsubscribe from your newsletter and other e-announcements separately ... you don't want to cut someone off from your publication because they don't want to receive product offerings. [This Tip was submitted by Laurie Swiryn, VP education markets for Cuesta Technologies, http://www.cuesta.com, 888-932-9004.] ===================== (c) 2002 The Association of Educational Publishers, all rights reserved. http://www.edpress.org, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************* For digest instead of individual postings, send the message: set k12newsletters digest to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe, click and send (no body or subject: required) mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] K12 Newsletters mailing list is a service of Classroom Connect - http://www.classroom.com Archives for K12 Newsletters can be found at: http://www.classroom.com/community/email/archives.jhtml?A0=K12NEWSLETTERS **********************************************************
