Lightspan School-Home Connection Receives Overwhelming Response from
Educators Nationwide 

Lightspan's Interactive Curriculum Programming Rolls Out in Over 90
Districts 

SAN DIEGO, CA, Wednesday, April 25, 1996-The Lightspan Partnership, Inc.,
provider of interactive curriculum programming for elementary-grade
children, today reported overwhelming response to its school-home
connection program from educators throughout the country. After
successfully piloting the program in several research and development
sites, Lightspan began offering its comprehensive interactive curriculum
to schools in January, and over 90 school districts have already signed up
and begun implementation this spring. 

The Lightspan Partnership, founded in 1993, was created to provide
interactive educational programming to schools and homes using PCS,
digital video multiplayers, and World Wide Web technologies. Designed for
grades K-6, Lightspan's programming uniquely combines a comprehensive
curriculum with the motivational power of characters, stories, and
interactivity. By enriching the school's learning environment and
extending that environment into every student's home, Lightspan helps
schools achieve several key education reform goals: expanding the amount
and quality of time students spend on academic work, increasing family
involvement in the learning process, and improving equity of access to
education technology. 

"We believe that bridging the gap between school and home with solid
curriculum--and doing it in a way that benefits every family, rich and
poor--is the way that technology will at last fulfill its potential to
make a big difference in education," said John Kernan, CEO of The
Lightspan Partnership. "It looks like a lot of leading school districts
agree with us." 

Teachers throughout the country are now implementing the Lightspan
Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics curricula for children in grades
K-6. Lightspan provides teachers with flexible teaching tools that are
easily integrated into the classroom and enhance their current
instructional materials. In schools, Lightspan is delivered on stand-alone
PCS using CD-ROMs or via local networks. 

"Lightspan works hand-in-hand with our curriculum, it reinforces what we
are trying to teach in the classroom," said Cherie Spamer, Assistant
Principal at Rosemont Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, California.
"Lightspan gives children more time to learn, helping them achieve our
district's grade-level standards. And, it gives them self-confidence to do
things on their own." 

Students and families in communities nationwide are also using the
Lightspan curriculum in their homes. Students bring the curriculum home
using CD-ROM and a school-owned digital video multiplayer which attaches
to the family television set. Access to the Lightspan curriculum allows
families to work together to complete schoolwork, collaborate on lessons,
or view parent-oriented programming. Lightspan also provides extensive
involvement materials and a separate family CD with activities that
families can do together to enhance their child's learning with the
Lightspan programs. 

"We've had tremendous support from our parents. We can tell by the
students' levels of preparation that the parents are really supporting
them at home." said Nancy Bingamon, Principal of Mohawk Elementary School
in Richardson, Texas. "With Lightspan in the home setting, everyone has an
opportunity to enrich their lives." 

Dr. Ardys Morgan, Superintendent of Union North United School Corporation
in Lakeville, Indiana, added, "Because Lightspan is launched in the
classroom and continued at home, there's a direct link that helps parents
reconnect with their role as the child's first teacher." 

The Lightspan curriculum is available on Macintosh or Windows PCS and on
Sony's PlayStation. The Lightspan Partnership has a unique agreement with
Sony to distribute their new PlayStation as part of the Lightspan program.
Sony's PlayStation is one of a new generation of 32-bit multiplayer
machines and has quickly become the leader in the video game machine
industry. The PlayStation provides much the same functionality as a
computer but at a drastically lower cost, providing schools with an
affordable device for delivering Lightspan curriculum to students' homes.


"Lightspan stands in a class all its own... it's the bridge between school
and home which is especially important in my community. Our families don't
have the resources to provide their children with the information
resources they need, but Lightspan allows us to do that. With the
PlayStation, at a fraction of the cost of a standard PC, we can provide a
friendly, easy-to-use home solution," stated Constance Means, Principal at
Barton Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois. 

A recent survey by the National Association of Elementary School Principals
reinforces the importance and relevance of the Lightspan program. The
survey identified these issues as the most important concerns of
elementary school principals nationally: finding ways to motivate students
and maintain high expectations (97%), finding ways to help parents become
more committed to--and involved with--their children's education (94%),
learning and keeping up with all aspects of educational technology (94%).


The Lightspan Partnership, Inc.

The Lightspan Partnership, Inc., is headquartered in Carlsbad, California,
with production studios in San Diego. The company is backed by Comcast
Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and Tele-Communications, Inc. and by
the venture capital firms of Accel Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and
Byers, and Institutional Venture Partners. 

The Lightspan Partnership, Inc.
2382 Faraday Avenue
Carlsbad, CA 92008
800-987-SPAN
 
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