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Kendall Hunt Publishing Company and panOpen Launch Strategic Partnership to Support Colleges, Universities, and Schools With OER-Based Courseware

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Partnership includes equity investment and sales coordination; Chad M. Chandlee, Kendall Hunt’s President & COO, joins panOpen board (Dubuque & New York): Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, a leading provider of custom educational content solutions, and panOpen, a next-generation OER-based courseware company, announced today a strategic partnership covering a range of areas of mutual support. Kendall Hunt led a $1.4M equity investment, with current panOpen shareholders also participating, to fund sales, marketing, and content initiatives. In addition, panOpen will become the preferred OER solutions provider for Kendall Hunt’s national sales team. panOpen courseware includes interactive assessments, analytics, teaching slides, videos, flashcards, student study tools (such as highlighting, note-taking, and classroom note sharing), and deep-linking Learning Management System integration (LMS), with single sign-on and gradebook synching. Faculty adopters can also auto-generate the courseware within their LMS classroom shell, without a requirement to visit the panOpen website. “We know that there is growing faculty interest in OER,” noted Chad M. Chandlee, Kendall Hunt’s President and COO. “Faculty, however, do not want to compromise when it comes to content quality, supporting technologies, ease of use, or live support. As panOpen is a venture that powerfully addresses all of these, we have found an ideal partner to help grow this important emerging content category.” The new relationship will help raise awareness generally of OER options for professors and teachers, as the Kendall Hunt national sales team, which is a market leader in consultative and needs-based content services to faculty, can now offer comprehensive OER solutions in response to increasing demand. According to a recent report, raising such awareness, and making faculty aware of institutional initiatives to promote these materials has a dramatic impact on the classroom usage of OER. Among community colleges, for example, faculty are about five times as likely to adopt OER if they are aware of institutional OER initiatives (5% vs. 26% of adopters); at state universities, that number is about three times higher than those who are unaware (4% vs. 15%). The report, which makes use of data through academic year 2018/2019, underscores the extent to which OER continues to grow and is now a central part of classroom materials for higher education. As the report notes “The number of all faculty using OER as required materials has nearly tripled, rising from 5% in 2015-16 to 14% in 2018-19. The growth among faculty teaching introductory courses is equally impressive, growing from 8% to 26% in the same period.” There is mounting evidence that the shift to remote teaching is accelerating the OER adoption rate, with numerous institutions seeing an increase in usage. The pandemic has hit economically disadvantaged student populations hard, particularly in the Black and Latino/a communities. panOpen’s OER-based courseware solutions are ideally suited to support these communities: they dramatically lower costs, make content digitally available on day one, offer perpetual access, and provide faculty with the ability to shape content to local contexts. The partnership between these companies will meet the moment by widely bringing this opportunity to institutions and individual faculty alike. “Kendall Hunt has an impressive track record not only in building a successful educational publishing company but also for its entrepreneurial leadership, especially in anticipating education industry trends and helping to lead the way,” commented Dr. Brian Jacobs, panOpen’s CEO and Founder. “We believe that openly licensed educational content is a rapidly emerging global category and we are thrilled to embark on this next phase of the company with such a compelling partner.” ABOUT PANOPEN Designed by educators, panOpen is a courseware platform that realizes the promise of OER by providing all of the components required for its widespread use. panOpen offers complete peer-reviewed content, customization tools, assessments, analytics, LMS integration, and a means of financially sustaining campus-based OER efforts. With panOpen, faculty adopt enhanced interactive OER as they would a commercial textbook, with confidence in the quality and reliability of the content. panOpen preserves the virtues of OER—radically reducing textbook costs and freeing faculty from the constraints of commercial copyright—while delivering the quality, features, and ease-of-use faculty expect from their learning materials. The result has enormous implications for pedagogical practices, changing the relationships of instructors and students to their educational content. To learn more, visit http://www.panopen.com @panOpen About Kendall Hunt Publishing Kendall Hunt Publishing, headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, is a dynamic provider of quality educational products and services. Utilizing a collaborative, solutions-based approach, Kendall Hunt partners with educators to develop affordable content tailored to meet students' needs. Through a combination of superior service, innovative technology applications and an exceptional content library, Kendall Hunt delivers proven results for both educators and students. Visit us at www.kendallhunt.com to learn more.

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Kendall Hunt Publishing Company Acquires Paradigm Education Solutions

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DUBUQUE, Iowa, Feb. 7, 2020, -- Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, a proven leader in academic publishing, announced today it has completed the purchase of Paradigm Publishing, LLC (dba Paradigm Education Solutions). Paradigm is one of the nation's leading postsecondary providers of print and digital learning solutions for computer technology, health careers, business technology, and career development.

Paradigm Publishing, LLC will continue to operate under the Paradigm Education Solutions name and maintain its office in Minneapolis. This acquisition will allow Kendall Hunt to more effectively and efficiently serve the needs of both traditional and post-traditional students in the higher education market. The content and technology being acquired will enhance Kendall Hunt's current capabilities with the addition of programs such as health careers and certification courses.  

Family owned and operated for over 75 years, Kendall Hunt has over 8,000 print and digital titles providing quality educational products and services in several markets, including K-12 and Catholic Publishing in addition to Higher Education. 

"We recognize that the post-secondary market is evolving and are excited to broaden our offering to the individual looking for non-traditional career development," said Chad Chandlee, president and chief operating officer. "Our company was built on the premise of need identification and creating custom solutions to meet those requests. This acquisition allows both companies to benefit from each other's successes by combining premier content with innovative new platforms that meet the needs of today's students."

Paradigm's courseware prepares students to acquire the requisite digital literacy skills and career knowledge needed to enter the workforce, reskill, upskill and succeed as professionals. Their Cirrus™ platform reimagines how these skills are taught and learned, delivering a comprehensive, personalized and seamless learning experience in a 100 percent cloud-based environment. Paradigm also offers effective resources that help hard-to-employ populations find rewarding and stable work under the JIST Career Solutions brand.

"I'm proud of the extraordinary work done by the Paradigm team, in particular, their development and launch of the Cirrus™ digital learning environment," said Eric Cantor, chief executive officer at Paradigm Education Solutions. "I am confident that the results we have achieved to date with Cirrus™ will be further accelerated as Paradigm becomes part of Kendall Hunt."

About Kendall Hunt Publishing

Kendall Hunt Publishing, headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, is a dynamic provider of quality educational products and services. Utilizing a collaborative, solutions-based approach, Kendall Hunt partners with educators to develop affordable content tailored to meet students' needs.  Through a combination of superior service, innovative technology applications, and an exceptional content library, Kendall Hunt delivers proven results for both educators and students. Visit us at www.kendallhunt.com to learn more.

About Paradigm Education Solutions

Paradigm is a leading provider of educational technology solutions that prepare traditional and post-traditional students to achieve the requisite digital literacy skills and career knowledge needed to enter the workforce, reskill, upskill and succeed as professionals. With a focus on contextualized, competency-based learning, Paradigm's digitally-driven solutions are flexible and adaptive to give students the power to learn anytime, anywhere. Visit www.ParadigmEducation.com to learn more.

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OpenSciEd Partners with Kendall Hunt Publishing

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Source: Kendall Hunt Publishing   |  Wed, 28 Aug 2019, 09:00:32 EDT

DUBUQUE, Iowa, Aug. 28, 2019 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Kendall Hunt is excited to announce they have been chosen as the manufacturing and distribution partner for OpenSciEd, a leader in the science Open Education Resource space.

Kendall Hunt Publishing
Currently, the OpenSciEd middle school units are being field-tested by over 200+ teachers with over 5,000 students using the materials in 100 districts across 10 states. The first three units were released on Aug. 15, 2019, and the rest of the units will be completed three at a time with all 18 available by winter 2022.

These unit materials are readily available and free at OpenSciEd. Print materials, including student and teacher resources, are available for purchase through Kendall Hunt.

Kendall Hunt publishes hands-on science, mathematics, and supplemental/gifted textbooks and digital curriculum, including a virtual reality offering. Earlier this year, Kendall Hunt partnered with Illustrative Mathematics providing free access to 6-12 open educational resources digital math curriculum, and offering professional development opportunities and print materials.

Kendall Hunt has worked with BSCS Science Learning for over 20 years publishing various science textbooks. BSCS is the lead institution in the OpenSciEd Developers Consortium, responsible for the overall coordination of development and field testing.

“It is a privilege to provide schools with science instructional materials that combine the expertise of a world-class development consortium and the wisdom of current teachers, administrators, and state leaders,” said Jim Ryan, Executive Director of OpenSciEd.

“It is OpenSciEd’s objective to lower as many barriers as possible for teachers and students to engage with college and career-ready science standards. For that reason, in addition to providing free digital access to OpenSciEd materials, our partnership with Kendall Hunt provides high-quality print student and teacher books at extremely attractive prices,” Ryan added.

“Kendall Hunt is pleased to enter this partnership with OpenSciEd,” said Kendall Hunt K-12 Vice President Charley Cook. “Providing quality educational curricula and resources is of the utmost importance to Kendall Hunt. We take pride in not only developing textbooks and digital resources of this caliber but through partnerships with non-profits and other companies offering curriculum with competitive pricing through our manufacturing and distribution channels,” he adds.

About Kendall Hunt:

Celebrating 75 years of providing innovative educational solutions, Kendall Hunt publishes hands-on science, mathematics, gifted, and virtual reality curricula for grades PreK-12, in addition to the only free, certified Illustrative Mathematics middle school and high school curriculum for students in grades 6-12. In conjunction with offering a variety of stand-alone PreK-12 products, ConstructEd, a division of Kendall Hunt allows schools and/or teachers, to create made-to-order textbooks or digital products using existing products or creating their own. For more information, visit https://k12.kendallhunt.com/.

About OpenSciEd:

OpenSciEd was launched in 2018 as a nonprofit to address the need among teachers and school districts for high-quality, open-source, full-course science instructional materials, as well as to support the implementation of middle school science instructional units as a result of the adoption of the National Research Council’s document, “A Framework for K-12 Science Education” and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). For more information, visit https://www.openscied.org/.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Angela Kearney
K12 Marketing Manager
Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
800-542-6657, ext. 1072
563-581-6078

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RCL Benziger Announces Exclusive United States Sales and Distribution Agreement with Veritas for Credo

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Cincinnati, OH—Effective April 24, 2018, RCL Benziger, a Kendall Hunt company, announced today that it has established a strategic partnership with Veritas of Ireland to become the exclusive United States distributor of the Catholic high school series, Credo. Under the terms of this agreement, RCL Benziger will hold the exclusive rights to market, sell, and distribute the acclaimed series throughout the United States.  

The Credo series is a comprehensive presentation of the Catholic faith for high school students. In the series, students are called upon to live as people of faith through prayer, reflection, and meditation. The spiral format includes a strong social justice theme that moves “from life to faith to life,” moving them from information to formation to transformation. The Credo series also speaks to the multicultural nature of the high school population and contains both print and digital components.

Catholic Publisher, RCL Benziger, is well known for its religious education programs for Catholic schools and parishes, making the company an ideal distribution partner with Veritas and the Credo series. The partnership will enable both organizations to meet the growing customer demand for more comprehensive solutions for Catholic high schools.

“We are excited to partner with RCL Benziger to expand our reach in the United States market,” said Aidan Chester CEO, Veritas. “The series is already being used in schools across the country but this agreement will give Credo the on the ground presence needed to significantly increase the number of schools using the series. By joining forces with one of the most respected U.S. Catholic publishing houses, we are confident that many more schools across the U.S. will get to see the Credo series including the innovative interactive website that accompanies the series with additional resources for teachers, students, and their families.” 

“With the addition of Credo to our current product line, we can provide even more catechetical resources for Catholics of all ages from early childhood through adulthood,” said Charley Cook, Vice President of RCL Benziger and Kendall Hunt Publishing. “Like RCL Benziger, Veritas is known for excellence in publishing and strictly following the catechetical guidelines of the Catholic Church, making them an ideal distribution partner. We are proud to add Credo to the many great resources we currently offer to the Catholic schools we serve, and are confident that we can expand distribution of this valuable resource.”  

ABOUT RCL BENZIGER 
RCL Benziger is one of the oldest publishers of Catholic educational materials and faith formation resources in the United States. Known for its digital product offerings and bilingual resources, RCL Benziger is a major provider of religious education programs for Catholic schools and parishes. The RCL Benziger family of products supports catechists, educators, students, families, and individuals. In 2016, Dubuque, Iowa-based Kendall Hunt Publishing Company acquired RCL Benziger, joining two leaders in the K-12 publishing industry. Family owned and operated, Kendall Hunt was previously part of William C. Brown that published religious education materials for the Catholic faith, starting with The Archdiocese of Chicago in the early 1970s, before expanding throughout the United States in the 1980s under the name Brown ROA. Visit www.RCLBenziger.com to learn more. 

ABOUT VERITAS
Veritas is Ireland’s leading religious publisher and retailer. They publish more than 40 books each year in the areas of theology, scripture, prayer, spirituality, parenting, counselling, children’s issues, social commentary, and liturgical resource. They also publish religious education texts for primary and post-primary schools, which are used throughout Ireland, as well as the widely acclaimed Credo series in the U.S. In addition to a strong publishing profile, they are also Ireland’s foremost religious retailer, with stores nationwide in Dublin, Cork, Derry, Ennis, Letterkenny, Monaghan, Naas, Newry, and Sligo. For more information visit www.veritas.ie.