NEW YORK, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To more fully capitalize on market opportunities and to better meet the evolving needs of elementary and secondary school students and teachers, McGraw-Hill Education today announced the creation of the McGraw-Hill School Solutions Group, the only major educational publishing business to provide a comprehensive approach to the development of print and digital instructional materials from pre-kindergarten through high school. The new group will integrate McGraw-Hill Education's two basal publishing businesses -- Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, which focuses on grades PreK-6, and Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, which serves grades 6-12.

"We are creating a more powerful, more efficient business under one management team that can best respond to customer needs across the entire PreK-12 market," said William Oldsey, executive vice president, McGraw-Hill Education. "The combined group will allow for greater collaboration and create a foundation in which editorial and sales excellence, best practices, research findings and technology platforms can be easily shared."

The U.S. school education market has traditionally been served by businesses divided into two distinct groups focusing on either elementary or secondary grades. By combining its basal publishing groups, McGraw-Hill Education will strengthen its ability to help teachers and administrators drive student achievement progressively through all grade levels. The combined group will also be better positioned to take advantage of rising student enrollments, increased funding and the continuing national emphasis on improving the quality of American education.

The new group will retain all major brands including Macmillan, Glencoe, Jamestown and Benziger. McGraw-Hill Learning Group, which comprises SRA/McGraw-Hill and Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, is unaffected by this integration and will continue to serve the K-12 alternative basal and supplementary markets.

Steven McClung, who has successfully led Glencoe/McGraw-Hill and has an outstanding record in the educational publishing industry, will serve as president of McGraw-Hill School Solutions Group.

"A major driver in the timing of this integration is that our sales force must be prepared for the beginning of the academic year, and effective immediately, the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Glencoe/McGraw-Hill field sales operations will be combined into one group," said Mr. Oldsey. "Field sales leadership will be PreK-12 in scope, while sales representatives and first- line managers will remain focused on either the elementary or secondary market. Additionally, sales leadership will work to enhance the superb customer support that is a hallmark of these skilled sales organizations."

In addition to merging the sales force, a number of other organizational changes will be implemented to leverage talent more effectively and enhance operational efficiencies. Product development will be organized using the Center of Excellence model, a comprehensive approach to creating integrated educational programs which has been working well for McGraw-Hill Education in developing PreK-12 mathematics programs.

Plans are also being developed to strengthen capabilities across marketing and finance/operations and to foster continued internal collaboration throughout the organization. Further details about the School Solutions Group's management structure, sales support, product development, marketing and finance departments will be provided within the next four to six weeks.

"The new School Solutions Group provides McGraw-Hill Education with significant growth opportunities," said Mr. Oldsey. "We are excited about this comprehensive approach to PreK-12 education and to providing the best customer experience for America's schools and school districts."

About McGraw-Hill Education:

McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. It is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies

Contact: Steven H. Weiss Vice President, Corporate Communications (212) 512-2247 (office) (917) 699-9389 (mobile) weissh@mcgraw-hill.com; or Mary Skafidas Director, Corporate Communications (212) 512-2826 (office) (347) 351-6407 (mobile) mary_skafidas@mcgraw-hill.com