McGraw-Hill Education and New Oriental Unveil College and Career Readiness Program for China's Students

NEW YORK and BEIJING, Sept. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education – as part of its continued strategy to advance English-language and critical-thinking skills for  students worldwide – has designed a groundbreaking after-school program in China that will potentially touch more than 500,000 students. The program, developed in partnership with the New Oriental Education & Technology Group, is being rolled out this week. It will help students develop the skills they need to succeed in a Western higher education environment and in virtually any career in the world.

The students who will benefit from this print and digital program are enrolled in eight after-school "MaxEn" centers operated by New Oriental in Beijing and other cities across China. Through an agreement announced in November 2011 to establish a joint venture with New Oriental, McGraw-Hill Education is providing its deep educational expertise, which includes curriculum development and instructional design, to co-develop the program for students ages 10-17.

"As more Chinese students go beyond the nation's borders to study and work, it is essential that they develop the language and critical thinking skills they need to compete and collaborate successfully," said Philip Ruppel, president, McGraw-Hill Education International. Ruppel sees opportunities for McGraw-Hill Education to leverage the program in other countries in the near future.

"In the era of globalization, MaxEn students will be better prepared than the typical student in China to study abroad and to make significant contributions in the workforce anywhere in the world," said Michael Yu, CEO of New Oriental.

The curriculum designed by McGraw-Hill Education for the MaxEn centers includes two powerful instructional components: English as a foreign language (Mega Goal) and English language arts (Jamestown Literature). The Mega Goal component reinforces grammar, vocabulary and speaking skills. Mastering these foundational skills enable students to better succeed with the higher-level language arts skills taught with Jamestown Literature.

The Jamestown and Mega Goal components, combined with the instructional approach using questioning and a mix of whole-class and small group discussion, are designed to build better critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills.

About McGraw-Hill Education 
McGraw-Hill Education is a content, software and services-based education company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions which improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill is the adaptive education technology leader with the vision for creating a highly personalized learning experience that prepares students of all ages for the world that awaits. The company has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in more than 65 languages. For additional information, visit www.mheducation.com.

About New Oriental
New Oriental is the largest provider of private educational services in China based on the number of program offerings, total student enrollments and geographic presence. New Oriental offers a wide range of educational programs, services and products consisting primarily of English and other foreign language training, test preparation courses for major admissions and assessment tests in the United States, the PRC and Commonwealth countries, primary and secondary school education, development and distribution of educational content, software and other technology, and online education. New Oriental trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ''EDU.'' For more information about New Oriental, please visit http://english.neworiental.org.

Contact: 
Brian Belardi
212-904-4827
brian_belardi@mcgraw-hill.com

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education