Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and online sales and through schools via
reading clubs and book fairs.
Clifford the Big Red Dog
''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by No ...
, a character created by
Norman Bridwell
Norman Ray Bridwell (February 15, 1928 – December 12, 2014) was an American author and cartoonist best known for the ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' book series.
Early life
Bridwell was born on February 15, 1928, in Kokomo, Indiana, to Leona and ...
in 1963, serves as the company's official mascot.
History
![CEO Richard Robinson 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/CEO_Richard_Robinson_2011.jpg)
Scholastic was founded in 1920 by Maurice R. Robinson near
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, to be a publisher of youth magazines. The first publication was ''The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic''. It covered
high school sports
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. The distinction is made between amateur sporting participants and professional sporting participants, who are paid for the time they spend competing ...
and social activities; the four-page magazine debuted on October 22, 1920, and was distributed in 50 high schools.
In the 1940s, Scholastic entered the book club business. In the 1960s, international publishing locations were added in England (1964), New Zealand (1964), and Sydney (1968). Also in the 1960s, Scholastic entered the book publishing business. In the 1970s, Scholastic created its TV entertainment division.
From 1975 until his death in 2021,
Richard Robinson, who was the son of the corporation's founder, served as CEO and president.
In 2000, Scholastic purchased
Grolier
Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including ''The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acade ...
for US$400 million.
In February 2012, Scholastic bought
Weekly Reader Publishing
Weekly Reader Publishing was a publisher of educational materials in the United States that had been in existence for over 100 years. It provided teaching materials to elementary and secondary schools that was used by more than 90 percent of that c ...
from
Reader's Digest Association
Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI), formerly known as the Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA), is an American multi-platform media and publishing company that is co-headquartered in New York City and White Plains, New York. The company was ...
, and announced in July that year that it planned to discontinue separate issues of ''
Weekly Reader
''Weekly Reader'' was a weekly educational classroom magazine designed for children. It began in 1928 as ''My Weekly Reader''. Editions covered curriculum themes in the younger grade levels and news-based, current events and curriculum themed-i ...
'' magazines after more than a century of publication, and co-branded the magazines as ''Scholastic News/Weekly Reader''.
Company structure
The business has three segments: Children Book Publishing & Distribution (Trade, Book Clubs, and Book Fairs), Education, and International. Scholastic holds the perpetual US publishing rights to the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' and ''
Hunger Games
''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...
'' book series. Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and print and digital educational materials for pre-K to grade 12.
In addition to ''Harry Potter'' and ''The Hunger Games'', the company is known for its school book clubs and book fairs, classroom magazines such as ''Scholastic News'' and ''
Science World'', and popular book series: ''
Clifford the Big Red Dog
''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by No ...
'', ''
Goosebumps
''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually i ...
'', ''
The Magic School Bus
''The Magic School Bus'' is an American edutainment media franchise that includes a book series, a TV series, a streaming series, and video games. Each of the stories within the franchise centers on the antics of a fictional elementary scho ...
'', ''
Captain Underpants
''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, a ...
'', ''
Animorphs
''Animorphs'' is a science fantasy series of children's books written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, writing together under the name K. A. Applegate, and published by Scholastic. It is told in first person, with all ...
'', ''
The Baby-Sitters Club
''The Baby-Sitters Club'' (also known as BSC) is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 176 million copies. Martin wrote the first 35 novels in the series, but the subsequent nove ...
'', and ''
I Spy
I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
''.
Scholastic also publishes instructional reading and writing programs, and offers professional learning and consultancy services for school improvement. Clifford the Big Red Dog serves as the official mascot of Scholastic.
Marketing initiatives
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Founded in 1923 by Maurice R. Robinson,
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is a nonprofit organization which manages the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a competition which recognizes talented young artists and writers from across the United States.
Scholastic Art & Writin ...
, administered by the
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is a nonprofit organization which manages the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a competition which recognizes talented young artists and writers from across the United States.
Scholastic Art & Writin ...
, is a competition which recognizes talented young artists and writers from across the United States.
Imprints and corporate divisions
Trade Publishing Imprints include:
* Arthur A. Levine Books, which specializes in
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
and
non-fiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
books for young readers. The imprint was founded at Scholastic in 1996 by Arthur Levine in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. The first book published by Arthur A. Levine Books was ''When She Was Good'' by
Norma Fox Mazer
Norma Fox Mazer (May 15, 1931 – October 17, 2009) was an American author and teacher, best known for her books for children and young adults. Her novels featured credible young characters confronting difficult situations such as family separati ...
in autumn of 1997. The imprint is most notable as the publisher for the American editions of the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' series by
J. K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...
. In March 2019, Levine left Scholastic to form his own new publisher. Scholastic will retain Levine's back catalogue.
*
The Chicken House
The Chicken House is a publishing company owned by Scholastic Corporation, specialising in children's fiction.
Founded in 2000 by Barry Cunningham and Rachel Hickman as Chicken House Publishing, it was bought by Scholastic in 2005. It has intro ...
*
Klutz Press
Klutz is a publishing company started in Palo Alto, California in 1977. It was acquired by Nelvana in April 2000, and became a subsidiary of Scholastic Inc. in 2002. The first Klutz book was a how-to guide titled ''Juggling for the Complete Klut ...
*
Orchard Books
Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including ''The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acade ...
*Scholastic Australia made up of Koala Books, Margaret Hamilton Books, Omnibus Books, and Scholastic Corporation.
Children's Press
Children's Press (spelled from 1945 to 1996). Founded in 1945 and originally headquartered in 1224 West Van Buren Street,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
until its acquisition by
Grolier
Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including ''The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acade ...
in 1995, this press published various publications such as the Rookie Read-About series, A True Book series, Young People's series (''Young People's Animal Encyclopedia'' by
Maurice Burton
Maurice Burton (28 March 1898 – 9 September 1992) was a British zoologist and popular science author, who produced many natural history encyclopedias and books including a skeptical treatment of the Loch Ness Monster.
Early life and educatio ...
, ''Young People's Science Encyclopedia'' and ''Young People's Science Dictionary'' by the staff of National College of Education (now
National Louis University
National Louis University (NLU) is a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. NLU enrolls undergraduate and graduate students in more than 60 programs across its four colleges. It has locations throughout the Chicago metropol ...
), ''Young People's Illustrated Encyclopedia'', and ''Young People's World'') and also has a secondary imprint,
Franklin Watts
Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including '' The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acad ...
. It had a slogan "Childrens Books Are Important", with the heptagram with a slogan encircling it served as the press' alternate logo from 1945 to 1970.
In 1995, Children's Press became a division of Grolier, moving from its original headquarters in Chicago to
Danbury
Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut.
Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. It became an imprint of Scholastic Corporation five years later in 2000.
FASTT Math
In 2005, Scholastic developed
FASTT Math
FASTT Math (acronym for ''Fluency and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching Technology'') is a mathematic educational software developed and released by Scholastic Corporation in 2005.
Design
The software comes in two variations one which is us ...
with
Tom Snyder
Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' ...
to help students with their proficiency with math skills, specifically being
multiplication
Multiplication (often denoted by the cross symbol , by the mid-line dot operator , by juxtaposition, or, on computers, by an asterisk ) is one of the four elementary mathematical operations of arithmetic, with the other ones being additi ...
,
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
,
addition
Addition (usually signified by the Plus and minus signs#Plus sign, plus symbol ) is one of the four basic Operation (mathematics), operations of arithmetic, the other three being subtraction, multiplication and Division (mathematics), division. ...
, and
subtraction
Subtraction is an arithmetic operation that represents the operation of removing objects from a collection. Subtraction is signified by the minus sign, . For example, in the adjacent picture, there are peaches—meaning 5 peaches with 2 taken ...
through a series of games and memorization quizzes gauging the student's progress.
Scholastic Entertainment
Scholastic Entertainment (formerly Scholastic Productions and Scholastic Media) is a corporate division
["Welcome"]
. Scholastic Corporation: About Scholastic. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
led by
Deborah Forte
Deborah Forte is an American producer of family television series and movies, websites and digital media including ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', ''Clifford's Puppy Days'', ''Maya & Miguel'', ''WordGirl'', ''The Magic School Bus'', the series ''Goo ...
since 1995.
It covers "all forms of media and consumer products, and is four main groups – Productions, Marketing & Consumer Products, Interactive, and Audio."
Weston Woods
Weston Woods Studios (or simply Weston Woods) is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children.
It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near h ...
is its production studio, acquired in 1996, as was
Soup2Nuts
Soup2Nuts (sometimes referred to as Soup2Nuts Studios, and formerly part of Tom Snyder Productions) was an American animation studio founded by Tom Snyder. The studio is known for its animated comedy series, its use of Squigglevision, a techniqu ...
from 2001 to 2015 before shutting down.
["Media & The Mission"]
. Scholastic Corporation: About Scholastic. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
Scholastic has produced audiobooks such as the Caldecott/Newbery Collection;
English language teaching: listening practice. Scholastic Corporation. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
Television adaptations such as ''
Clifford the Big Red Dog
''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by No ...
'', ''
Clifford's Puppy Days
''Clifford's Puppy Days'' is an animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS Kids from September 1, 2003 to February 25, 2006. The prequel to the 2000–2003 series ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', it features the adventures o ...
'', ''
Maya & Miguel
''Maya & Miguel'' is an American animated children's television series produced by Scholastic Productions with animation by Starburst Animation Studios and by Yeson Entertainment. It aired on PBS Kids Go! from October 11, 2004 to October 10, 2007 ...
'', ''
WordGirl
''WordGirl'' (stylized as ''W✪RD GIRL'') is an American children's Flash animated superhero television series produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The series began as a series of shorts entitled ' ...
'', ''
Animorphs
''Animorphs'' is a science fantasy series of children's books written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, writing together under the name K. A. Applegate, and published by Scholastic. It is told in first person, with all ...
'', ''
The Magic School Bus
''The Magic School Bus'' is an American edutainment media franchise that includes a book series, a TV series, a streaming series, and video games. Each of the stories within the franchise centers on the antics of a fictional elementary scho ...
'', ''
Goosebumps
''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually i ...
'', ''
His Dark Materials
''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and ''The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follows ...
'', ''Puppy Place'', and feature films such as ''
The Indian in the Cupboard
''The Indian in the Cupboard'' is a low fantasy children's novel by the British writer Lynne Reid Banks. It was published in 1980 with illustrations by Robin Jacques (UK) and Brock Cole (US). It was later adapted as a 1995 children's film ...
'', ''
Tuck Everlasting
''Tuck Everlasting'' is an American children's novel about immortality written by Natalie Babbitt and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1975. It has sold over 5 million copies and has been called a classic of modern children's literature ...
'', ''
Clifford's Really Big Movie
''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' is a 2004 American animated adventure comedy film based on the PBS Kids TV series ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', itself an adaptation of the book series of the same name by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed by ...
'', ''
The Golden Compass
''Northern Lights'' (titled ''The Golden Compass'' in North America and some other countries) is a young-adult fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, published in 1995 by Scholastic UK. Set in a parallel universe, it follows the journey of Lyra Be ...
'', ''
Goosebumps
''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually i ...
'', ''
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie'', ''
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween'', ''
Mortal Engines
''Mortal Engines'' is a young-adult science fantasy novel by Philip Reeve, published by Scholastic UK in 2001. The book focuses on a futuristic, steampunk version of London, now a giant machine striving to survive on a world that is runni ...
'', ''
Clifford the Big Red Dog
''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by No ...
'', and ''
The Bad Guys
A bad guy or villain is a type of character in fiction and other narratives.
Bad Guy or Bad Guys or ''variation'', may also refer to:
Film
* ''Bad Guy'' (1937 film), a film starring Virginia Grey
* ''Bad Guys'', a 1986 film starring Adam Bald ...
''. It will produce ''
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
'', ''
Voyagers!
''Voyagers!'' is an American science fiction television series about time travel that aired on NBC from October 3, 1982, to July 10, 1983, during the 1982–1983 season. The series starred Jon-Erik Hexum and Meeno Peluce.
Opening narration
Pl ...
'', ''
My Secret Identity
''My Secret Identity'' is a television series starring Jerry O'Connell and Derek McGrath. Originally broadcast from October 9, 1988 to May 25, 1991 on CTV in Canada, the series also aired in syndication in the United States. It was later shown ...
'', ''
Charles in Charge
''Charles in Charge'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 3, 1984, on CBS. The series was a production of Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television and starred Scott B ...
'', and the upcoming film ''Trunks.''
In 1985, Scholastic Productions teamed up with
Karl-Lorimar Home Video
Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisio ...
, a home video unit of
Lorimar Productions
Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisio ...
, to form the line Scholastic-Lorimar Home Video, whereas Scholastic would produce made-for-video programming, and became a best-selling video line for kids, and the pact expired for two years, whereas Scholastic would team up with leading independent family video distributor and a label of
International Video Entertainment
Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until ...
,
Family Home Entertainment
Family Home Entertainment (FHE) was an American home video company founded in 1980 by Noel C. Bloom. It was a division of International Video Entertainment, which had its headquarters in Newbury Park, California.
History
The company was founde ...
, to distribute made-for-video programming for the next three years.
Book clubs
Scholastic
book clubs
Book club may refer to:
* Book discussion club, a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they have read
** Literature circle, a group of students who meet in a classroom to discuss a book or books that they have read
* Book sales ...
are offered at schools in many countries. Typically, teachers administer the program to the students in their own classes, but in some cases, the program is administered by a central contact for the entire school. Within Scholastic, Reading Clubs is a separate unit (compared to, e.g., Education). Reading clubs are arranged by age/grade. ''Book club operators'' receive "''Classroom Funds''" redeemable only for ''Scholastic Corporation'' products.
Scholastic Parents Media
Scholastic Parents Media publishes the ''
Scholastic Parent & Child'' magazine. The group also specializes in online advertising sales and custom programs designed for parents with children aged 0–6.
Criticism
In July 2005, Scholastic determined that certain leases previously accounted for as operating leases should have been accounted for as capital leases. The cumulative effect, if recorded in the current year, would be material. As a result, it decided to restate its financial statements.
A significant number of titles carried are based on media tie-ins and are considered lacking in literary and artistic merit by some critics.
See also
*
List of English-language book publishing companies
This is a list of English-language book publishers. It includes imprints of larger publishing groups, which may have resulted from business mergers. Included are academic publishers, technical manual publishers, publishers for the traditional book ...
*
Books in the United States
As of 2018, several firms in the United States rank among the world's biggest publishers of books in terms of revenue: Cengage Learning, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill Education, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and Wiley.
H ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1920 establishments in Pennsylvania
American companies established in 1920
Book distributors
Book publishing companies based in New York (state)
Book publishing companies of the United States
Children's book publishers
Companies listed on the Nasdaq
Education companies established in 1920
Education companies of the United States
Educational publishing companies
Mass media companies of the United States
Multinational companies based in New York City
Multinational publishing companies
Publishing companies based in New York City
Publishing companies established in 1920