In the scheme of things, Key Curriculum Press's decision to sell six high school mathematics textbook programs to Kendall Hunt Publishing may seem like a relatively minor deal. But the sale, Key Curriculum officials say, is part of a larger reorganization that will transform the business from textbooks to “technology products,” another sign of the digital times. “Key’s future is in the digital realm,” said Key Curriculum Press president and CEO Karen Coe in announcing the sale. “This decision is just one outcome of an in-depth analysis of our market and our business strengths."
As part of the reorganization, Kendall Hunt has acquired six highly-regarded textbooks, including the market-leading Disciovering Matehmatics titles, and will assume all contractual obligations towards schools and districts in relation to the textbook programs. Chad Chandlee, Kendall Hunt president, said the acquisition of such “strong, author-driven” textbooks were “a great fit" with the company's mathematics curricula and "aligned especially well with our new Math Innovations middle grades program, which is currently the only digital math curriculum for grades 6-8.”
Still, the most notable aspect of the sale for the education market, however, is the “all-in” digital approach it represents from Key Curriculum Press. “We are the industry leader in dynamic learning tools,” Coe noted, citing the publisher’s popular mathematics learning tool, The Geometer’s Sketchpad. “With more student devices going into more hands, including very exciting developments in tablet computing, now is the time to thoroughly focus on our strengths in this area.”
In the coming months, Key will further analyze the future of its Integrated Mathematics Program, as well as its science programs (Engineering the Future: Science, Technology and the Design Process, and Living By Chemistry).
