Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - June 6, 2008

Holt McDougal Sponsors NMSA's Middle Level Essentials Conference and Brings Leading Authors as Featured Speakers

AUSTIN, Texas — June 6, 2008 — National Middle School Association (NMSA) executives recently recognized the contribution of Holt McDougal (www.holtmcdougal.com) as a significant reason that the recent Middle Level Essentials Conference was considered one of the best in its seven-year history.

"The involvement of Holt McDougal in the Middle Level Essentials went well beyond sponsorship and allowed us to add some high-quality touches and well-respected speakers to our agenda," said Al Summers, conference director for the NMSA. Summers praised Holt McDougal for bringing Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson and Dr. Janet Allen, who are authors of Holt McDougal's literature program, to the conference as featured speakers. Summers also praised Holt McDougal for their involvement in planning the curriculum strands and workshop content in coordination with the local affiliates and for providing 75 scholarships for educators to attend the conference.

Nearly 25 percent of the conference attendees completed surveys about the event and they expressed overwhelming praise for the conference. Tomlinson and Allen were singled out by many respondents for their dynamic and engaging workshops. One post-conference survey respondent said, "I am very pleased to have attended Dr. Allen's workshops on Saturday.She is a phenomenal educator and presenter."

Tomlinson and Allen have recently collaborated in developing the McDougal Littell Literature program, which is now part of the Holt McDougal catalog of Literature/Language Arts programs due to the 2007 acquisition of Harcourt Education by Houghton Mifflin. Dr. Allen specializes in literacy and work with at-risk students. Dr. Tomlinson is an expert in differentiation strategies and methods of teaching to academically diverse learners.

Holt McDougal collaborates with teachers and leading educators in curriculum development and establishes close relationships with its storied authors as it has with the National Middle School Association. "At Holt McDougal, we feel that cooperative and close relationships with leading education organizations like NMSA are essential to our business and help us develop relevant, engaging and highly effective curricula," said Greg Long, senior vice president of marketing for Holt McDougal. "We are pleased that we could help NMSA bring sought-after speakers to their events and we look forward to future activities as our relationship continues to develop."

Holt McDougal's involvement with NMSA also helped secure Alan November — noted author and speaker and co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Educational Leadership Through Technology — as the keynote speaker at the NMSA Annual Conference in Denver this fall (www.nmsa.org/annual). Mr. November is a recognized leader in the use of educational technology, mirroring Holt McDougal's strategy of using digital technology in the delivery and management of basal curricula to the benefit of students.

About NMSA
Since its inception in 1973, National Middle School Association (NMSA) has been a voice for those committed to the educational and developmental needs of young adolescents, ages 10-15. With over 30,000 members representing principals, teachers, central office personnel, professors, college students, parents, community leaders, and educational consultants across the United States, Canada, and 46 other countries, NMSA welcomes and provides support to anyone interested in the health and education of young adolescents. In addition, NMSA has a network of 58 affiliate organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia that strengthens its outreach to the regional, state, provincial, and local levels. For more information visit www.nmsa.org.

About Holt McDougal
Holt McDougal (formerly Holt, Rinehart and Winston and McDougal Littell) a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is one of the nation's leading secondary education publishers. Products include print, technology, and Internet support for curricular instruction in science, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and world languages. For more information visit www.holtmcdougal.com.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education company with approximately $2.5 billion in combined revenue. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class pre-K–12 educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.