Joining forces with Austin-based NewsStand Inc., digital publishing solution providers, the Houston Chronicle has successfully taken its award-winning Chronicle in Education (CIE) program paperless with the launch of a new eEdition program.
“The new CIE eEdition delivers daily news to hundreds of thousands of students across Texas. The new format allows schools to, not only continue to receive the benefits of newspaper content for educational purposes, but integrate it into the technology available in the classroom — a key objective for Texas educators,” said Ed Vaughn, Chronicle in Education manager, Houston Chronicle.
Working with NewsStand, the Chronicle in Education created a customized education portal that includes an online replica edition of the daily paper, curriculum for teachers and access to the numerous education-specific programs. The Chronicle estimates in the first year of the program it will eliminate nearly one million hard copies delivered to schools.
“As a result of the streamlined delivery to students, our focus can be on extending the curriculum and content for the classroom,” continued Vaughn.
The Texas Board of Education has outlined a variety of requirements for ensuring that students are leveraging and exposed to technology in the classroom. Using the eEdition in the classroom meets the accreditation requirement for all Texas schools; districts must provide time for teachers to teach and students to meet the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Technology Applications standards. These standards are to be integrated throughout the curriculum in grades K-8 and they are to be an integral part of every classroom’s use of technology.
The new eEdition program was officially launched at the beginning of the 2007 school year. The Chronicle estimates its program reaches hundreds of thousands of students annually.
“The Chronicle is a leader in its adoption of a completely electronic eEdition format for its newspaper education program,” said Scott Lubeck, VP and general manager, NewsStand. “This is definitely the trend in the publishing industry. Leading newspapers are ready to make this transition in their educational programs because, not only is it more efficient, it provides schools with quality content in the right format.”
The Chronicle has a range of content and curriculum designed specifically for the classroom, including Goal Post Geography, a program that allows students to learn geography by following their hometown sports team; The Club Chronicle serial stories, short story classics printed in Spanish and English; and The Stock Market Game, a program sponsored by the Texas Council for Investor Education that teaches kids about the stock market.
About Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle, the largest newspaper in Texas and the nation’s seventh-largest newspaper, has evolved into a multimedia company publishing online and commercial print products, in English and Spanish, reaching specific audiences with unique delivery programs. In addition to the Houston Chronicle’s 1.3 million daily readers and 1.8 million readers on Sunday, chron.com, the Chronicle’s online site, averages nearly 50 million page views and 3.8 million unique visitors each month. The Houston Chronicle is owned by the Hearst Corporation.
About NewsStand Inc.
NewsStand, Inc. is the leading digital partner for premier publishers of newspapers, magazines and books, and is one of eContent Magazine's Top 100 Companies. Currently, the company delivers digital content and delivery solutions to hundreds of magazine and newspaper titles as well as book publishers in more than 120 countries. NewsStand provides robust digital publishing solutions and services, including archiving, content management and re-distribution, content repurposing, replica editions, subscriber management and custom publishing.