NBC News Announces Launch of Parent Toolkit

NBC News announced today, at the 2013 "Education Nation" Summit, the launch of a digital Parent Toolkit. Produced by NBC News and sponsored by Pearson, the Toolkit will help educate and empower parents, and give them readily accessible resources in hopes of providing a meaningful impact on their child's education.

NBC News President Deborah Turness made the announcement on stage at the Summit, along with News Anchor and Co-Host of NBC News' "TODAY" Natalie Morales, Pearson CEO John Fallon, and Toolkit Parent Advisor Jay Jefferson. Natalie Morales gave the public a sneak preview of the Toolkit on "TODAY" this morning.

Tied to this year's "Education Nation" theme of "What It Takes" for students' success, the Parent Toolkit will provide parents with resources to help guide their child's development in today's school system. The Toolkit is available at ParentToolKit.com (http://www.parenttoolkit.com/). In addition, parents on-the-go can access a seamlessly-designed mobile app, featuring the entire Toolkit, as well additional opportunities for personalization.

Across the country, many states are implementing new standards aimed at preparing students for success in college, career and beyond. The Parent Toolkit will serve as an engaging resource for parents, to help them better understand the new climate, and prepare them to actively guide their child throughout their education. Using the Toolkit, whether at home, work, or on-the-go, parents can:

· View key concepts their child is learning in Math and English Language Arts, with "Growth Charts," a section featuring general U.S. academic benchmarks, organized by grade;
· Obtain guidance on how to make the most of their time during parent-teacher conferences and school counseling meetings;
· Meet the academic experts, teachers, and parent advisers who helped shape and guide content for the Toolkit;
· Access additional resources, and shareable tips and activities to use in everyday situations to reinforce learning at home;
· Customize their experience by creating profiles for their children, taking notes, and utilizing a "Parent-Teacher Conference" checklist.

"We are proud to present NBC News' Parent Toolkit with Pearson, and recognize the importance of parents' engagement in education," said Soraya Gage, General Manager of Education Nation. "With fundamental changes happening to our school system, the Toolkit is designed to ensure that all parents have the support and information they need to play an active role in their child's academic development."
"From their very first steps and first words to that first day of school, as parents we share our children's excitement and anxiety as they discover the joys and the challenges of learning new things," said John Fallon, Pearson Chief Executive Officer. "Pearson is very pleased to join NBC News in helping parents to navigate that journey and to prepare all our children to compete and succeed in this global economy."
The public is invited to join the discussion with #ParentToolkit. NBC News and Pearson will continue to roll-out new features for the Parent Toolkit in 2014, including: academic benchmarks focused on social development, health and wellness; Spanish translation; and more.

About NBC News
NBC News is a leading source of global news and information operating for over 75 years. Every week, NBC News provides more than 30 hours of television news programming, including the top-rated "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," and "Meet the Press" programs. The network's Primetime newsmagazine, "Dateline" provides a variety of in-depth stories week in and week out. NBC is the only broadcast news division with an affiliated cable channel, MSNBC, which provides 24-hour-a-day coverage of news events around the globe. The continuously growing online presence of NBC News, NBC News Digital, includes NBCNews.com, theGrio.com, NBCLatino.com, NBCPolitics.com, EducationNation.com, TODAY.com, NightlyNews.com, BreakingNews.com, Newsvine.com, iVillage, social media and all of the network's digital initiatives.
In addition to its leading news programs and wide range of digital platforms, the network's portfolio includes NBC News Radio, a network of over 750 affiliates nationwide; Peacock Productions, an award-winning in house production company; NBC Learn, the network's educational arm; NBCUniversal Archives, a sales website leveraging NBC News' archival content; and NBC Publishing, a digital publishing group. NBC NewsChannel is the network's liaison to over 200 affiliate stations across the country.
About Pearson
Pearson partners with educators in more than 70 countries to help people make progress in their lives through learning. Drawing on our deep experience, innovative technologies, and world-class research, our educational products and services tackle the toughest challenges to improve achievement and expand access for learners of every age. For more information, visit www.pearson.com.

For inquiries regarding Pearson, please contact Susan.Aspey@Pearson.com.
About "Education Nation"
"Education Nation" seeks to create a thoughtful, well-informed dialogue with policymakers, thought-leaders, educators, parents and the public, in pursuit of the shared goal of providing every American with an opportunity to achieve the best education in the world. These discussions cover the challenges, potential solutions and innovations spanning the education landscape. By providing quality information to the public, NBCUniversal News Group hopes to provide information to Americans so they can make decisions about how best to improve our education system both in the near and long terms, and to shine a spotlight on one of the most urgent national issues of our time.