“This summit will reassure educators that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is their most committed and able partner in education reform,” said Barry O’Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “As a twenty-first-century learning company, we are uniquely qualified not only to increase the longevity of our customers’ investments in education solutions, but also to help states leverage their current resources to navigate ARRA funding opportunities and modernize education policies and initiatives.”

Day one of the summit will include a series of keynote speakers, including former U.S. Secretary of Education, William Bennett. Other speakers include Sam Chaltain, author and National Director of the Forum for Education and Democracy, as well as Dr. Kylene Beers, a Senior Reading Researcher in the School Development Program at Yale University. Panel discussions featuring several of the Company’s acclaimed education authors as well as State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) Representative Douglas Levin, National Governors Association (NGA) Representative Ilene Berman, and Microsoft’s Allyson Knox will also follow. Speakers will discuss assessment and accountability, twenty-first-century skills and methods for restoring low-performing schools, technology in education, the Common Core State Standards initiative and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Day two will integrate the summit’s themes into hands-on workshops among attendees, speakers, panelists and grant writers. Workshops will include discussions on data systems; teacher quality and leadership; and common assessments and post-secondary work readiness.

Those who do not attend the summit may take advantage of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s resource website, www.hmhstimulus.com, which provides essential ARRA funding information and details about how to optimize the Company’s flexible, innovative and comprehensive education solutions.