McGraw-Hill Education, a unit of US information products and services provider The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc (NYSE: MHP), has paid an undisclosed amount for California-based Key Curriculum, a mathematics learning software developer serving the K-12 and higher education markets.
Through this acquisition, McGraw-Hill Education will be able to strengthen its positions in the math learning technology market as demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) digital learning tools experiences significant growth. In addition, it creates opportunities for international growth given Key Curriculum’s presence in 19 countries, McGraw-Hill Education said.
Key Curriculum’s products will continue to be sold as standalone solutions and the product development team will remain based at its current location in Emeryville. Christine Willig, STEM senior vice-president at McGraw-Hill School Education, will be put in charge of the Key Curriculum team.
McGraw-Hill Education’s CEO Lloyd G. Waterhouse noted that the introduction of the Common Core State Standards and the growing attention given to math teaching made the acquisition of Key Curriculum an important strategic step. It will place McGraw-Hill Education in a stronger position to address the needs of students, teachers and schools in a learning environment where digital solutions are becoming increasingly important, Waterhouse stated.
Key Curriculum’s president and chief executive Karen Coe said that joining McGraw-Hill Education was a great opportunity for her company. With access to such resources, Key Curriculum will be able to enhance its product offer and continue to provide institutions with the tools to improve student success, Coe added.
