NEWS RELEASE
BrainPOP and Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Team Up to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision
Animated BrainPOP movie explains landmark Supreme Court decision
New York - May 17th, 2004 - To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education (Brown) that put an end to segregation in schools, BrainPOP and Macmillan/McGraw-Hill present an original animated online movie to explain the landmark verdict, what led up to it, and the sustained effect that it has had on American society.
"Racism is a part of our world. It's a fact of life that kids are certainly aware of," said BrainPOP Chairman and CEO, Dr. Avraham Kadar. "When
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill approached us with the opportunity to co-develop a Brown v. Board of Education movie,
we saw it as a chance to explain the Brown decision and its impact on the
Civil Rights movement, while acknowledging that there is still work to be
done in our society."
The movie features BrainPOP characters, Tim and his robot pal Moby. Using language that is clear and casual, they discuss the way people lived before and during the Civil Rights movement, what the Brown case was all about, and what it means for kids today. The movie is accompanied by a multiple choice quiz that can be taken before or after viewing.
"The U.S. Supreme Court decision on May 17, 1954 that made "separate but equal" education
unconstitutional had a profound impact on our nation's educational system.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education,
McGraw-Hill Education is sponsoring several initiatives, aimed at educating
students and providing teachers with relevant classroom tools about the landmark
case," said Matthew DiLorenzo, Senior Producer Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.
The animated Brown v. Board of Education movie is available on this co-produced Web resource page: http://brownvsboe.mhschool.com, where teachers are also provided with access to:
- Fun, activities related to this historic court decision;
- FREE Brown v. Board of Education poster for the classroom; and
- Exciting links to related civil rights issues.
About Macmillan/ McGraw-Hill
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill is a leading
Kindergarten through Grade 8 publisher of print and technology-based materials
that help teach every child in today's classroom. It is a unit of McGraw-Hill
Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global
information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services,
education and business information markets through leading brands such as
Standard & Poor's and Business Week. The corporation has more than 280 offices
in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information
is available at www.mmhhealth.com and www.mcgraw-hill.com.
About BrainPOP
BrainPOP is the leading producer of animated educational movies for K-12. Each day 3 million students watch BrainPOP movies and exchange messages with a dynamic cast of five characters who lead the user through related activities - interactive quizzes and games, comic strips and experiments. Fifteen percent of US school districts subscribe to BrainPOP and integrate it into their lessons. BrainPOP has developed partnerships with McGraw-Hill, National Geographic, AOL@SCHOOL and Yahoo! BrainPOP has won multiple education and media awards including; The Flash Film Festival, District Administration Curriculum Award and Forbes Best of the Web.
CONTACT: For Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, April Hattori. 212-904-3214
