A New Guide for Success in the First Year of College.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 2002

McGraw-Hill Education Releases Program, P.O.W.E.R. Learning, That

Provides Freshman With Skills To Conquer First Year Challenges

McGraw-Hill Higher Education announced today that they have published the second edition of the P.O.W.E.R. Learning program that provides entering freshman a guide for success in college.

P.O.W.E.R. Learning 2/E is a unique and proven to be effective, program that stands for Prepare, Organize, Work, Evaluate, and Rethink. This well researched system fosters critical thinking and problem solving. The program helps freshman tackle basic classroom skills such as making the most of technology, note taking, and building reading skills. It also addresses life beyond the classroom including money matters, getting along with others and stress, health, and wellness.

"Entering Freshman face unique challenges that often seem overwhelming and lead to increasing numbers of students dropping out. McGraw-Hill has found that if students apply the principles of the P.O.W.E.R. Learning program they are more motivated and able to succeed. We would like to help improve freshman retention rates in colleges and universities throughout North America and believe that this program can achieve that goal," said Steve Debow, President of the Humanities, Social Sciences and World Languages unit of McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

"P.O.W.E.R. Learning is based on the conviction that good students are made, not born. Its central message is that students can be successful in college by following key fundamental principles, presented in an engaging, concise format," said Dr. Robert S. Feldman, author of the book, professor and director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

First year programs have been proven to work. A survey of the outcomes of first-year programs at over 745 colleges, conducted by the Policy Center on the First Year of College, showed significant increases in the number of students moving on to sophomore year, continuing to graduation, and an overall rise in GPA. P.O.W.E.R. Learning is already receiving critical acclaim as a first year program that has increased the rate of student retention and provided students with the skills and motivation to do well in school and beyond.

"The P.O.W.E.R. approach can provide a student with an increased sense of control over their own learning, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing anxiety," said Joanne Pederson, Health Professions Advisor at California State University at San Marcos.

With the publication of P.O.W.E.R. Learning 2/E, McGraw-Hill Higher Education also unveils a new partnership with TIME.com that provides students who purchase the textbook a special discount on articles from the TIME.com archive, which they may search directly from the P.O.W.E.R. Learning Online Learning Center. The text is also accompanied by an unprecedented array of Web-based learning materials published through the Online Learning Center, which offers interactive versions of many exercises found in the printed book.

In conjunction with the publication of P.O.W.E.R. Learning, McGraw-Hill Higher Education will co-sponsor the Forum for Student Success and Academic Change at Appalachian State University, November 17-20, 2002. This forum is a collaborative effort on the part of Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina Office of the President and The McGraw-Hill Companies. The forum will allow 10 teams from colleges and universities around the country to discuss access, recruitment, retention, and completion on their campus.

About McGraw-Hill Higher Education

McGraw-Hill Higher Education is a leading provider of print and electronic learning solutions and materials for the higher education market. 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. Founded in 1888, the Corporation has more than 300 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2001 were $4.6 billion. For more information, visit www.mcgraw-hill.com. For more information on P.O.W.E.R Learning, visit www.mhhe.com/power

About Appalachian State

Appalachian State is a premier, public comprehensive university and was selected as Time Magazine's 2001 Master College of the Year for its first year programming, received the 2002 Noel- Levitz Retention Excellence Award for Freshman Learning Communities, Rated 3rd by U.S. News and World Report for Freshman Seminars and recently recognized by the Policy Center for First Year of College as an Institution of Excellence.

About Time.com

TIME.com is the most trafficked newsmagazine site online according to Nielsen Net Ratings. The site features in-depth Web specials, award winning photography, and articles from the latest issue of TIME Magazine. In 2001, TIME.com launched the TIME Archive as a premium content service. The TIME Archive provides users with access to the full-text of over 30,000 TIME articles that have appeared in the magazine since 1985 and selected articles dating back to 1932. Since its launch, over a million people per month have searched the TIME Archive.