McGraw-Hill Education and Sun Microsystems Launch Pilot Program to Deliver Web-Based Educational Content to K-12 Schools.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2000

McGraw-Hill Education, the nation's largest pre-K through 12th grade publisher and Sun Microsystems, Inc., (Nasdaq:SUNW) a leading provider of open network computing systems, today announced they would join in a promotion to provide free web-based content for 90 days to K-12 schools that purchase Sun Microsystems Sun Ray(TM) appliances through June 30, 2001.

This program is designed to install and support a turnkey, grade-specific solution for primary, middle schools and high schools, integrating McGraw-Hill Education's web-based content and e-learning tools in an instructional platform that can be accessed by students, teachers, administrators and parents. This program will be available on the Sun Ray(TM) appliance, providing educators with high quality content on an easy-to-use and cost-effective tool.

The program will be instituted first as a pilot in January in the school district of Maui County, Hawaii and at the Celebration School in Orlando, Florida. These schools have large existing deployments of Sun Ray(TM) appliances and will integrate McGraw-Hill Education content into their daily curriculum. The 90-day promotion then will be available to existing and new Sun Ray(TM) customers starting February 1 through June 30, 2001.

"McGraw-Hill Education is focused on combining our superior content with technology to create affordable, effective and easy to use tools that enhance learning and teaching. As Internet access in schools continues to grow, so will the need for solutions that blend classroom-specific content and technology. Our premium content and services will complement Sun Microsystems' technology solution," said Robert Evanson, president of McGraw-Hill Education.

As part of the promotion, McGraw-Hill Education will provide a variety of free services that will include interactive lesson planners, web-based test generators, student report programs, teacher grade books and school web site building capabilities. McGraw-Hill Education's educational content also will be available through the service.

"We are very enthusiastic about the high-quality content that McGraw-Hill Education offers to teachers, students and parents," said Kim Jones, vice president, Global Education and Research at Sun Microsystems. "Sun's overall vision is to deliver the best educational services to anyone, anywhere, anytime on any device. Our relationship with McGraw-Hill Education helps us deliver on this vision."

The Sun Ray(TM)appliances provide centralized administration while delivering a rich user experience. The "plug-and-work" Sun Ray(TM)appliances require no client administration or upgrades while at the same time putting the power of the server on your desktop. Visit: www.sun.com/sunray

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education is the nation's leading educational publisher with 1999 revenues of $1.73 billion. It is a unit 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 400 offices in 32 countries. Sales in 1999 were $4.0 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Sun in Education

Sun is a leading provider of open network computing solutions to colleges and universities around the world, powering academic, research and high performance computing systems, campus administration, digital libraries, and student instruction systems. In addition, Sun is committed to connecting the world's students to the Internet, beginning with primary and secondary schools and extending to all levels of higher education. For information about Sun in Education, please visit http://www.sun.com/edu/.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to dot-com their businesses. With $17.6 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com

NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, and "The Network Is The Computer" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.