Blog
Read what we think about the latest innovations, research, and trends in the publishing industry. Be sure to check out local fun facts, too!
The Education Stimulus Package
On August 10th, President Obama signed a $26 billion federal aid package meant to stimulate America’s struggling education system. $10 billion of that money was allocated specifically for school districts to retain or rehire teachers, counselors, classroom aides, cafeteria workers,… Read MoreDiscarding The D
Mount Olive school district in New Jersey is implementing a somewhat controversial new grading policy this year aimed towards raising standards and prompting student to work harder—they’ve eliminated “D” grades. The only grades now available to students are A’s, B’s,… Read MoreCharter School Students Thriving in Detroit
With a tough economy to blame, the news from Detroit isn’t very good lately. From high unemployment, factories closing, and a high crime rate, this Michigan city gives its young people little to hope for. But there is a bright… Read MoreThe “Race to Adopt”
It looks as though the movement to adopt the Common Core Standards is gaining momentum. These standards, drawn up by state school chiefs and released this spring, will provide a set of Math and Language Arts objectives that will bring… Read MoreComments from “The Professor”
One of the experiences that I treasured most as an English professor was teaching first-year students. It was particularly satisfying to watch students grow as readers and writers, to cheer them on as they became more and more comfortable with… Read MoreStandardized Testing: The Pressure for Progress
As recently as May 24, 2010, the principal, assistant principal and three teachers from an elementary school in Texas resigned. These five educators were part of a test-tampering scandal that shocked the district and caused a large-scale investigation of test… Read MoreIdentifying Dropouts Before They Drop Out
While government agencies and school administrators focus on standards, AYP, accountability, and other urgent issues in education, an oft-overlooked segment of students is receiving some welcome attention. The proposed federal budget for 2010 has assigned $50 million to be used… Read MoreWhat’s in a Word?
Whenever someone finds out that I work in “translation,” the immediate question is always, “How many languages do you speak?” When I go on to explain that I don’t do the translation, rather that I manage the localization, the conversation… Read MoreThe Open Educational Resources Movement
A recent New York Times article discussed a growing movement in which colleges and universities are putting lectures and course materials online for anyone in the world to access. Lectures by professors from Yale, MIT, and UC Berkeley, among others,… Read MoreStandardized Test Reform in Massachusetts
I didn’t grow up in Massachusetts, so when I began tutoring elementary and high school students after I moved here three years ago, I didn’t understand why the number one thing on their mind was the MCAS test. The MCAS… Read MoreTexas School Board Approves Social Studies Curriculum Changes
Last month the Texas State Board of Education approved the textbook changes to the new social studies curriculum. These conservative standards include questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to the separation of church and state, a focus on former President Reagan,… Read MoreAudio Production is on the Rise!
PSG offers professional audio recording, editing, production, post-production, and engineering services for all your voice-over, dubbing, captioning or interactive components. With professional voice talent, scriptwriters, and audio engineers at the ready, we have the resources personal, and expertise to professionally… Read MoreUnexpected Children’s Book Authors
When you first read these names, you are going to think: actress, singer, comedian, actress. But the following celebrities have also written children’s books. Julie Andrews: Perhaps best known for her roles in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music,… Read MoreDon Ayer Joins PSG as Production Manager
As Publishing Solutions Group’s Production Manager, Don Ayer is responsible for all aspects of book production from page design and page layout to placement of photos and figures to delivery of the files to the printer. He also supervises the… Read MoreSpring Resolutions
Spring is a season of renewal and rebirth. This is especially noticeable in New England when the snow starts to melt, the flowers push up from the frozen ground, and we stop having to mentally brace ourselves for the cold… Read MoreThe Boston Marathon
This week, I ran the Boston Marathon for the second time. I’m no professional runner: I didn’t count my split times or strap water to my belt to save precious minutes. I did it because I enjoy the challenge and… Read MoreThe Real World
I’m currently in my last semester of undergrad, and for the last few months my peers have been abuzz with conversations about graduating college and entering “the real world.” For the first time in eighteen years, we will no longer… Read MoreSame Solid Content, New Ways to Deliver It
Although solid, accurate content continues to be at the core of successful instructional programs, the means by which content is delivered to students and teachers has taken on a variety of forms that have gone way beyond traditional print products.… Read MoreRewriting History
Last month in the New York Times I came across this article about the Texas State Board of Education’s proposed changes to the social-studies curriculum guidelines. An influential, conservative state, some of their proposals include “that Margaret Sanger, the birth-control… Read MoreThe Life of an Intern
For every college student, getting an internship can be both exhilarating and terrifying. The lucky ones will get internships where they learn invaluable lessons that they can use in future jobs, get to be a part of a great team,… Read MoreCollaborative Textbook Authoring
After spending over 30 years in the publishing industry, I’ve collaborated in the development and production of thousands of published works. I’ve worked with authors, editors, designers, illustrators, proofreaders, production artists, translators, reviewers—hundreds of people who contributed to the accuracy… Read MoreAlternative Assessment vs. “Choose A, B or C”
I recently read an article in our local newspaper (yes—I still get the print version) about a teacher in a local high school who uses alternative assessment in her classroom. Betsy Sidor’s American Studies class at Upper Arlington High School… Read MoreUnputdownable
As my husband and I were driving through the tunnel on our way home from the airport, we saw a light flash. “What was that?” he wondered. I shrugged and continued flipping through the radio stations. “I hope it wasn’t… Read MoreAn Extreme Makeover for No Child Left Behind?
The current administration has said it’s time for broad changes in the No Child Left Behind law implemented in 2001. While the administration is proposing “sweeping changes”, they are not planning to abandon the primary commitments to closing the gap… Read MoreKnitting and Nintendo
Busy, busy, busy. That’s how my friends and family describe me so it wasn’t a big surprise when I announced that along with my business, dance classes, the gym, volunteer work and a handful of little projects, I was also… Read MoreHunger Games
I just finished reading the first book in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy. In this futuristic society, North America is now known as Panem and consists of a controlling government and 12 districts that each year, in punishment for their… Read MoreIs Social Networking Bad for Grades?
Is social networking harming students’ grades? The quick answer might be yes, because it distracts students from studying. And in fact, a 2009 study at The Ohio State University found that students who admitted logging onto Facebook several times a… Read MoreGreat (and Early) Expectations in Math
“For much of the last century, educators and many scientists believed that children could not learn math at all before the age of five, that their brains simply were not ready.” When I read this in a recent New York… Read MoreMary-Kate Bourn joins PSG as Director of Translation and Technology!
Publishing Solutions Group is very pleased to announce that Mary-Kate Bourn has joined PSG as Director of Translation and Technology. Mary-Kate has a rich background in publishing that includes more than 20 years managing projects, personnel, resources, and data. She… Read MoreNew 21st Century Skills Guide
I was reading eSchool News recently and ran across an article that said the new 21st Century skills guide is available. It hasn’t been updated for six years, so it might be worth getting a copy to scan to see… Read MoreStrong Leaders in Schools
We have seen notable examples of leadership lately - some strong and effective, others misdirected and damaging. All agree that strong leadership is needed to help the U.S. out of its economic troubles, so we search for the best political… Read MoreClassroom Response Clickers
Classroom response systems (CRS), otherwise known as “clickers”, are gaining popularity in the K-12 market place. When they first hit the market, the higher ed space was targeted and textbook publishers bundled the clickers with individual textbooks. Now, these systems… Read MoreThe National Common Core Standards Initiative Is In The News Again
Ohio State education officials have committed to following the National Core Standards for English and Math for grades K-12. This means that Ohio will not be releasing its own draft standards as planned for November but will wait until the… Read MoreIdentifying Dropouts Before They Drop Out
While government agencies and school administrators focus on standards, AYP, accountability, and other urgent issues in education, an often overlooked segment of students is receiving some welcome attention. The proposed federal budget for 2010 has assigned $50 million to be… Read MoreEducation 3.0: Taking Teaching and Learning to the Next Level
e-School News recently reported how schools in New Orleans are coming back in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Not only are the school buildings new, but the technology and means of teaching and learning are new. Working closely… Read MoreState Adoptions and Learning Village
It’s starting to get busy again with the state adoptions for next year. This year is slipping away and Florida is advising publishers to have Science samples ready to ship the first week in May. These have to be final… Read MoreKindling a Flame for Reading?
Electronic books are a hot topics these days, with owners of e-books like the Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook claiming they’re reading more because of the ease with which they can purchase and read books. Many who read… Read MoreBuilding Kindness Through Kindness Grants
“A small and seemingly insignificant article caught my eye recently. Amid the bickering, impolite outbursts, and near-violent protests that have filled our news, sports, and entertainment stories over the past several months, I noticed a puzzling headline: “Up to $15,000… Read MoreDo Tests Tell Us How Teachers Teach?
Legislatures in New York, California and some other states have enacted laws that limit, to one degree or another, the use of student achievement data in teacher performance evaluations. Last year New York’s Legislature prohibited the use of student test… Read MoreTechnology Product in the Classroom
“I have always been interested in technology product in the classroom. As a former developmental editor, I was knee-deep in editing accounting software and made it a practice to get in “over my head” on the programming end of things.… Read MoreAs State Revenues Decrease, Class Size Increases
The dip in the U.S. economy is having an effect on class sizes. As state revenues go down, the number of students in an average classroom is going up. As a result, classrooms across the country will be more crowded… Read MoreAdvanced Placement Courses
Advanced Placement courses are on the rise in American schools. There are 37 courses in 22 subjects sponsored by the College Board being offered in high schools around the country as well as internationally. More than 450,000 students passed at… Read MoreThe “10-Minute Rule”
Parents are making their voices heard regarding the amount of homework their children are bringing home each day. Many school officials are starting to listen. How much is too much? A Duke University psychology professor says students should have 10… Read MoreThe Continuing Debate of “free content”
Free digital content continues to create discussion in the educational community. Educators, governors, and others think that if it is delivered on line, it should be free or cheap. However, those of us in the publishing industry know that the… Read MorePSG Reads: Boston Public Schools Outreach
June 2008: PSG completes 2008 PSG READS volunteer initiative to benefit our South End community. With PSG’s experience in developing K–12 reading and language arts materials and our staff’s love of literature, a reading program was an obvious choice and… Read MoreHow Language Shapes Our Thoughts
Lera Boroditsky, a psychologist at Stanford University, believes that the language we speak determines the way we perceive the world. When the Viaduct de Millau opened in the south of France in 2004, it was the tallest bridge in the… Read MoreLearning Management Systems
Learning Management Systems (LMS) are making their way into the K-12 space. It has been a long journey, but learning management systems are now gaining popularity in K-12 schools around the country. These systems were originally created for virtual learning.… Read MoreNational Education Standards?
There is a movement afoot to create national education standards in language arts and math. This effort, called the Common Core State Standards initiative, will be “research based and internationally benchmarked to top performing countries”, according to its supporters, which… Read MoreCommon Core State Standards
Recently, The Council of Chief State School Officers and The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices committed states to a process to develop and adopt a common core of state standards for English language arts and mathematics for K-12.… Read MoreProposed Funding for Online Education
President Barack Obama is proposing a multibillion-dollar investment in the nation’s community colleges , a $12 billion effort over ten years to help the two-year institutions reach, teach, and train more people for “the jobs of the future.” Some of… Read MoreAffiliations
- Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
- Inner City Entrepreneurs
- South End Business Alliance
- Bookbuilders of Boston
- Nat'l Association of Women Business Owners
- Association of Educational Publishers
- Association of American Publishers
- Internat'l Reading Association
- Nat'l Council of Teachers of English
- Nat'l Council of Teachers of Mathematics
- Nat'l Science Teacher's Association
- Nat'l Council for the Social Studies
- Massachusetts SOMWBA
Fun Fact
Edgar Allan Poe wrote a short story in 1838, "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket," in which three shipwreck survivors in an open boat kill and eat the fourth, a man named Richard Parker. In 1884, in the real world, three shipwreck survivors in an open boat killed and ate the fourth, whose name was Richard Parker.
Testimonial
""Lori Becker, herself a seasoned industry professional, has built a talented team--each of whom brings skills and experience to the table that are both unique and relevant. As industry pressures have driven me to reduce my internal headcount, PSG has been just the responsive partner I've needed to meet my goals and support the growth of my organization. If you haven't used PSG, you should. You'll wonder why you waited so long!""