Houghton Mifflin went up
for sale and was purchased
by RiverDeep. 

Thomson Learning
was put up for sale a few months ago.

Wolters
Kluwer Education is on the block. 

And now, Harcourt
Education (Reed Elsevier) is also part of this educational
publishing buyer’s market.

In all of the above cases
the parent wants to concentrate on their other professional divisions. In some cases the parent has stated that
education just isn’t making the numbers.  

The Telegraph:
Following
the sale, Sir Crispin said: “Reed Elsevier will derive the best returns on its
brand franchises and digital investments by focusing on the science, medical,
legal and business markets.” 

Reuters:
"This
is essentially a strategic decision that we want to focus more sharply on our
three existing businesses … with better growth rates," said Davis.

"The
education market is starting to move online, but at nothing like the pace that
we are seeing in our other businesses. The attractiveness of the online
opportunity (in education) is less clear than in our other three
businesses," he told reporters in a conference call. 

Thomson Press Release:
"These
initiatives are part of the natural evolution of Thomson as we pursue our
strategic vision," said Richard J. Harrington, president and chief
executive officer of Thomson.  "The market has validated our strategy
of providing workflow solutions to business and professional customers, and we
will continue to build on our strengths, reframe our markets and exploit
technological innovations.

"Thomson
Learning is an excellent business, but it does not fit with our long-term
strategic vision," Mr. Harrington said.

What’s going on in
Educational Publishing?