TUCSON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERS WITH KAPLAN VIRTUAL EDUCATION TO LAUNCH AGAVE DISTANCE LEARNING

Newly improved virtual high school will serve students throughout Pima County

Hollywood, FL, Aug. 18, 2008—Kaplan Virtual Education and the Tucson Unified School District today announced that they have partnered to launch AGAVE Distance Learning, a virtual public school that will serve high school students throughout Pima County starting this fall. AGAVE, a tuition-free public school, will offer students a variety of courses supported by flexible scheduling, individualized instruction and relevant, engaging curriculum.

“Kaplan Virtual Education is excited to partner with the Tucson Unified School District to offer high school students the flexibility and convenience of attending an online school,” said Charles Thornburgh, the President of Kaplan Virtual Education. “Kaplan Virtual Education has an impressive track record of providing rigorous, high-quality online programs to students across the country and we look forward to doing the same for students in Arizona.”

Students who work, travel, have scheduling conflicts at their traditional high schools or those who would just prefer the flexibility of studying online may attend AGAVE part or fulltime. AGAVE students will have access to 80 core, Advanced Placement and honors courses. They will be able to participate in class discussions from virtually anywhere at any time as long as there is an Internet connection. The courses, designed to cater to different skill levels and keep students motivated, will be embedded with audio, video and other engaging teaching tools.

This new and improved online high school boasts increased teacher interaction with students, providing an even more welcoming and nurturing environment for AGAVE students. Teachers from the Tucson Unified School District will teach all of the courses and will be available to answer student questions via telephone, instant message and email. White boards—the equivalent of a real-time online blackboard—will be used to demonstrate course work.

“This partnership brings a number of new courses to AGAVE along with increased teacher-student engagement to greatly enhance the student experience,” said Stu Baker, Principal of AGAVE Distance Learning. “We are bringing a greatly improved product to Pima County and look forward to showing students and their parents all of the program’s great new features.”

The tuition-free public school is open to all qualified county students. To learn more about AGAVE Distance Learning, visit http://www.kaplanacademy.com/agave/

Kaplan Virtual Education is accredited by The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA). It was established in 2007 and is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which is owned by Kaplan, Inc., a global educational services provider founded in 1938.

About Kaplan Virtual Education
Kaplan Virtual Education operates virtual private and public schools including Kaplan Academy of Colorado (www.kaplanacademy.com/colorado), Kaplan Academy of Kansas (www.kaplanacademy.com/kansas), Kaplan Academy of Oregon (www.kaplanacademy.com/oregon) and Kaplan Academy of Washington (www.kaplanacademy.com/washington).  Curriculum for the schools is primarily developed internally by Kaplan Virtual Education’s curriculum experts. These courses are also licensed by online high school programs around the country. For information on Kaplan Virtual Education and its various schools and programs, visit www.kaplanvirtualeducation.com.

Kaplan Virtual Education is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which serves 80,000 students online and through 70 campus-based schools across the United States and in Europe. Online post-secondary education is offered through Kaplan University and Concord Law School of Kaplan University. Kaplan Higher Education schools offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from high school diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a Juris Doctor degree. Kaplan Higher Education is part of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).  For more information, visit www.kaplan.com.

Press contacts:

Michele Pore (Kaplan)

mpore@kaplan.edu

(312) 706-6006

or

Chyrl Hill Lander (TUSD)

Chyrl.Lander@tusd1.org

(520) 225-6437

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