Culture and conduct - Our communities - Pearson Annual Report 2003

Our communities We have focused our community support around education and literacy. In 2003 we invested £2.1m in education-focused community programmes around the world and gave additional in-kind support such as book donations, publishing expertise and staff time. Our total cash and in-kind support was more than £6m in 2002.



Inspiring the next generation of teachers Looking to address the critical need for pre-school teachers in low-income communities, Pearson teamed up with the US non-profit group Jumpstart in 2001 to inspire talented university graduates to join the teaching profession. The Jumpstart programme pairs college students to work one-to-one with underprivileged pre-schoolers to develop their literacy and social skills. The Pearson Teacher Fellowship builds on that college experience, providing a structured training programme for Jumpstart alumni to become teachers in early learning centres serving the most needy children.

Research indicates that children who participate in the Jumpstart programme show a 17% gain in literacy and language skills compared to their non-Jumpstart counterparts.

Funded with an initial three-year commitment of $2.5m, there are now 40 Pearson Teacher Fellows in 15 low-income communities across the US, with an additional 30 Fellows due to start the two-year programme in the spring 2004. Pearson Teacher Fellows receive a stipend, intensive teacher training, ongoing professional development and support, and each Fellow is partnered with a Pearson mentor to provide advice and guidance. A number of the current Pearson Fellows are now teaching in the same centres where they first worked with the Jumpstart programme, with plans to continue with post-graduate studies. And Pearson employees all around the US are adopting pre-schools so they can help Jumpstart and the Pearson Teacher Fellows succeed in their goal of preparing these at-risk children for success in school and life.

	More info: www.pearson.com/community


Spotting new talent in China In 2003 Pearson embarked on a significant expansion in Asia including the launch of an Asia edition of the FT. Alongside this the FT, in partnership with Beijing University, launched a financial journalism training programme. Four journalists from the programme will be awarded scholarships from the Laura Cha Fellowship and placements at the FT offices in London and Hong Kong.

The power of books We have a long association with Book Aid, an international development agency that works in partnership with schools and libraries in the developing world to make books available to readers of all ages. Book Aid is also working towards a sustainable solution to the problem of book shortages through a range of projects including training and networking opportunities for fledgling African publishing and bookselling firms. We share the Book Aid vision and over the years we have lent financial and in-kind support. In 2003 projects included an international reading project based on Dorling Kindersley's book A Life Like Mine and Pearson Education's sponsorship to support World Book Day. In February 2004 Puffin published a collection of short stories for children, Eating Words for Breakfast, in celebration of Book Aid's 50th anniversary.

Our employees It is important to us that we encourage and support our employees to be active in their local communities and we are proud of the contribution that they make. We do this by providing them with time, money and products. For example, in the UK, we run a payroll giving scheme where employees can make tax-free donations to their favourite charities and we will match these donations up to £500 a year. Each year we recognise their commitment through the Pearson Community Awards. In 2003 we received more than 350 applications and awarded six employees from around the world with $2,000 each for their chosen charity.

	Left: Carol Leslie, Pearson Education In 2003 we awarded six Pearson Community Awards to employees to recognise outstanding work in their local communities. Each winner was awarded $2,000 for their chosen charity, including Carol Leslie for her work with The Therapeutic Nursery, a pre-school programme in New Jersey for children with autism.