Priority 1: Raising literacy levels

Reading Street is on the front line of improving student reading skills in thousands of schools in every state in the United States.Reading Street, available as a print, blended, or fully digital programme, combines research-based instruction and embedded assessment with videos, animation, activities, songs and audio to engage and motivate students. It is designed to allow teachers to personalise instruction for every child.

As part of our wider commitment to research, this year we released the year two findings from the Reading Street Longitudinal Efficacy Study. Read more

Waterford Early Learning™ is a digital learning programme designed to help all children learn based on each child's unique learning needs, whether gifted or in need of extra support.

Through thousands of activities, hundreds of books and songs, DVDs, CDs and newsletters, the Waterford Early Reading programme draws on decades of research to develop comprehension, vocabulary and an understanding of language concepts.

Pearson has partnered with the non-profit Waterford Institute for a decade. Waterford focuses on research and development while Pearson markets and sellsWaterford's educational products to schools. In addition to reading, courses on Science and Mathematics are also available. Two million users are registered with Waterford Early Learning.

As part of our wider commitment to research, this year we released the year one findings of the Waterford Early Reading and Math Longitudinal Efficacy Study. Read more

For millions of people the world over, Ladybird Books are known and loved. As the most recognisable brand in children's books, they play an essential role in helping kids to learn to read and to discover the magic of books.

Ladybird today offers its widest ever range of formats and styles from birth to eight-years-old including its baby touch app. Ladybird's award-winning baby range is informed by the latest research relating to how babies learn and respond. The toddler list uses rhyme, stories and songs in interactive formats to give children a head start in learning.

We gave our sixth millionth book under our Booktime programme, which sees every child in England starting school receive a book pack containing two free books from Penguin and Pearson Primary to take home, read and keep. More than 17,000 primary schools are involved and more than 1,000 libraries hold Booktime events. Run in partnership with Booktrust, our distribution centre in Rugby send out the books, our customer services teams support schools and our authors freely give their time as well as waiving royalties on their books.

We are about to give our one millionth book to Book Aid, the charity that supports the development of libraries in schools and local communities in sub-Saharan Africa. One in five of the books donated to Book Aid come from Pearson or Penguin, helping benefit more than 2,000 libraries last year alone. As well as giving free books, we also funded three projects to help develop library services in schools and communities in Zanzibar, Uganda and Kenya.

http://www.bookaid.org/get-involved/companies/corporate-partners/pearson/

Over 600,000 books have been given through Wegivebooks.org, an award winning online digital reading and giving site developed and run by the Pearson Foundation. The concept is simple, to reward a reader for reading a Penguin or DK book online, the Pearson Foundation will donate a physical book to a range of causes. The reader selects the cause that most appeals. The initiative is a perfect combination of reading and giving.

2,184,155 people read Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney in the 2011 Read for the Record™ campaign. The Pearson Foundation is a funder and founding partner of Jumpstart's Read for the Record. People read in homes, schools, libraries, community centres and through We Give Books. The Pearson Foundation also donated more than 200,000 copies of this year's book to young people helping them take part in the record-breaking day.

Why does elephant have a trunk? Tinga Tinga Tales, a BBC 52-part series based on classic African folk tales of how animals came to be, supplies the answer. The Pearson Foundation has also created a fantastic Early Child Development programme for primary school teachers in Tanzania and Kenya using the Tinga Tinga Tales books and films.

Puffin produces the books that accompany the series. This year, Why does elephant have a trunk? was also the Penguin title in the Booktime pack. As part of Wegivebooks.org, readers can read a Tinga Tinga Tale online and send a Tinga Tinga Tales book to Africa.