Science Research Associates
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1938, SRA or Science Research Associates Inc. is a Chicago
-based publisher of educational materials and schoolroom reading comprehension products. Early on, it had a trade and occupational focus. In 1957, it moved into individualized classroom instruction with the iconic SRA Reading
Laboratory Kit, a format that later translated to mathematics, science, and social studies. Commonly called SRA cards, the labs were large boxes filled with color-coded cardboard sheets. Each sheet included a reading exercise for students. The student would then follow up with multiple choice questions
. As the child moved ahead, he or she would advance in difficulty.
SRA was purchased by IBM
in 1964, and by that time its products geared to primary and secondary schools had increased, especially at a time when math education was seen as critical during the Cold War
and Space Race
.
Maxwell Communications Corporation
bought SRA in 1988. SRA became part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill when the joint venture with McGraw-Hill
was created in 1989. When Maxwell Communications collapsed, McGraw-Hill acquired full ownership of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and SRA.
Since the 1960s, SRA has been the publisher of Direct Instruction programs, also known as DISTAR
(Direct Instruction System for Teaching Arithmetic and Reading). These include Language for Learning, Reading Mastery, Reasoning and Writing, Connecting Math Concepts and Corrective Reading. SRA purchased Open Court Reading
in the 1990s.
In the early 2000s, the company was purchased by McGraw-Hill
and is now known as SRA/McGraw-Hill. The Imagine It! reading program was launched in 2007. SRA/McGraw-Hill also competes as a publisher of mathematics and science materials with programs such as Real Math, Number Worlds, and Snapshots Video Science.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based publisher of educational materials and schoolroom reading comprehension products. Early on, it had a trade and occupational focus. In 1957, it moved into individualized classroom instruction with the iconic SRA Reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
Laboratory Kit, a format that later translated to mathematics, science, and social studies. Commonly called SRA cards, the labs were large boxes filled with color-coded cardboard sheets. Each sheet included a reading exercise for students. The student would then follow up with multiple choice questions
Multiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
. As the child moved ahead, he or she would advance in difficulty.
SRA was purchased by IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
in 1964, and by that time its products geared to primary and secondary schools had increased, especially at a time when math education was seen as critical during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
.
Maxwell Communications Corporation
Maxwell Communications Corporation
Maxwell Communications Corporation plc was a leading British media business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
bought SRA in 1988. SRA became part of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill when the joint venture with McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
was created in 1989. When Maxwell Communications collapsed, McGraw-Hill acquired full ownership of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and SRA.
Since the 1960s, SRA has been the publisher of Direct Instruction programs, also known as DISTAR
DISTAR
DISTAR is an acronym for Direct Instruction System for Teaching Arithmetic and Reading, a trademarked program of SRA/McGraw-Hill, a commercial publishing company. The program is used particularly for historically disadvantaged and/or at-risk students...
(Direct Instruction System for Teaching Arithmetic and Reading). These include Language for Learning, Reading Mastery, Reasoning and Writing, Connecting Math Concepts and Corrective Reading. SRA purchased Open Court Reading
Open Court Reading
The Open Court Reading Program is a core Language arts/English series used in a large number of elementary schools classrooms. It was one of two reading programs adopted for use in California schools when textbooks were last chosen in 2002. The other was Houghton-Mifflin Reading...
in the 1990s.
In the early 2000s, the company was purchased by McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
and is now known as SRA/McGraw-Hill. The Imagine It! reading program was launched in 2007. SRA/McGraw-Hill also competes as a publisher of mathematics and science materials with programs such as Real Math, Number Worlds, and Snapshots Video Science.