REDMOND, Wash., June 24, 2002 — Although most students are hanging up their book bags for the summer, parents and teachers are heating up plans for next year. Today at the annual National PTA Convention & Exhibition, Microsoft Corp. and National PTA unveiled a special community give-back program that will help support local National PTA activities nationwide, as well as an innovative homework resource Web site for families.
“We’ve taken our commitment to education a step further by building a relationship, and this program, with National PTA,” said Lisa Brummel, vice president of the Home Products Division at Microsoft. “National PTA, with its expertise and advocacy to empower parents, and Microsoft, with its capabilities in education technology, will work together to inform parents and students how to evolve the ways they do homework, because homework itself is evolving.”
From July 1 through Sept. 30, Microsoft will give back 5 percent of the product price of Microsoft® Encarta® 2003, Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers, Windows®
XP Professional, and Wheel Mouse Optical to benefit National PTA up to a total contribution of $100,000. Anyone can help support National PTA by acquiring these Microsoft products at participating retailers.
Microsoft and National PTA have also created an online resource site, unveiled today at the convention to help students and parents. On the site, students can find out how technology can help them with homework, and parents can discover new ways to assist their children with homework and learn about homework issues. The site includes articles on how parents can take the hassle out of homework, tips on prioritizing homework, and information on how parents and students can use technology more efficiently to make homework easier.
Microsoft offers parents and teachers solutions for simplifying productivity at home and in school through Microsoft Encarta 2003, Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers, Windows XP Professional, and Wheel Mouse Optical, which combine reliable and engaging content with simple, powerful tools to help students integrate their learning and achieve higher academic success.
About Encarta Reference Library 2003
The Encarta Reference Library 2003 five-disc CD-ROM set and single-disk DVD have an estimated retail price* of $74.95 (U.S.) before a $10 (U.S.) mail-in rebate. Volume discounts for all products may apply for schools, colleges and libraries. More information on academic pricing and licensing is available at the Microsoft Education Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/education/ . Educators can find more than 500 engaging lesson plans to use with Encarta Reference Library in the Encarta Lesson Collection at the Encarta Schoolhouse Web site, http://www.encarta.com/schoolhouse/. More information on Encarta 2003 reference products is available at http://www.microsoft.com/encarta/.
About Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers
Microsoft Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers has an estimated retail price of $149* (U.S.) and comes with a variety of sophisticated features that help kids organize information and engage in critical thinking and analysis. Powerful tools streamline the document editing and review process. Integrated applications such as the Outlook® messaging and collaboration client make synchronizing communication with the MSN® Hotmail®
Web-based e-mail service and MSN Messenger Service fast and convenient. Office XP is designed to automatically save documents so they can be recovered quickly in case of mishap, helping put an end to lost homework.
About Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Professional — the new standard for efficient, dependable computing — gives users the freedom to experience the digital world by building on the momentum of the Internet and digital media with improvements that increase productivity and provide both business and home users with an easy-to-use and exciting PC experience. Windows XP puts the exciting experiences of the digital age at users’ fingertips by uniting PCs, devices and services and brings the solid foundation of Windows 2000 to home PC users, enhancing reliability, security and performance.
About National PTA
National PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation. As a powerful voice for children, a relevant resource for parents, and a strong advocate for public education, National PTA reminds our country of its obligation to all children and youth.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
* Actual retail prices may vary.
Microsoft, Encarta, Windows, Outlook, MSN and Hotmail are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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