Company earned top score of 100 on the 2024 Disability Equality Index New York, NY; July 16, 2024–Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned digital learning company, announced today it was named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index®, the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool for companies to measure disability workplace inclusion inside their organization and to assess performance across industry sectors. This is the fourth consecutive year the company has earned a top score of 100, reflecting its ongoing commitment to disability inclusion for both its employees and the students and instructors, which they support.  Globally, more than 1.3 billion individuals have a disability. Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and it crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other demographics. The Disability Equality Index was launched in 2015 as a joint initiative of Disability:IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to to help businesses make a positive impact on the unemployment/underemployment of people with disabilities. The 2024 Disability Equality Index measured companies' inclusion efforts, including: culture & leadership, employment practices (such as accommodations, benefits, recruitment and advancement opportunities), community engagement, supplier diversity and responsible procurement. “Because we're a learning company, it’s our priority to ensure that each student succeeds, regardless of demographics or ability.” said Kristin Peikert, Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Macmillan Learning. “That process starts internally with our own employees, as we strive to create a work environment where all employees can succeed, which is reflected in the products and services we offer students and instructors.”  Macmillan Learning’s Commitment to Accessibility  Macmillan Learning’s commitment to accessibility is twofold. The company works towards creating equitable student learning experiences; secondly and at the same time it aims to meet or exceed industry-accepted standards–both through the products it creates and the work environment and culture it fosters. The company’s accessibility work has earned it “Gold Standard” recognition from ASPIRE and the Winner of Accessible Books Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing in 2020. Five years ago, Macmillan Learning was the first higher education organization to be recognized as Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. Since then, the company has been providing “born accessible” digital learning options that ensure that every student, no matter their ability, has the same access to information. Benetech certified the company’s conformance to the accessible EPUB creation guidelines, which are based on WCAG 2.2 AA+ standards put in place by the international standards organizations and the publishing community. Macmillan Learning’s product and engineering teams continue to make ongoing updates to Achieve, the company’s digital learning platform, to make it more friendly for users with disabilities. The company also offers training opportunities for all employees to become more knowledgeable about accessibility guidelines and better allies to their colleagues and the customers they support. For additional support and resources, employees have the opportunity to learn more from Macmillan Learning’s employee resource group, AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) for people with disabilities and allies.  “While I am proud of our company for receiving these recognitions, we understand that accessibility is not only about checking boxes or fulfilling requirements; rather to us, it is an ongoing journey,” Peikert added.  In 2024, Macmillan Learning was one of 542 corporations, including 71 Fortune 100 and 220 Fortune 500, who used the Disability Equality Index to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts. “Together, we are creating a future where everyone can contribute and thrive,” said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community. About the Disability Equality Index®  The Disability Equality Index has become the leading independent, third-party resource for the annual benchmarking of corporate disability inclusion policies and programs, and is now trusted by more than 70% of the United States Fortune 100 and nearly half of the Fortune 500. Such companies must increasingly consider how emerging global reporting directives and stakeholder expectations surrounding social and corporate governance factors impact their operational, cultural, reputational and financial performance.  The Disability Equality Index is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking, and confidential disability rating tool designed to assist businesses in advancing inclusion practices. It is a comprehensive benchmark that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions across five scored categories: Culture & Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices, Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity. Participating companies receive a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those scoring 80 or higher earning the distinction of “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the benchmark year. Findings from a two-year Global Disability Equality Index pilot informed the launch of a scored benchmark that opened in 2024 to seven new countries in addition to the United States. These include: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Now in its 10th year, the Disability Equality Index has grown nearly 7x since 2015, expanding from 80 companies in its first year to 542 in 2024. Collectively, the 2024 edition received 753 submissions spanning the eight benchmarked countries.  About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.  About Disability:IN® Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 500 corporations partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social impact through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index; best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN. ... View more

New York, NY July 20, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and services company announced today it earned 100% for the second consecutive year on the Disability Equality Index®, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. It is only one of two education publishing companies to earn that distinction. The score reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion not only for its employees but also for the students who rely on their course materials and educational technology.  The Disability Equality Index, a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, is a benchmarking tool that allows companies to demonstrate their commitment to disability inclusion and equality. It is modeled off the Corporate Equality Index that highlights LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies, an index that listed Macmillan Learning as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” for the third consecutive year this January. “It has been a long-time top priority at Macmillan Learning to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment for all of our employees,” said Kristin Peikert, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Macmillan Learning. “Participating in the Disability Equality Index this year demonstrates that ongoing commitment to our employees as we continue efforts to improve disability inclusion in the workplace.” This year, those efforts included the launch of an Employee Resource Group (ERG) called AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities), which regularly provides feedback and suggestions to company leadership for improving company culture and best practices. To enhance awareness of how accessibility impacts learners as well as what we can do to help, AVID launched accessibility training opportunities for all employees on topics like use of color and explaining the new standards that will impact the company’s accessibility work. The group is one of several ERGs that have formed over the last few years and it is thriving. “The work they are doing makes an impact at all levels of the company,” Peikert added. Macmillan Learning views accessibility for its educational technology and course materials through two different lenses. In the first, the company works towards creating equitable student learning experiences and in the next, it aims to meet or exceed industry-accepted standards. The company’s accessibility work has earned it “Gold Standard” recognition from ASPIRE and earned Accessible Books Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing award in 2020. The company’s e-books for the fourth consecutive year were recognized as Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. This means that Macmillan Learning provides “born accessible” digital learning options that ensure that all students have the same access to information.  The company continues to add new features each year to make its products both more accessible as well as improve on its overall design. One such feature extends image descriptions which could previously only be accessed with a screen reader to all users. These descriptions offer readers with vision impairments and readers with learning disabilities a better sense of the images that they may have otherwise struggled with. They are also a great example of how an action taken to improve accessibility can create a better, more informative experience for all users.  "There is no single best way to practice disability inclusion, however, the companies taking the DEI share the desire to create a workplace that fosters the concept of bringing your whole self to the office," said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. "We look forward to working with all of the participants to help identify meaningful ways to build upon their current practices as we continue on the disability inclusion journey together." About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community. About the Disability Equality Index® The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.” The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the  inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org. About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com. About Disability:IN® Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 400 corporations partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social impact through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index (DEI); best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN.   ... View more

Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Continues Company’s Equity Research with Digital Learning platform Achieve  New York, April 19, 2022 -- Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned education publishing and service company announced today a new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research and test equity-centered enhancements for digital courseware, such as Achieve.  The research will focus on how a courseware platform such as Achieve can help to close equity gaps in course completion  for historically and presently underserved students who are taking Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Sociology classes. The grant is part of the foundation’s postsecondary success strategy to eliminate race, ethnicity, and income as predictors of student success. The Introduction to Psychology and Sociology courses were selected for research because they are considered “gateway courses” -- foundational, credit-bearing, lower-division courses that act as gatekeepers to degree completion. Research from The Gardner Institute found that 15% - 60% of students in gateway courses withdraw or earn a D or F grade. The poor outcomes in gateway courses often lead to significant drop-out rates between the first and second years of college, particularly among Black, Latin, Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds.  “It concerns us greatly that race, ethnicity, and income can be indicators of students’ success. We designed Achieve to help level the playing field so that all students feel like they belong and can succeed in the college classroom. The research we’re undertaking now in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation should offer new insight into how we can do that even better for marginalized psychology and sociology students,” said Susan Winslow, CEO, Macmillan Learning.  About the Research Building on Macmillan Learning’s ongoing research within Achieve on student success, this new research project will undertake additional rigorous product and implementation research and offer insight into resources and tools that can be incorporated into a courseware platform such as Achieve to specifically support underserved students. The research is expected to provide insight on how to develop highly effective courseware that promotes student success through their college experience. In particular, it will focus on three areas: learning what in-program courseware resources most effectively support student metacognition and sense of belonging;  if the inclusion of evidence-based teaching practices in Achieve has a positive relationship with learning outcomes for BLI-LI students; and  how to best develop culturally responsive content for all students.  Research for Introduction to Psychology will be done using the best-selling Achieve for Psychology in Everyday Life, 6e, written by David G. Myers and Nathan C. DeWall. Research for the Introduction to Sociology courses will be done using Achieve for OpenStax Sociology, 3e. Participation is estimated at 40 instructors and 2,000 students at institutions in the US that primarily serve marginalized students. “Students in marginalized communities often have an unequal access to opportunities, which may lead to challenges in successfully navigating their education. I’m looking forward to participating in this research, and seeing firsthand the impact that digital learning platforms can have on metacognition and sense of belonging for Latina/o/x students," said Nancy Acevedo, Associate Professor at California State University, San Bernardino and Chicana/o/x Dream author. Achieve is Macmillan Learning’s recently launched digital learning platform. It was developed using learning science and in partnership with students and instructors with the goal of supporting students of all levels of motivation and preparedness and to engage them in and out of class to improve their outcomes. Because it was based in learning science, Achieve was the first product exclusively designed for higher education to earn the “Research-Based Design” product certification by Digital Promise. The product certification helps ensure instructors and institutions that the products they select were designed using research-based learning science principles and developed using best practices before using them with their students. Previous efficacy research on Achieve found that it can help bridge the performance gap often seen among students entering college. That is, the more that less academically prepared students use Achieve, the closer they can come to meeting the performance of their more academically prepared peers. This is because Achieve was co-designed with active learning in mind by more than 7,000 students and 100 leading educators and learning scientists, both working at Macmillan Learning and advising as members of independent review boards. Achieve can be used in traditional, online, hybrid, blended, or a fully “flipped” classroom, with options for both synchronous and asynchronous learning to support student engagement.  When conducting research, Macmillan Learning adheres to American Psychological Association ethical standards. All research conducted by the company’s Learning Science & Insights team is approved by a third-party Institutional Review Board (IRB) and then approved at individual institutions where required. Having IRB approval enables the company’s researchers to compare course results with detailed information about each student, a critical aspect of understanding the courseware’s impact on marginalized students. Once completed, Macmillan Learning will make its findings publicly available and create an implementation guide with examples of evidence-based practices that can be used in courseware like Achieve. Instructors from 2- or 4-year institutions serving predominantly Black, Latino, Indigenous and/or lower-income students can register their interest in participating in the study here. About Macmillan Learning Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.    ... View more