Following industry studies designed and conducted by Education Market Research (EMR) in 2003 and 2004 [which were sponsored by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) in 2003, and by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) and the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA) in 2004], and in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, EMR fielded its ninth annual study of the size, growth rate, and current trends in the supplemental products market in the Spring of 2011. The 2011 survey was supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP), the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA), and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).

The 2011 survey was designed to collect industry sales data and trend information for the calendar years 2009 and 2010. Such data was intended to measure, as completely as possible, the sales of all Pre-K - 12 supplemental education products at the school level.

The goal was to provide industry participants with specific benchmarks against which they can evaluate their overall performance, as well as their performance in each of the specific niches within the varied supplemental products market.

Definition Of "Supplemental Products Market"

It was necessary to decide how broadly or narrowly to define the "Pre-K - 12 Supplemental Products Market". The working definition of "supplemental products" was, for the purpose of this survey, "supplemental instructional materials" (all instructional or library materials, including print, software, online, video, mixed media, assessment, periodicals, trade books, reference, teacher resource, educational games, puzzles, toys, maps, globes, etc., excluding only basal textbooks), "alternative basal" programs or materials, "school supplies", "educational hardware", "furniture/fixtures/equipment", and "all other educational products or services".

Participants In The Supplemental Products Market Survey

The responses of 180 companies were analyzed in 2011. It should be noted that the bigger companies were asked to report their supplemental products sales from all the business units under their corporate umbrella. Thus School Specialty, Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and others supplied data representing multiple company names and product imprints. As a result, there are actually many more than 180 supplemental products units encompassed by this sample.

From 2002, when EMR began its tracking of the supplemental market's size and growth pattern, through 2005, the supplemental market segment increased each year, averaging 5.2% year-to-year improvement. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride, with the industry reporting sales gains in 2007 and 2010, and sales declines in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

This report paints a detailed portrait of the current state of the supplemental market, and it identifies the key drivers and areas of opportunity within this diverse market segment.