Conquer Math This Summer with Sylvan's 'Forward to School' Algebra Challenge

Algebra Challenge Prepares Students and Parents for the Upcoming School Year

BALTIMORE, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Each summer, parents worry that their
children will forget everything they learned during the school year. To
encourage math learning and discovery outside of the classroom, Sylvan
Learning, North America's leading provider of in-center and live, online
tutoring at home to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, is offering
Sylvan's "Forward to School" Algebra Challenge for parents and teens.
Beginning August 17, 2009, parents and teens can participate in this
sweepstakes at www.SylvanChallenge.com. The challenge will run for the
remainder of the summer and will end on September 30, 2009.

"The summer months can be a perfect time to practice and improve math skills,"
said Judy A. Brown, Mathematics Program Manager for Sylvan Learning. "Algebra
is crucial to a teen's success; mastering algebraic concepts inherently leads
to greater success in high school mathematics and, eventually, to greater
success in college and a career. We believe this fun and interactive contest
will not only help middle and high school students and their parents improve
their math skills, but it will also prove to be a stimulating summer activity
that offers the chance to win great back-to-school prizes."

During this time of the year, families are looking for ways to save money on
back-to-school supplies and are in need of scholarship opportunities. By
participating in Sylvan's Algebra Challenge, local parents and students can
win instant prizes including gift cards to Starbucks, Amazon.com, and Target;
Texas Instruments graphing calculators; laptops and subscriptions to
SylvanMathPrep.com -- a new, online math resource for families of students in
grades seven through twelve that features on-the-spot math guidance during
homework time. Additionally, the winner of the first prize package will
receive a $5,000 college scholarship, laptop, subscription to
SylvanMathPrep.com and a graphing calculator. And, the grand prize winner will
receive a $10,000 scholarship and a yearlong subscription to
SylvanMathPrep.com!

Sylvan's Algebra Challenge has two elements. The first section is open to
teens hoping to improve and retain their algebra skills. The other section
engages parents hoping to revive some of their long-lost math skills so they
can become a better resource for their children during homework time in the
new school year.

"We understand how challenging math -- particularly algebra -- can be for
middle and high school students, and parents are always searching for answers
to help their kids. Sylvan's 'Forward to School' Algebra Challenge was created
as a motivational tool to help students learn and understand math, and be
prepared for the upcoming school year," said Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., Senior
Vice President of Education Outreach for Sylvan Learning.

Students and parents earn entries into Sylvan's Algebra Challenge by answering
a daily, multiple choice math question, with additional entries for correct
answers and referring friends. Students and their parents can enter the
sweepstakes once a day.

The Algebra Challenge questions target the concepts taught in middle and high
school classrooms and in Sylvan's "Forgotten Math for Parents" seminar -- a
year-round, interactive workshop designed to help parents and family members
during homework time by reviewing the key math concepts that are introduced in
6th, 7th and 8th grade. This free, 90-minute seminar is scheduled at
participating Sylvan Learning centers. Parents move from station to station
and are able to choose the math area they need to review in order to make
homework time more manageable for the whole family.

To register for Sylvan's "Forward to School" Algebra Challenge, visit
www.SylvanChallenge.com. To attend a free, "Forgotten Math for Parents"
workshop and learn how every math concept a child faces from fourth to ninth
grade is actually an essential component of algebra, please visit
www.SylvanLearning.com to find a participating Sylvan Learning center.

About Sylvan Learning
Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring
at home to students of all ages, grades and skill levels. Sylvan Learning is
celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009 and has approximately 1,100 centers
located throughout North America. Sylvan's proven process and personalized
methods have inspired more than 2 million students to discover the joy of
learning. Sylvan's trained and certified personal instructors provide
individual instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test
prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan helps transform unique kids
into uniquely inspired learners with the skills to do better in school and the
confidence to do better in everything else. For more information, call
1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.SylvanLearning.com. Visit www.DrRickBlog.com to
share your personal academic experiences and comment on educational trends.

SOURCE Sylvan Learning

Jennifer Gaegler, Public Relations Manager of Sylvan Learning,
+1-410-843-8928, Jennifer.Gaegler@SylvanLearning.com