Kids Head to the Polls in the 14th Weekly Reader Presidential Election

Nation's Best-Known, Uncannily Accurate Classroom Poll Enables Students to
State Their Choices, Starting September 22

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Want to know who will be the
next president of the United States? Ask a kid!

Over the past 52 years, students voting in the Weekly Reader Presidential
Election poll have predicted the winner of the election 12 out of 13 times.
On Monday, September 22, the 14th Weekly Reader poll opens in thousands of
classrooms across the nation -- and kids from kindergarten through high school
once again will make their opinions heard.

Since 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower ran for re-election against
Adlai Stevenson, more than eight million students have voted in the Weekly
Reader poll. This year, as in 2000 and 2004, the student election is being
conducted in conjunction with the noted polling organization, Zogby
International.

"Weekly Reader's results have been consistently on target in telling the
American people who our next president will be, and we anticipate that this
year will be no different," said Neal Goff, President of Weekly Reader. "Even
though they are too young to vote, America's children know that this election
is important to their future. We're proud of our extensive educational program
about elections, and we know that our presidential poll gives kids a terrific
sense of participation and understanding."

Will this year's students choose John McCain or Barack Obama? Find out on
October 29, when the Weekly Reader results are announced!

Here are some of the Weekly Reader Presidential Election Poll's remarkable
results over the past 52 years:
-- The poll's been right more than 90 percent of the time. The
eligible candidate that kids named as their choice for president has
won
12 out of 13 times -- and in eight out of the last nine elections.
-- Weekly Reader voters often have been on target about the Electoral
College. In 1972, the poll predicted that Richard Nixon would win 49
states, and that George McGovern would take only Massachusetts and
Washington, D.C -- mirroring the actual results precisely. In 1980,
kids
predicted the huge sweep by Ronald Reagan.
-- The Weekly Reader survey has, on occasion, been more precise than
major
pollsters. For example, most polling organizations said the race
between
President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan was too close to call. But
Weekly Reader kids voted for Reagan by a large margin -- exactly what
happened in the general election. In fact, the kids' results
exactly matched the fraction of votes (41 percent) that Carter
received.
-- This student survey has been widely acknowledged as a key indicator of
who will win. In 1984, U.S. News and World Report asked, "Where do
experts differ on the contest for president? Which will come
closest?" It put together a chart that listed eight top pollsters,
including Gallup and Harris, and listed Weekly Reader prominently.

The student election survey is one of many ways in which Weekly Reader informs
and involves the next generation of citizens. Throughout this presidential
election season, Weekly Reader delivers cutting-edge, up-to-the-minute
multimedia materials to schools -- all of it designed to make learning about
the election relevant and fun. The award-winning Weekly Reader website
features a continuously updated Election 2008 area,
www.weeklyreader.com/election, which provides topical, targeted coverage of
the election, specifics about the candidates and issues, fascinating election
anecdotes, and instructive interactive games for students in elementary,
middle, and high schools. Teachers can download exclusive lesson plans
outlining the political process. Post-election coverage will continue online
and in Weekly Reader's acclaimed classroom magazines through the inauguration
and first 100 days the new president spends in office.

About Weekly Reader Publishing
For more than 100 years, Weekly Reader has been a leading publisher of
supplemental educational products to schools and libraries, dedicated to
making learning come alive by creating engaging materials that connect what
children learn to the world around them. Through its flagship product line --
Weekly Reader classroom magazines -- Weekly Reader reaches an audience of
almost 8 million educators, students, and their parents annually. The Weekly
Reader Publishing Group (WRPG) also includes Weekly Reader Curriculum
Publishing and Custom Publishing; Weekly Reader Research; Gareth Stevens
Publishing; World Almanac Education Library Services; Facts for Learning and
Funk & Wagnall's. WRPG is part of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. For
more information, visit www.weeklyreader.com.

About Zogby International
Zogby International is a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm
with experience working in more than 70 countries around the globe. Founded
and led by John Zogby since 1984, Zogby International ranks as one of the
industry's leaders thanks to its reputation for superior accuracy and
reliability. Zogby specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey
research and analysis for political, corporate, non-profit, and governmental
clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, New York, with offices in
Washington D.C., and Miami.

Stay informed. Visit Weekly Reader Election 2008 at
www.weeklyreader.com/election.

SOURCE Weekly Reader Publishing

Gabrielle Torello, Communications Consultant, +1-201-678-2824,
gabtpr@yahoo.com, for Weekly Reader Publishing