Education Kaplan, Inc., continued to expand its reach and position as a broad-based provider of education and career services in 2000. Revenue grew 37 percent over 1999, climbing to $353.8 million, which includes $56.9 million from Kaplan’s acquisition of Quest Education Corporation in the summer of 2000. Through a combination of strategic acquisitions, new technologies, and strong leadership, Kaplan’s five operating units served students of all ages with tools for lifelong learning. Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions experienced a solid year, with revenue of $165.2 million for 2000. Despite the entry of numerous competitors, Kaplan continued to grow. While graduate school was less popular at the beginning of the year as prospective students flocked to Internet jobs, year-end saw substantial growth in Kaplan’s pre-graduate courses, in particular, GMAT and LSAT preparation, as interest in business school and law school increased. In the pre-college arena, Kaplan introduced one-on-one college admissions consulting to complement its national center-based college admissions courses. Kaplan continued to serve a broad population of international students and professionals, offering English-language programs and test preparation for American entrance and licensing exams. In addition to serving international students in its U.S. centers, Kaplan and its licensees offered its programs at 36 centers in 15 countries abroad. Kaplan provided many of its services directly to schools and had 650 school relationships in 2000, reaching thousands of middle and high school students and teachers through professional development workshops, curricular materials, and test preparation programs. Through a statewide contract, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions also provided professional development seminars for approximately 550 Florida teachers to assist them in preparing their students for the Florida statewide assessment tests. Kaptest.com, the online division of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, began and ended the year as a leading provider of online test preparation, reaching 2 million users worldwide. Kaptest.com added a variety of new online courses, workshops, and live online events related to test preparation and admissions. The site also provides informative articles and guidance about the admissions process for college, graduate, and professional schools. Kaplan Publishing, in a joint venture with Simon & Schuster, published 71 titles in 2000 on test preparation, admissions, education, career development, and life skills. Kaplan Publishing emerged as a leader in sales of books for statewide assessments with the publication of 24 state test titles. The division also initiated a line of eBooks. Kaplan's Test prep software business, through a strategic relationship with Encore Software, had a 65 percent share of the test preparation software market through December 2000, according to PC Data, the computer industry’s primary source for software, hardware, and video game sales information. Kaplan Professional consists of several companies that provide licensing and continuing education, certification, and professional development courses. The unit had revenue of $79.7 million, an increase of 35 percent over 1999, including acquisitions. Dearborn Financial, a supplier of training and curriculum for securities, insurance, and financial services professionals, provided nearly 6,000 classes nationwide and served more than 115,000 students with an enhanced product line of print titles and CD-ROM and online courses. The division also introduced the Dearborn Career Tracker, which allows corporations to meet, manage, and track their employees’ educational requirements and progress. Dearborn Real Estate Education launched RECampus.com, its online continuing education learning center for agents and brokers. Perfect Access Speer, the unit’s software training and consulting business, broadened its educational and training solutions for legal and financial firms with the acquisition of Speer Software Training, Inc., and began expanding its training services into the e-learning arena. Schweser Study Program, a leading provider of training for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA® ) examination, grew as the CFA® became an increasingly popular designation for financial services professionals. Self Test Software, a provider of practice tests for technical certifications for businesses and individuals, provided software to more than 90,000 technologists who sought to attain vendor-sponsored certification. Quest Education Corporation, a provider of post-secondary education, was acquired by Kaplan in the summer of 2000, enabling Kaplan to broaden the population of students it serves and to offer high-quality programs, including many that are regionally accredited. Quest posted revenue of $128.0 million in 2000, of which $56.9 million was recognized by Kaplan, Inc. Through 34 schools in 13 states, Quest offered bachelor and associate degrees as well as diploma programs to nearly 13,000 students. Programs are designed to provide students with the skills necessary to qualify them for entry-level employment in the fields of healthcare, business, information technology, fashion, and design. The Kaplan Colleges is comprised of three institutions focused on distance education: Kaplan College, The College for Professional Studies, and Concord University School of Law. This group of institutions, which posted revenue of $11.1 million in 2000, offers complete diploma and degree programs for working professionals. Kaplan College offers a variety of business and IT programs with regional accreditation from The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, one of the highest levels of academic accreditation in the country. The College for Professional Studies is accredited by the Accreditation Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council and offers diplomas in legal nurse consulting and paralegal studies. Concord, the nation’s first online law school, offers J.D. and Executive J.D. SM degrees to professionals, family caretakers, and working students whose circumstances prevent them from attending a fixed-facility law school. Approximately 600 students were enrolled in Concord at year-end. Score! Learning, Inc., a national provider of after-school learning programs for children and educational resources for parents, posted revenue of $41.2 million. In Score! ’s 142 after-school learning centers, children in grades K through 10 develop academic skills, self-confidence, and a love of learning. In 2000, Score! opened 42 new centers nationwide and served nearly 50,000 students. Score! Prep serves high school students with in-home tutoring for standardized tests and academic subjects. eScore.com, an online resource for parents of children newborn to age 14, provides parents with customized tools and information to pinpoint their child’s learning strengths and needs and play a more effective role in their child’s education and development. BrassRing, Inc., is a business-to-business provider of integrated recruiting solutions and Talent Relationship Management (TRM) systems. Kaplan helped create BrassRing in 1999 and is the largest shareholder in the company with a 42 percent interest. BrassRing's mission is to help employers hire better people faster. The company consists of BrassRing Career Events, one of the largest sponsors of technology career fairs in North America and Europe; BrassRing Exchanges, a leading provider of online recruiting solutions for hard-to-hire candidates; and BrassRing Systems, a leading provider of web-based TRM solutions that help manage and streamline the entire hiring process. BrassRing results are included in the “equity in affiliates” line.