(Tallahassee, Florida) -- The Florida State Board of Education has approved the first online textbook in state history for use in classrooms statewide. Also announced in Florida was a partnership with the online textbook publisher, Barrett Kendall and Microsoft Corporation in the production of a new education tool.

While other textbook publishers have offered supplementary material, this marks the first time in Florida that a publishing firm has made available a full and complete online version of their printed textbook.

"There are other education products on the market that utilize the Internet and other technology. I believe one thing the Florida State Board of Education realizes is that the Barrett Kendall online textbook has real content," said Bob Blevins, CEO of Barrett Kendall.

The printed textbook, BK ENGLISH: Communication Skills in the New Millennium, and its online companion are products of the Austin-based Barrett Kendall Publishing Ltd.

"This is revolutionary," said John Simmons, PhD, Professor of English Education and Reading at Florida State University. "With this textbook, the world truly is just a mouse click away. This is an exciting time in Florida for educators and students alike."

"Teachers have been waiting for this. The Barrett Kendall product is very forward thinking with its inclusion of technology with content," said Ruth Rigby, Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator for the Lee County School District.

Since the cost of textbooks is set by the state, Barrett Kendall's online product offers added value to the taxpayer according to Blevins. "There is no additional cost for the online version, which is a duplicate of the printed textbook and unlike the traditional textbook, the online version can't be lost or damaged," added Blevins.

On Wednesday, January 10, 2001, Microsoft Corporation announced Barrett Kendall would be a partner with the software innovator in providing content for its new Encarta Class Server, a new teaching platform for K-12 schools.

"At the same time we are very excited to join Microsoft in the production of this new education tool," said Blevins. "This is a natural partnership since Barrett Kendall has received approval in several states for our on-line English textbook."

Barrett Kendall is the first publisher to secure state approval for an on-line textbook as a companion to the traditional textbook. Officials with Microsoft said they chose Barrett Kendall rather than other publishers because of the company's commitment to providing quality content for their online product. The BK English text is currently available for adoption by school districts in the state.

In addition to its online English textbook, Barrett Kendall is in the development process for Social Studies and History online textbooks.

"Content is the key. It is important to have quality content for both students and educators alike because new technology by itself is not going to take our kids where the need to be to compete in the 21st century," commented Blevins. " We hope to continue this partnership with Microsoft well into the future," Blevins concluded.

The team at Barrett Kendall brings many years of textbook development and publishing experience to their products. They are currently in the development phase of online Social Sciences and History textbooks.

Barrett Kendall, publisher of the groundbreaking English textbook and online companion, has also received approval from the education boards of the states of North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Utah, Illinois, New Mexico in addition to Florida.