Pearson announced last week that it was responding to rocky conditions and poor performance in international markets by shedding 4,000 workers and putting a greater focus on adaptive courseware and classroom products, as well as blended and online learning.
The cuts will reduce the giant education company’s workforce by about 10 percent, down from about 40,000 employees based not only in the United States and the United Kingdom, but also in Asia and in countries around the world.
Pearson cited several factors in the international school market that had hurt its business, including a decline in higher education enrollments in the United States, new school accountability measures in England and Wales, and plummeting textbook sales in South Africa.