Science Research Associates
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Founded in 1938, SRA or Science Research Associates Inc. was a Chicago-based publisher of educational materials and schoolroom reading comprehension products. Early on, it had more of a trade and occupational focus. In 1957, it moved into individualized classroom instruction with the iconic SRA Reading Laboratory Kit, a format that later translated to mathematics and social studies. The labs were large boxes filled with color-coded cardboard sheets. Each sheet included a reading exercize for students. The student would then follow up with multiple choice questions. As the child moved ahead, he would advance in difficulty.
SRA was purchased by IBM in 1964, and by that time its products geared to primary and secondary schools had increased, especially at a time when math education was seen as critical during the Cold War and Space Race. Used in elementary schools, "SRA" was one of many popular educational fads and classroom tools that flourished in the 1970s with the open classroom movement.
Today the company is known as SRA/McGraw-Hill.
