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 exercise 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.

SRA also published the DISTAR program (later called Reading Mastery) and purchased Open Court Reading in the 1990s.

In the early 2000s, the company was purchased by McGraw-Hill and is now known as SRA/McGraw-Hill.