About
Studies Weekly
Some say the story of our company began in 1984, when a Utah elementary school teacher named Paul Thompson first walked into a classroom full of fourth-graders. Paul's classroom, like so many classrooms, was missing effective social studies resources, and he longed for a better way to teach Utah history to his students. “What we need,” he thought, “is a ‘Weekly Reader’ that’s all about our state.” Figuring on the support of his fellow teachers, Paul set out to develop such a product from a room in his home. In 1984, Utah Studies Weekly was born.
That year, teachers subscribed 4,500 students to Utah Studies Weekly. It was, they said, the perfect resource: something that could help them teach social studies standards and increase reading skills at the same time.
The success of Utah Studies Weekly inspired Paul to try the Studies Weekly concept in Texas. With the help of his two Texan sisters – Beverly Johnson and Linda Petersen – Paul developed Texas Studies Weekly, a periodical tailor-made for teachers in the Lone Star State.
Success in Texas proved to Paul that teachers everywhere might have a hankering for social studies publications designed just for them, wherever they might be. Only one year after the first printing of Texas Studies Weekly, publications followed for Arizona, Florida, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
Today, Paul Thompson’s vision has grown to fill the whole country with standards-based publications that students and teachers love. From its fourth-grade roots, Studies Weekly now serves a full range of elementary school students, from kindergarten through sixth grade. There are more than 70 Studies Weekly publications for students in all fifty states, covering social studies and science standards for over 1 million readers each week during the school year. Teacher-authors all over the country provide material for the publications. Our publications are meticulously correlated to the educational standards in each state where they’re used. And Studies Weekly publications have been adopted by a growing number of state boards of education as basal or core texts.
While Studies Weekly has grown and changed, the principles that guided Paul Thompson in the creation of the first Studies Weekly publication still guide us today. American Legacy Publishing, owned and operated by Paul’s daughter and son-in-law, now produces each Studies Weekly publication with the same care and attention that has always characterized the Studies Weekly family of periodicals. At American Legacy Publishing, we know how dedicated teachers and administrators are to the education of America’s kids. Trust us to be just as dedicated as you are, and know that we pledge to continue to make Studies Weekly the comprehensive social studies and science solution for your classroom.