Saxon Publishers

What's Different About Saxon?

Results.

Ever since it’s founding in 1981, Saxon has produced tangible and measurable results in the classroom. John Saxon, the company's founder, first captured the attention of educators when a study involving 1400 students, half of whom used the Saxon algebra text and half of whom did not, showed Saxon students correctly solving more than two problems for every one that the control group students could solve. Since then, 60 Minutes, Reader’s Digest, Time, Newsweek, and hundreds of newspapers have chronicled the successes of schools using Saxon programs. Annually, we chronicle Saxon schools from around the country that have benefited from using Saxon programs. Test scores, testimonials and profiles of these schools are gathered in the Saxon Report Card. To request a copy of the Saxon Report Card, please visit our Sample Request Page or contact Customer Service at (800) 284-7019.

Classroom Tested and Proven.

At Saxon we regularly receive correspondence lauding how well our programs work in the classroom. Our program authors are master teachers and each program is carefully field-tested with diverse student populations from across the country. We feel confident that teachers using Saxon programs will be getting a program that has been proven to work effectively with students from all backgrounds and abilities.

Teacher-Friendly.

The structured approach of Saxon programs makes them very teacher-friendly and easy to use. Teachers at all grade levels often comment that substitute teachers can step in and continue the flow of lessons without interruption. Some teachers have even expressed guilt about not having to do as much since they began to use Saxon. Our program design allows overworked teachers to work smarter, not harder to accomplish results. All of our programs are designed to be as instructionally self-contained as possible. At the primary level all student materials are provided in kits that contain all the student worksheets in classroom quantities, eliminating the cost and time required for making copies.

The Approach.

At Saxon we believe that the most effective way for students to learn is through a gentle development of concepts and the practice of those concepts extended over a considerable period of time. We call these methods incremental development and continual practice and review and we have applied them to mathematics and the fundamental skills of reading.

At its simplest, incremental development is the introduction of topics in easily understandable pieces (increments), permitting the assimilation of one facet of a concept before the next facet is introduced. Both facets are then practiced together until another is introduced.

The incrementalization of topics is combined with continual review, wherein all previously learned material is reviewed in every lesson for the entire year. Topics are never dropped but are instead increased in complexity and practiced every day, providing the time required for concepts to become totally familiar.

As concepts become familiar and the requisite skills become automated, learning becomes a game at which students can succeed and through which they find satisfaction and self-worth. More importantly, the automation of fundamental skills frees students' minds to consider the concepts on a more abstract level. Genuine learning is demonstrated not only through the understanding of a concept but also through the ability to apply that concept to new situations. Saxon students do both with ease and confidence.

Wide Applicability.

Because we're not willing to leave any student behind, Saxon offers adaptations of our middle grades mathematics series for use with students with special needs, thereby increasing the population of students who can benefit from the Saxon program. Both regular education students and students with special needs use the same textbooks; however, students with special needs also use specially designed materials that make the textbooks more accessible and beneficial to them.

Saxon also offers Phonics Intervention, developed specifically for older, struggling students who have difficulty reading and spelling. This supplemental program may be used in a wide variety of settings -- large groups, small groups, regular classes, or after school programs -- and is designed to ensure that no student is left behind.

When John Saxon retired from the Air Force in 1970 at the age of 47, he began teaching algebra at a junior college in Oklahoma. He soon discovered that his students were neither comprehending nor retaining the algebra they were being taught. When one of his students suggested he write out some problems for his class, Saxon decided to give it a try. The students were highly successful in learning algebra from his writings, and in 1979, these writings were published by a major publisher in two texts for the junior college level. Working at his dining room table, he continued to write and adapt his work into a text for high school algebra students.

He enlisted several Oklahoma high school teachers to try his manuscript with their students. When they too were successful using his program, Saxon traveled to New York City to find a publisher. None would consider publishing his manuscript. He returned to Oklahoma quite dejected. Saxon, however, had two traits that would become the backbone for the success of his company: persistence and determination.

Certain that his book would help students learn math; he decided to publish it himself. Mortgaging his home and taking his inheritance from his mother's estate, he organized his own publishing company. In October 1980 his Algebra 1 book became a reality. He named his new company Grassdale Publishers. (Grassdale was the name of his grandmother's farm.)

Saxon drove over 15,000 miles throughout Oklahoma during the summer of 1981 recruiting teachers to try his method of teaching. Twenty teachers agreed to test his textbook side by side with another math book. Just fewer than 1400 students were involved in this test. At the end of the school term, Saxon students were able to solve 2.6 problems for every one problem solved by students in regular classes.

The response of teachers to his first book was strong. They thought the book was great and were willing to tell everyone about it. Saxon hadn't counted, though, on the negative reaction from members of the mathematics education establishment. Realizing that he was an outsider, he began to fight to have his books accepted. This earned him the reputation of being controversial and outspoken. Saxon challenged his opponents to test his method and measure the results.

For seven years Saxon worked out of his Norman, Oklahoma home writing and publishing books. By 1986, when he changed his company's name to Saxon Publishers, Inc., he had published four books: Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Algebra 1/2, and Advanced Mathematics.

By 1993 the company had published thirteen books and programs (many are now second and third editions) for students kindergarten through high school, including a calculus and physics text. In 1996 Saxon Phonics was introduced to schools throughout the country; followed in 1999 by Phonics Intervention, a program designed especially for older non-readers.

In 1988 the growth of the company necessitated moving from John Saxon's home into a suite of offices in Norman. In 1991 Saxon Publishers relocated to an even larger building. Then, in 1997, a 108,000-square-foot distribution center was constructed to house the company's customer service, order processing, shipping, and warehouse personnel.

In January of 1999 construction began on a three-story, 65,000 square foot corporate headquarters near the site of the distribution center. In August 2000 the building was completed; marketing, sales, product development, information technology, operations/finance, human resources and the president's office moved in and all of Saxon Publishers was finally united on the same campus.

From two employees in 1985, the company has grown rapidly, and as of January 2002 included over 200 employees working in the corporate headquarters and distribution center in Norman, Oklahoma, along with nearly 50 employees across the United States serving as educational representatives, regional consultants and national consultants.

The Saxon approach to marketing is quite unique in the industry. The sales force, made up solely of former teachers, both promote and service the Saxon texts. John Saxon's marketing approach was to give away thousands of books to schools, encouraging teachers to test them against any other texts. He assured them that they would see an increase in upper-level math enrollment and a reduction in the number of students taking remedial math courses. School districts in all fifty states, and also several foreign countries, use Saxon texts.

Saxon Publishers Today

Saxon Publishers, begun by John H. Saxon Jr. in 1981, is now owned by his four children: John Harold Saxon III, Selby Saxon Harrison, Bruce Charles Saxon, and Sarah Gay Perkins. Because the value of education was instilled in the Saxon children by their parents from an early age, they are all professionals today -- three are physicians and one is a pharmacist. Since their father's passing, the Saxon children, owners of the company since its inception, have been more directly involved than ever before. Among other things, they have formed an outside board of directors, expanded the executive management team, and strengthened Saxon's commitment to "Leading by setting the standard for lifelong learning." With their guidance and confidence the company continues to mature and set itself apart by striving for excellence in curriculum development. The owners are also actively involved in educational issues at the local and national level. With ten Saxon grandchildren just beginning to enter the primary years, the owners' personal interest and involvement in pursuing excellence in education is assured for another generation.

The company's board of directors is comprised of Dr. Frank Wang, Chairman, two of the owners, and six outside business leaders.

The president and CEO of Saxon Publishers is Gerard Smith, who joined the company in October 2001. Smith comes to Saxon with a wealth of management, marketing and publishing experience having served, at various times, as managing director of the internationally recognized advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather, and publisher of Newsweek magazine. Prior to joining Saxon, Smith was chief executive officer of an Internet media company.

The chairman of Saxon Publishers is Frank Wang, Ph.D., who began working for John Saxon in 1980 at age sixteen. After earning a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wang rejoined Saxon Publishers as vice president in 1991. He became president of the company in 1994 and chairman in 2001.

The company continues to flourish and has seen a steady increase in sales each year. What began, as one man working at his dining room table alongside a sixteen-year-old student helper has become a recognized pacesetter in the educational field.

John Saxon's mission has become the mission statement for the company:

We are dedicated to turning around education in America by ensuring access to instructional materials with proven records of success.

John Saxon (1923-1996)

John Saxon was born in Georgia in 1923 and graduated from high school in Athens, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia prior to enlisting in the Army. In 1943, after seeing active duty in the Army Air Corps, he was appointed to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in Engineering. He was stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, and began his teaching career as a flight instructor.

During the Korean War, Saxon flew 55 combat missions in a B-26 Night Intruder. He flew five years as a test pilot for the Air Force. In 1961 he received his master's degree in electrical engineering and transferred to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, where for five years he taught electrical engineering. He was assigned to Task Force ALPHA in Vietnam and again flew missions before his retirement in 1970 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

At the time of his retirement, Saxon was living in Norman, Oklahoma. He began teaching algebra classes at Oscar Rose State College in Oklahoma City, where he initiated groundwork for Saxon Publishers. From 1980, Saxon authored or co-authored nine of the kindergarten-through-high-school series textbooks.

After his company was flourishing with mathematics programs for all grade levels, John authored the last of his series of texts, a physics book, in 1993. He then focused his efforts on speaking engagements and guest slots on radio and TV. With his penchant for attacking what he termed "so-called math experts," he was quickly dubbed a "maverick" and "math's angry man."

So great was his desire to turn around math education that John wrote and placed numerous ads, at his own expense, to alert schools and parents to what he called "The Upcoming Disaster in Math and Science Education." He was known for his outspoken narratives and for pointing a finger at those he felt were responsible for falling math scores among American students. John Saxon passed away on October 17, 1996.

Frank Wang 

In 1980 16-year-old high school student Frank Wang responded to an employment request from John Saxon, who was engaged in writing his first textbook. Wang fulfilled numerous duties for Saxon, including serving as "gopher" and eventually rising to the task of assisting with the writing, proofreading, and editing of the textbooks. His employment was interrupted when he graduated from high school and enrolled at Princeton to study math. At this time, his goal was to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professor.

Wang received his bachelor's degree four years later and enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology to do his graduate work. After a year at MIT, Saxon, who wanted assistance in writing a calculus text for the high school level, once again sought Wang out. Wang consented; left MIT for one year, and in 1988 was published as co-author of the Saxon Calculus text. Upon the book's completion, Wang once again resumed his mathematics studies and continued his path to becoming a professor. Shortly before completing his doctorate in pure mathematics, Wang was again approached by Saxon. This time, Saxon asked him to consider coming back to the Norman-based company and assume its daily leadership and management. After much deliberation, Wang accepted the offer, and upon receiving his doctorate degree, in 1991 became the company's first vice president.

Wang was named executive vice president in 1992 and became president of Saxon Publishers in 1994. Oftentimes working 12 to 16 hours a day, Wang saw the company sales more than quadruple over a 6-year period. From fewer than 30 employees in 1991, the company size quadrupled and by 1998 reported more than 150 people on the payroll, including salespeople nationwide. Wang is active in all areas of the company. His most notable accomplishments include expanding the product line to include phonics, developing the company's organizational and management infrastructure, and establishing a company-wide budgeting system. He also manages to schedule numerous speaking engagements and is available for interviews and requests from the media.

Since the death of John Saxon in October 1996, Wang has served as Chairman of the Board, as well as functioning as the president and CEO from 1996 until 2001. He is dedicated to preserving John Saxon's memory and ideology of turning around mathematics education in America, and strives to continue the spirit and enthusiasm of the company while leading the way towards continued growth and development.

Lorna Simmons 

Lorna Simmons, a successful classroom reading teacher, developed the Phonics Intervention program and the K-2 phonics series after developing materials to remedy her own son's reading difficulties. Her success in the classroom prompted other teachers to request Lorna's materials. Saxon Publishers contacted her to see whether she would be interested in sharing her curriculum. Both philosophically and structurally, it was a perfect fit.

Nancy Larson 

From 1988 to 1991 Nancy Larson wrote and tested the original primary mathematics series. Assisted by a dedicated team of teachers, she applied the technique of incremental development to elementary topics. With a unique understanding of the relationship between instruction and classroom management, she perfected the teacher-friendly scripted format Saxon users have come to expect.

Pat Wrigley 

Pat Wrigley began to adapt Saxon's middle grades series in 1991 for use with her own special needs students. When other resource specialists began to request copies of her work, she realized it might be of value to Saxon users. We were delighted when she submitted her adaptations to us and allowed us to make them available to you.

Sheridan Austin 

In 1995, after being asked to teach Pre-K classes, Sheridan Austin found there was no mathematics program available for this level. So she began formulating lessons and activities of her own. Having previously taught Saxon mathematics programs, she felt comfortable adapting Saxon's pedagogical methods. Sheri has been actively involved in the development of Saxon's new Early Learning program.

Stephen Hake 

Stephen Hake was developing teaching materials for his own middle school students when, in 1983, he happened to see one of Saxon's secondary texts. He was surprised to find that it contained a methodology similar to his own. He wrote a letter to John Saxon, who wrote back asking him to assist in the creation of a middle school series. They went on to coauthor Math 54, Math 65, Math 76, and Math 87.

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