The most recent US Department of Education Assessment has revealed that “Only 24% of students currently write at ‘proficient’ level in eighth and twelfth grades.” While some may find that statistic shocking and disturbing two big names in educational technology have teamed up to do something about it.

Fablevision has been a leader in the world of educational publishing for kids for nearly 20 years   Founded by, Internationally-acclaimed creativity champion Peter H. Reynolds is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of books for all ages (The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, The North Star, Going Places.) His work has been published in over 25languages around the globe. Where many legacy education companies have failed at keeping up with technology, Fablevision continues to innovate.

To help tackle writing challenges for students Fablevision has teamed up with LuLu the self publishing platform, and specifically their LuLu Jr brand to unveil a new education technology product, My Awesome Publishing Company the web-based writing and book publishing platform designed for young learners, initially grades K-8.

Imagine the excitement as kids publish their own stories as books. My Awesome Publishing Company will not only help kids with reading and writing, but the creative process and even entrepreneurship as well as students learn about marketing their own books.

While folks tussle over the name and definition of writing standards, my work is focused on the mission to encourage creativity and self-expression for all ages, which is why I’m so excited to connect the dots with Lulu — the pioneer in open publishing for grown-ups,” Peter H. Reynolds New York Times Best Selling Author and Founder of Fablevision said. “We can get kids hooked on writing — and improving their writing — along with providing them access to their very own print-on-demand books, giving every child a chance to share their voice with the world.”

“Educators need ways to spark students’ intrinsic motivation to write and to keep writing, as well as creative ways to respond to students’ written work,” FableVision CEO Paul Reynolds said. “At the same time, they are scrambling to meet new standards requiring their students to publish in multiple formats. This collaboration aims to deliver an engaging, intuitive, guided solution that motivates kids to write, while also fostering the 4Cs in the 21st Century Skills Framework: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.”

Designed for mobile and desktop accessibility, My Awesome Publishing Company!‘s creativity tools can travel beyond the classroom to libraries, community centers and the home — so the creative process doesn’t have to stop when the school bell rings. Because the final output can be a physical book, creative work is easily shared with family and friends, and becomes a family heirloom that can be treasured for generations.

“Educators, their students and kids everywhere deserve more engaging tools to nurture writing of all kinds. And the good news is that publishing is an almost magical invitation to get kids writing,” said Bob Young, founder of Lulu. “Holding a book in your hands with your name printed on it is really exciting, and that’s what My Awesome Publishing Company! enables. It will be so easy and fun to use that we envision adults using it right alongside their kids.””

My Awesome Publishing Company is set to debut at the Florida Educational Technology Conference next week. You can find out more about Fablevision here and Lulu Jr here.