The Enduring Success of Hands-On Learning
A Reflection from Dennis K. Goldman, President, ETA/Cuisenaire®
Dennis Goldman (far right) unveils the new company name after ETA's acquisition of the Cuisenaire Company of America, April 7, 2000.
The Changing of the Guard
In 1965, a savvy businessman named Harry C. Woldenberg created the Teaching Aids
Division of A. Daigger to produce hands-on products for the preschool and elementary
school market. These first manipulatives modeled the theories of Maria Montessori
and addressed the areas of perceptual development, motor discrimination, and
eye-hand coordination.
As the company’s products evolved, my uncle Mal Goldman joined as
sales manager for what became known as Educational Teaching Aids (ETA). At
the time I was a fourth and fifth grade teacher in the Chicago Public Schools
system and he thought my perspective would be important to the company. I
soon found myself working on catalogs and writing teacher’s guides
for ETA. In 1972, I joined the company full-time to begin a long, enjoyable,
and continuing career, culminating in my present position as president. The
changes over the years have been phenomenal and gratifying. We gradually
transitioned from the Montessori-based products to special education materials
to products for early childhood education, all precursors to today’s
focus on supplemental resources for math, reading and science.
Mutual Respect and Friendly Competition
By 1980s, ETA was one of three major manipulative-based companies. One of
these three was the Cuisenaire Company of America, headed by Jeffrey Sellon,
whom I always considered a worthy, able, and respected competitor. Although
our companies competed with each other, we also helped each other’s
business to grow. Because Cuisenaire® Rods were available to distributors;
we sold them in ETA’s catalogs! Cuisenaire Company of America
came under the Pearson umbrella in 1990 and when Pearson put the company
up for sale in 2000, I knew there was no better fit for it than ETA.
Combining Our Strengths
As a result of this acquisition, we changed the name of our company to ETA/Cuisenaire.® Due
to the work of Jeffrey Sellon, and the respect he cultivated in the Cuisenaire
name, I was proud to be able to add it to ours. Today, as a leader in math
manipulatives, we strive to maintain our reputation for superior customer
service and high-quality products that make a difference in the classroom.
As we celebrate this 75th anniversary of Georges Cuisenaire’s groundbreaking
invention, I realize why this simple set of colored rods has survived the
test of time. It is because the basic premise of this dedicated educator’s
invention continues to guide our mission today—to find the best
ways to help children learn.
Dennis K. Goldman
President and CEO
ETA/Cuisenaire
