Rockwood School District Receives Connect-ED(R) National Leadership through Communication Award

District to Accept Award at American Association of School Administrators

National Conference on Education

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rockwood School District in West St. Louis County, Mo., has earned the 2009 Connect-ED(R) Leadership through Communication Award, which will be presented at the American Association of School Administrator's (AASA) National Conference on Education in San Francisco, Calif., on February 20, at 4 p.m.

The award is sponsored by the Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) Blackboard Connect team, AASA, and the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and honors Rockwood School District Superintendent Dr. Craig Larson and Kim Cranston, APR, Chief Communications Officer, for recognizing that communication is a critical component of leadership and exhibiting an ongoing commitment to incorporating communication into their strategic programs and day-to-day operations.

"School-to-parent communication helps to enhance parental engagement, ultimately improving student and parent involvement and participation," said Thomas Motter, President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackboard Connect, which provides a multi-modal mass notification and alert solution to education, government and military organizations. "Rockwood School District has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the enhancement of school-to-parent communication and how this communication can have a positive impact on both its students and its wider community."

Rockwood School District is St. Louis County's largest public school system, serving more than 22,000 students. The judges for this year's program noted that the district's leadership team should be commended for its demonstrated excellence both within the district and the community it serves.

Now in its fourth year, the Connect-ED Leadership through Communication Award program is open to all school districts throughout the United States. In receiving the award, a $10,000 contribution will be made to Rockwood's scholarship fund, to be awarded to a student or students who will major in communications.

"The Rockwood School District leadership team has achieved a successful communication program by acknowledging the value of community involvement. They have engaged parents, staff and students, creating a community of active stakeholders," said Dr. Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of AASA. "AASA is pleased to honor the Rockwood School District for developing strategic communication programs that benefit the entire school community."

"Rockwood School District's strong communication program has helped change community and staff attitudes and built support for strong achievement initiatives," said Rich Bagin, APR, executive director of NSPRA. "Their efforts exemplify how communication can make dramatic improvements within an organization."

For more information about Blackboard Connect solutions, please visit http://www.blackboard.com/Alert-Notification/Connect-Platform.aspx

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed on November 6, 2008 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of February 20, 2009. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to February 20, 2009.

SOURCE Blackboard Inc. 02/20/2009 CONTACT:
Matthew Maurer of Blackboard Inc., 1-202-463-4860, ext. 2637,
matthew.maurer@blackboard.com; Kate Taylor of Edelman, 1-916-420-7848,
kate.taylor@edelman.com, for Blackboard Inc.
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