Business Segments (Details 1) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended										12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011		Oct. 02, 2011	Jul. 03, 2011	Apr. 03, 2011	Jan. 02, 2011		Oct. 03, 2010	Jul. 04, 2010	Apr. 04, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011		Jan. 02, 2011		Jan. 03, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Education [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Education [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Higher Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Higher Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Higher Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Test Preparation [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Test Preparation [Member]		Dec. 31, 2009 Test Preparation [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Kaplan International [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Kaplan International [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Kaplan International [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Kaplan Ventures [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Kaplan Ventures [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Kaplan Ventures [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Kaplan Corporate and Other [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Kaplan Corporate and Other [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Kaplan Corporate and Other [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Cable Television [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Cable Television [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 Cable Television [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Newspaper Publishing [Member]		Jan. 02, 2011 Newspaper Publishing [Member]		Jan. 03, 2010 Newspaper Publishing [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Television Broadcasting [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Television Broadcasting [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 Television Broadcasting [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other Businesses [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Other Businesses [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 Other Businesses [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Corporate Office [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Corporate Office [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 Corporate Office [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Score [Member] Test Preparation [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Intersegment Elimination [Member]	Jan. 02, 2011 Intersegment Elimination [Member]	Jan. 03, 2010 Intersegment Elimination [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Intersegment Elimination [Member] Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Intersegment Elimination [Member] Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Intersegment Elimination [Member] Education [Member]
Operating revenues	$ 1,063,439		$ 1,032,640	$ 1,069,140	$ 1,049,614	$ 1,182,161		$ 1,183,535	$ 1,193,618	$ 1,124,727	$ 4,214,833		$ 4,684,041		$ 4,326,040	$ 2,465,048	$ 2,862,279	$ 2,862,279	$ 2,576,162	$ 2,576,162	$ 1,399,582	$ 1,905,038	$ 1,653,276	$ 303,093	[1]	$ 314,879	[1]	$ 336,788	[1]	$ 690,225	$ 585,924	$ 537,238	$ 74,946	$ 59,296	$ 57,210	$ 4,585	$ 5,537	$ 2,436	$ 760,221	$ 759,884	$ 750,409	$ 648,039		$ 680,373		$ 679,282	$ 319,206	$ 342,164	$ 272,651	$ 26,135	$ 46,395	$ 53,921	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 8,600	$ (3,816)	$ (7,054)	$ (6,385)	$ (7,383)	$ (8,395)	$ (10,786)
Income (loss) from operations	107,745		51,961	81,012	55,240	151,027		137,474	167,594	106,567	295,958		562,662		290,399	89,434	346,733	346,733	227,281	227,281	148,915	406,880	284,357	(28,498)	[1]	(32,583)	[1]	(18,029)	[1]	46,498	56,152	53,772	(10,093)	(17,490)	(9,286)	(66,268)	(65,992)	(83,843)	156,844	163,945	169,051	(18,200)		(9,826)		(163,549)	117,089	121,348	70,506	(34,787)	(34,966)	(61)	(14,422)	(24,572)	(12,829)	36,800				(1,120)	(234)	310
Equity in earnings (losses) of affiliates	568		(1,494)	3,138	3,737	(191)		2,140	2,027	(8,109)	5,949		(4,133)		(29,421)
Interest expense, net											(29,079)		(27,927)		(28,968)
Other, net	1,073		(29,650)	(2,591)	(24,032)	2,157		12,486	(3,807)	(3,321)	(55,200)		7,515		13,197
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	101,922		13,144	74,596	27,966	146,351		145,067	158,815	87,884	217,628		538,117		245,207
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	64,018		62,644	63,690	63,021	63,699		60,752	60,872	61,307	253,373		246,630		290,609	87,718	77,306	77,306	80,403	80,403	48,379	42,412	42,813	15,489		14,095		17,941		16,747	12,839	11,438	4,189	4,109	3,911	2,914	3,851	4,300	126,302	124,834	124,207	26,336		30,341		72,870	12,448	12,720	12,299	325	270	151	244	1,159	679
Amortization of intangible assets	6,813		8,603	6,779	6,164	6,438		6,409	7,492	6,403	28,359		26,742		25,610	21,167	21,406	21,406	21,191	21,191																			267	327	310	1,051		1,223		1,010	0	0	0	5,874	3,786	3,099	0	0	0
Impairment of goodwill	0		11,923	0	0						11,923		24,634		8,492	0	0		8,492	8,492																			0	0	0	0		0		0	0	0	0	11,923	24,634	0	0		0
Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets						0		27,477	0	0			27,477				0	0																						0				0				0			27,477			0
Net pensions credit (expense)											1,677		(16,492)		(49,854)	(6,345)	(5,707)			(5,414)																			(1,924)	(1,919)	(1,851)	(25,300)	[2]	(42,287)	[2]	(75,925)	(1,669)	(1,113)	(418)	(68)	(65)	(82)	36,983	34,599	33,836
Capital expenditures											215,841		241,087		221,650	54,633	113,780	113,780	104,282	104,282	19,735	58,660	69,131	17,266		32,798		15,900		16,304	14,163	13,900	2,762	3,050	3,710	(1,434)	5,109	1,641	143,225	109,579	84,027	11,405		10,590		18,856	6,415	6,675	13,559	163	463	926	0	0	0
Identifiable assets	4,696,684					4,785,820					4,696,684		4,785,820		4,777,600	2,176,240	2,197,277	2,197,277	2,188,328	2,188,328	936,029	1,043,503	1,018,256	334,343		290,368		285,673		809,267	675,127	671,250	89,043	93,359	58,421	7,558	94,920	154,728	1,145,596	1,141,427	1,164,209	118,253		206,305		207,234	421,764	436,289	433,705	11,190	30,038	54,418	823,641	774,484	729,706
Investments in marketable equity securities	303,201	[3]				340,910	[3]				303,201	[3]	340,910	[3]	353,884
Investments in affiliates	17,101					31,637					17,101		31,637		54,722
Total assets	5,016,986					5,158,367					5,016,986		5,158,367		5,186,206
Multiemployer Defined Benefit Plan Withdrawal Charge											$ 2,415		$ 20,355		$ 0

[1] Test Preparation amounts include revenues of $8.6 million and operating losses of $36.8 million from Score for the fiscal year ended 2009.

[2] (1) Includes a $2.4 million and $20.4 million charge in 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to the withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan.

[3] The Company’s investments in marketable equity securities are classified as available-for-sale.