The Problem with Educational Publishing

In one word: developers.

If you're not in the industry, you likely don't know what "developers" or the longer term "development houses" are or do.

In a nutshell: They are the people who write your children's textbooks.

Authors' names may appear on the covers of Joanie's fifth grade math book, but those authors did not write the book. Let me repeat: Authors of textbooks do not write them. If you're my age, you might think about it like Milli Vanilli: they were on the videos and CDs of their albums, but they did not sing. They just looked good for the consumers. Similarly, textbook authors seem to hold a lot of different degrees and affiliations and so they look great on the cover. But it's all lip synching.

Developers are usually English majors, 20- or 30-something editors working at a development house, that write the content of the book. Many times, especially with the lower grades, these editors do not have content, or subject-matter, knowledge; mostly, they're fair writers and that's what got them their job.