Last year, one state decided that although it had issued a request for social studies textbooks, it could not advise its school districts to purchase any of them. Why? The reviewers claimed that the textbooks were boring—well, they used nicer words than that. The state basically said to publishers that their works did not spark student interest, did not go into enough depth, and in some cases had egregious errors of fact. Not to mention that they weigh a ton.
States are using the term “instructional materials” rather than textbooks to describe what they're willing to buy for their students. Some states, such as my home state of Indiana, have clearly encouraged districts to develop their own materials using freelay available web resources. In fact, purchasing netbooks or small laptops for students is a legitimate “instructional materials” purchase in many states already. I guarantee that more will follow.
Completely oblivious to these clear signs, educational publishers like my employer continue to create bland programs that are unengaging to students and frustrating for teachers. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in consultants, writers, editors, marketers, salespeople, and executives result in poorly written materials that cannot demonstrate that they actually help students to learn.
What really goes on in the crazy sad world of educational publishing
