Comments on: The real story behind textbooks

By: Beth from New Jersey

Beth from New Jersey — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:48:41 +0000

The author’s list of solutions sounds a lot like homeschooling:
1. Mix & Match — Reduce dependence on basal curricula by allowing teachers to choose the components of their own curriculum.
2. Use History & Science Spines — These would be thin, encyclopedic reference tools, checked by experts, and supplemented by living books. Hello.
3. High Tech Materials — Use CDs, DVDs, the Internet, etc., as teaching tools

Sounds like homeschooling. Hmmm……..

By: Cris

Cris — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:38:49 +0000

As a homeschooler who fondly refers to TWTM as my curriculum “Bible” AND who is also a subscriber of Edutopia, I was immediately struck with the same “Duh!” reaction when I read this article (I even blogged about it, stating precisely that this concept drives what we do in Science, History, and the like per TWTM and Charlotte Mason).

The whole idea of using “living books” with a spine to organize and prioritize is so simple but yet so genius in the way it serves both student and teacher alike. I’ve noticed many “new” ideas coming from the system lately that are suspiciously similar to what homeschoolers know by experience. Not sure how I feel about this yet…

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:06:36 +0000

Urban Mom, how terrific that your husband uses Ravitch’s book with his classes, that they get an insight into how their education is manipulated and packaged. I think the greatest thing would be to sit kids down with that book, a textbook, and one of SWB’s books or, with high school kids, a trade history book on one issue/historical event, and have them read them side by side. I would love to read a whole series of books on education with high school kids, including “Savage Inequalities,” books on SAT testing, and books on how college admissions are run. Does anyone out there try this kind of thing with their own kids, or are most responders working with younger children at home? SWB, do you discuss any of these issues with your older boys?

By: Colleen in NS

Colleen in NS — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:43:13 +0000

” Every state has a prescribed compendium of what kids should learn — tedious lists of bulleted objectives consisting mostly of sentences like this:

“The student shall be provided content necessary to formulate, discuss, critique, and review hypotheses, theories, laws, and principles and their strengths and weaknesses.”

I looked through the education dept.’s curric. guidelines for language arts here one time to try to figure out how the local schools taught kids to read and to write. I combed through the first six grades or so, and could NOT figure it out. It was all garbledegook like this. I still don’t know how they do it.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:31:11 +0000

Not a bit surprised. I am an elementary public school teacher but I teach Music, so I can gather my own curriculum without a problem. In fact, that is what I am expected to do. But I have seen enough of what my students have to read in their classroom to be appalled and I hear the frustration of creative and talented teachers who are being held in check by the system because they must teach to the standards. These well-meaning and dedicated folks need help and compassion and our country’s children need a champion.
Makes homeschooling my 2 teenagers all the easier and rewarding.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:34:25 +0000

Extremely interesting article. As homeschoolers we must also be diligent in our curriculum choices.

Dangermom- my daughter was pulled from her private school after the adoption of “Everyday math”, and was the impetus to our homeschooling voyage. She was being taught to add with a calculator in Kindergarten, and the math department head saw no problem with children no longer learning the multiplication tables. She saw it as “unnecessary.” Miracles come in many ways, this led to much research, discovery of “The Well Trained Mind”, and the rest is history.

By: Urban Mom (Valerie in Chicago over at WTM Boards)

Urban Mom (Valerie in Chicago over at WTM Boards) — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:41:54 +0000

Karen, Urban Dad is currently teaching The Language Police with his 11th grade AP class.

You see, he’s a Chicago high school techer who does not use the textbook. He orders the books he wants directly from the publisher at a fantastic discount. He then passes the savings onto the students. The books are in the kids’ hands, they can take notes in them and they get to keep them afterwards. Also, the kids won’t lug the textbooks home anyway.

As usual, one has to go around the system in order to actually get an education. Or, like us, opt out of the system altogether.

By: Sebastian (a lady)

Sebastian (a lady) — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:50:51 +0000

A friend of mine is living overseas. Her husband’s employer pays for K-12 schooling, including an allowance for homeschooling. She was recently chided for ordering too many books. It was suggested that she should pick a spine text instead.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:55:51 +0000

My only thought is that this is reminiscent of the purgatory that is the “text-book adoption committee.” I spent three months there during the spring of ’98. I think that may have been when I decided to homeschool.

By: David Prewitt

David Prewitt — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:21:52 +0000

SWB: Thanks for posting the article. It’s a fascinating view into the industry. (Also, Edutopia has been added to my favorites list.) I frankly don’t know the solution to the problem. Perhaps the “spine text” idea presented in the article would work? I recall an old business axiom that “nobody gets fired for recommending IBM” from the early IT days. In other words, selecting something outside the norm was risky and selecting the (bland) IBM system was safe. Even if teachers had authority to make their own selections, would they gravitate to the bland because nobody gets fired for recommending XYZ?

Also, would publishers dole out free samples to teachers in the same way pharmaceutical companies give drugs to doctors? If not, how would the teachers sample the various options?

By: A Circle of Quiet

A Circle of Quiet — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:01:50 +0000

John was just in a l-o-n-g meeting to choose the next language arts textbook for his district…his frustration with the waste and the lack of decent choices was HIGH. His young colleagues, however, were so excited, perhaps because “change” has become synonymous with “good” and “meaningful” and “worthwhile.” In five or six years, they’ll be on to the next best thing, and I am sure they will still miss the mark by a mile.

Cynicism showing … sorry (-:
Di

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:07:20 +0000

Diane Ravitch’s book “The Language Police” (sorry, don’t know how to do italics here) covers this same ground very extensively. The book has chapters on textbook publishers, the testing companies, censorship and reviewers, book adoptions, and politically correct language and content requirements. It is jaw-droppingly informative about the whole process of mass-producing authorless books. As you say, this is the complete opposite of what you do — and indeed, what should always be done.

By: Steph in Orlando

Steph in Orlando — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:11:59 +0000

I live in Orlando, the home of two major textbook publishers. I was offered a job by one of them as an editor, but turned it down after realizing the exact thing this article uncovers. I was shocked at how they wanted everyone to have a degree in education for the ethos when they are all just glorified secretaries – slapping together information according to prescribed lists. There’s no actual thought.

Though I’m not a parent, I have been helping my 14-year-old niece after school via iChat. Her textbooks are largely available online, and she’s gotten used to me saying things like, “They’re kidding, right?” as we go over a social studies chapter or the questions for a reading passage. It’s appalling. I’m sure I’ll have to homeschool just to avoid succumbing to someone else’s political agenda (generally, textbooks in the South are highly political, as if the opinions of some are accepted as truth for all). Honestly, it’s no wonder to me that our children test lowest of most industrialized nations.

By: Deanna Martin

Deanna Martin — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:52:09 +0000

Is anyone surprised? Just affirms my commitment to not use textbooks, unless recommended by WTM. Something my DD will appreciate immensely.

By: Staci in MO

Staci in MO — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:32:07 +0000

I can’t say I’m surprised. I remember the time in 4th grade when my teacher realized that our English textbooks were ten years old (they had a copyright date of 1970). She was scandalized, because that made them so “out of date.”

I can’t imagine how English grammar changed between 1970 and 1980. The school got new English textbooks the next year.

By: dangermom

dangermom — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:39:51 +0000

Good golly. I knew textbooks were pap, but I had no idea they were as…pureed?…as all that. I like the term ‘chum.’ It’s very depressing, and the more I learn about the educational establishment, the more committed I get to homeschooling. (Do you know my school district just approved Everyday Math for next year? Gah.)

By: Amy LeForge

Amy LeForge — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:21:52 +0000

Wow. That was a fascinating article. I had no idea. Well….I probably had some idea, lol. I spent enough time in public education to get a hint of how the system works. I’m glad to be away from using textbooks at all with my kids. Thanks for all you do to write the good stuff!

Another benefit for me: now I don’t feel quite as bad about not working for a textbook company myself. Designing instruction is something I enjoy but I never worked professionally at it after getting the degree. Something about giving birth to twins 6 months later ended that plan. Boy am I glad it did!

By: Sandy in MI

Sandy in MI — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:27:14 +0000

Sorry to say that I’m not surprised. Too many US public school students have minds the consistency of yogurt thanks to textbook mills (not to mention multiple other variables). For the K-12 crowd, textbooks generally haven’t advanced all that much from the days when all African American history fit into one derogatory paragraph.