SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS

Hannah Aliyetti

TRUE OR FALSE?

Most publishers are in it just for the money.• True. Some make short term profits that are “safe”

versus others that take more risky routes.

There is a high risk involved in publishing elementary

to secondary texts.• True. $500,000 investment -> 100,000 textbooks

Most states have adopted textbooks to use statewide.• False. California and Texas are two examples that do.

20% of total sales of a particular text.

WHAT FACTORS DO THINK MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO HOW A TEXTB OOK

IS WRIT TEN/PUBLISHED?

IT MAY OR MAY NOT SURPRISE YOU…

Economical

Political

Publishers

money • Textbooks –

necessary for learning and provide a curriculum to follow

ECONOMICAL

In 1980 - $6 billion

entire book industry• $1.5 billion

elementary, secondary, and college

• $1.2 billion encyclopedias, reference, etc.

• $660 million mass market paperbacks

ECONOMICAL

ECONOMICAL

Focus toward intro courses• Provide a general framework and hope it sticks• Make adjustments later if needed• More $$$$$$!

Bad news for publishers:• Only 3 out of 10 books, in general, are profitable

Focus toward states that adopt texts (more

next!)

POLITICAL

State Adoption• U.S. has no government control over real curriculum

content• States can choose to adopt a single text for a class

• Approved by committees/agencies• Limited numbers can be selected for use in schools

What does the state believe?• Creationism vs. evolutionism? – big debate to put in

textbooks

School board vote

Teachers not

normally required to

use• What other tools

do teachers use now?

WHO PICKS THE B OOKS FOR THE SCHOOLS?

AS A COLLEGE STUDENT, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT

TEXTBOOKS?

Heavy, expensive, dull, lack color, etc.

DID YOU KNOW?

55% of college students report most of their

knowledge from starting college was due to

textbooks.

There is a dispute about how and when to include

new research within texts.

There are many ways to save on textbooks: e-

readers, open source textbooks, etc.

E -READERS WITHIN THE CLASSROOM

http://live.wsj.com/video/a-high-school-without-textb

ooks/AED6577F-5846-4214-A00E-B2FF469DC809.ht

ml#!AED6577F-5846-4214-A00E-B2FF469DC809

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

Do you see e-readers/tablets

working or not working within the

public school environment?

What are the pros and cons?

WORKS CITED

Apple, M. W. (2001) Textbook publishing: the

political and economic influences. Theory into

Practice, 28 (4), 282-287.

Stambaugh, J. E. & Trank, C. Q. (2010). Not so

simple: integrating new research into

textbooks. Academy of Management Learning &

Education, 9 (4), 663-681.

WORKS CITED

Apple, M. W. (2001) Textbook publishing: the

political and economic influences. Theory into

Practice, 28 (4), 282-287.

Stambaugh, J. E. & Trank, C. Q. (2010). Not so

simple: integrating new research into

textbooks. Academy of Management Learning &

Education, 9 (4), 663-681.