5 ms·
This is true for college textbooks. Not so for K-12 textbooks. In this space, wholesale churn is rampant. Math series only have a several year shelf life, befo
by mceachen 15y ago
This is true for college textbooks. Not so for K-12 textbooks.
In this space, wholesale churn is rampant. Math series only have a several year shelf life, before old-and-broken is replaced with new-hotness. My wife and mother and sisters are all elementary school teachers, and they haven't ever stayed with a math series for more than 5 years. In our district, they are required to change them every 7.
K-12 level mathematics, compared to college level curricula, is much more "how" to teach than "what" to teach, and much more subjective. There were knock-down drag-out fights about the use of math manipulatives (which is the use of physical elements to show arithmetic operations).
- yummyfajitas 15y agoSo basically, we need new textbooks because the law demands change for it's own sake. Good to know what the real problem is. But why is the author of the submission complaining about textbook publishers rather than state legislatures and school administrators?
- Daniel_Newby 15y agoBecause the publishers could choose to be competent and reform their industry, but are instead eating their own seed corn. Outsourcing your technical expertise to lowest bidders in the third world is suicide in any business.
- Drbble 15y agoThird World?
- Daniel_Newby 15y agoIndia is mentioned.
- yummyfajitas 15y agoIf typesetting is the publisher's "technical expertise", then they are already dead.
- kenjackson 15y agoHaving been in the middle of this churn in WA what you see is that textbook publishers play a critical role. It often plays out like this: 1) Student test scores get worse or a new state test is implemented and shows that students are doing poorly. 2) The school board is pushed to fix the problem. They're not math experts. 3) The textbook publishing industry pushes their experts to advocate their latest series of textbooks and teaching methods. 4) The school board then changes the district to a new curriculum with the new textbook. This pattern plays out all over the country. And repeats over time.
- pandaman 15y agoBeing one of the writers he, most likely, worked to establish the current system in the first place so there would be constant demand for his work.