Post by Tim Collins on Jun 5, 2009 17:05:36 GMT -7
newspapertree.com/opinion/3908-your-kids-need-you-right-this-minute
June 4, 2009
Your kids need you right this minute
by Tim Holt
As Texas goes, so goes the nation, at least when it comes to school textbooks. There are four states that literally set the standard for textbooks because of their size and the number of students in their public schools: New York, Florida, California, and Texas. Those four states pretty much determine the look, feel and content of textbooks for students across the nation, from Kindergarten to 12th grade. If you live in New Mexico, your kid’s math book was written for kids in Texas. They just changed the cover. Sorry. That’s the way it is.
For years, the textbook companies have had a very chummy relationship, to the tune of billions of dollars every year, with these states. The major textbook companies, because of their size, were the only ones capable of creating materials for the states on such a massive scale. The states, because of their size, kept the giant textbook manufacturers in business. It was, as biologists like to call it, a symbiotic relationship, and a cycle that was very hard to break. The dance between the companies and the states has lasted for decades. No one dared tried to break in. The embrace was long and passionate.
Yes, there were problems with the textbooks:
They took too long to write, so the information that students got in brand new texts was usually several years old by the time the book was published.
There was no way to update the information in the book because the way the laws in Texas were written, once a text was adopted by the state and then eventually by the districts, that was the book you were stuck with. The state approved THAT content and no other. Don’t add, don’t take away. Just put up with what you got.
Committee usually wrote textbooks, so even though the look and feel of the text was consistent, the content often was not. That chapter on American Expansion was killer, but that chapter on WWII was not so good. Writing by committee does that.
Once a textbook was adopted, school districts were stuck with them for the life of the “Adoption Cycle;” the time between getting the book to the classroom and getting a new version of the book. The adoption cycle was four years when I started teaching, and is now somewhere between 7 and 10 years, depending on the topic. So, that textbook, if you are lucky enough to be the kid at the end of an adoption cycle could literally be 15 years old, information-wise.
It was the only system we had. Some smaller companies that were more nimble tried to break into the market, but they were either bought by the big companies, or forced out of the market because the giant textbook companies had better marketing, better incentives to give away, and deeper pockets. A lot of really innovative textbooks were never given a chance because the adoption cycle, like the political cycle, favored the incumbents.
School districts were allocated a certain amount of money to purchase textbooks and were only allowed to buy textbooks with that money. They couldn’t buy computers, couldn’t buy any other piece of equipment that allowed students to gather information. It was textbooks only, and school districts had to obey the law.
The dance went on and on like this for what to many seemed like forever.
Then came this little thing called the Internet and Web 2.0.
Suddenly, the information that was once the sole purview of textbook companies was readily available to anyone, anywhere and anytime. Students were able to see information beyond the textbook, and smarter districts and teachers began using a variety of resources to teach, instead of simply relying on the text. The technology literally leaped far ahead of anything the textbook companies were doing. Students and teachers were able to get information from a wide variety of sources and voices. Textbook companies were left holding the bag because the technology moved much faster than their cumbersome writing methodology allowed. They stood by and watched as the Internet changed everything.
Except how Texas adopted textbooks. Textbook companies had the state in their back pockets and were not going to let go. But something happened this year in this legislative session that could change all of that: HB 4294.
HB 4292 is a piece of legislation that changes the entire paradigm of how information is presented in the classroom. Essentially, the legislation allows schools districts to decide if they want to spend money on textbooks, or some other way of presenting information to students. That some other way is essentially technology.
HB 4292 allows individual districts to choose the way they want students to be taught. Districts may choose textbooks. So be it: spend the money on textbooks. Districts may choose textbooks and the Internet. So be it, spend the money on textbooks and computers.
Your kids will finally be able, if the promise of the legislation is realized, to learn at school the way they learn at home. And that is a game changer.
Jennifer Bergland, Advocacy Chair with the Texas Computer Education Association, one of the major organizations advocating for the bill wrote this about it:
“HB 4294 is being sent to the Governor's desk for his signature. This bill received wide bipartisan support in both houses of the Texas legislature. Every Senator supported the bill, both liberal and conservative. Still, there are some who are opposing the bill because they perceive this as undermining the State Board of Education (SBOE). I know that even some of our members feel this way as well. As someone who has supported most conservative causes and been a strong supporter of the SBOE, let me give you the rationale as to why I support HB 4294.
"It is important to note that the SBOE will still have complete control over the content of the curriculum and textbooks. This bill requires districts to purchase at least a class set of textbooks for their schools. If districts CHOOSE to do so, they may purchase only the required class set, then use the rest of the funds set aside for textbooks to purchase additional supplemental items placed on a Commissioner's list. The Commissioner's list concept isn’t new. The idea to include this list in HB 4294 came from the Student Success Initiative. In order to improve reading and math instruction, the state has funded instructional materials on the Commissioner's list for qualifying schools. In order to get on the Commissioner's list, a product has to go through a process to ensure that it meets the SBOE approved TEKS and that it has scientific-based research indicating that the product will improve academic achievement.
"HB 4294 does not eliminate the important statutory role of the SBOE in textbook review. As we all know, state and local funds have always paid for a variety of instructional classroom materials that were not approved by the SBOE. The intent of HB 4294 is not to undermine the SBOE. Instead, it would allow districts that only use a class set of textbooks to use funds for instructional materials rather than wasting money on warehousing unused textbooks.”
So that is where you come in.
The bill is Gov. Rick Perry’s office waiting his signature. You need to give the governor’s office a call and say you support the legislation.
You need to do it really soon. Like right this minute.
It is for your kids.
Really.
Information and Links for this article:
Governor Perry’s office: governor.state.tx.us/contact/contact.aspx
Governor Perry’s Phone: 800-252-9600
Governor Peery’s fax number: 512.463.1849
Interview with Jennifer Bergland about HB 4294: www.snipurl.com/hb4294
Texas Student Success Initiative: snipurl.com/txssi
***
June 4, 2009
Your kids need you right this minute
by Tim Holt
As Texas goes, so goes the nation, at least when it comes to school textbooks. There are four states that literally set the standard for textbooks because of their size and the number of students in their public schools: New York, Florida, California, and Texas. Those four states pretty much determine the look, feel and content of textbooks for students across the nation, from Kindergarten to 12th grade. If you live in New Mexico, your kid’s math book was written for kids in Texas. They just changed the cover. Sorry. That’s the way it is.
For years, the textbook companies have had a very chummy relationship, to the tune of billions of dollars every year, with these states. The major textbook companies, because of their size, were the only ones capable of creating materials for the states on such a massive scale. The states, because of their size, kept the giant textbook manufacturers in business. It was, as biologists like to call it, a symbiotic relationship, and a cycle that was very hard to break. The dance between the companies and the states has lasted for decades. No one dared tried to break in. The embrace was long and passionate.
Yes, there were problems with the textbooks:
They took too long to write, so the information that students got in brand new texts was usually several years old by the time the book was published.
There was no way to update the information in the book because the way the laws in Texas were written, once a text was adopted by the state and then eventually by the districts, that was the book you were stuck with. The state approved THAT content and no other. Don’t add, don’t take away. Just put up with what you got.
Committee usually wrote textbooks, so even though the look and feel of the text was consistent, the content often was not. That chapter on American Expansion was killer, but that chapter on WWII was not so good. Writing by committee does that.
Once a textbook was adopted, school districts were stuck with them for the life of the “Adoption Cycle;” the time between getting the book to the classroom and getting a new version of the book. The adoption cycle was four years when I started teaching, and is now somewhere between 7 and 10 years, depending on the topic. So, that textbook, if you are lucky enough to be the kid at the end of an adoption cycle could literally be 15 years old, information-wise.
It was the only system we had. Some smaller companies that were more nimble tried to break into the market, but they were either bought by the big companies, or forced out of the market because the giant textbook companies had better marketing, better incentives to give away, and deeper pockets. A lot of really innovative textbooks were never given a chance because the adoption cycle, like the political cycle, favored the incumbents.
School districts were allocated a certain amount of money to purchase textbooks and were only allowed to buy textbooks with that money. They couldn’t buy computers, couldn’t buy any other piece of equipment that allowed students to gather information. It was textbooks only, and school districts had to obey the law.
The dance went on and on like this for what to many seemed like forever.
Then came this little thing called the Internet and Web 2.0.
Suddenly, the information that was once the sole purview of textbook companies was readily available to anyone, anywhere and anytime. Students were able to see information beyond the textbook, and smarter districts and teachers began using a variety of resources to teach, instead of simply relying on the text. The technology literally leaped far ahead of anything the textbook companies were doing. Students and teachers were able to get information from a wide variety of sources and voices. Textbook companies were left holding the bag because the technology moved much faster than their cumbersome writing methodology allowed. They stood by and watched as the Internet changed everything.
Except how Texas adopted textbooks. Textbook companies had the state in their back pockets and were not going to let go. But something happened this year in this legislative session that could change all of that: HB 4294.
HB 4292 is a piece of legislation that changes the entire paradigm of how information is presented in the classroom. Essentially, the legislation allows schools districts to decide if they want to spend money on textbooks, or some other way of presenting information to students. That some other way is essentially technology.
HB 4292 allows individual districts to choose the way they want students to be taught. Districts may choose textbooks. So be it: spend the money on textbooks. Districts may choose textbooks and the Internet. So be it, spend the money on textbooks and computers.
Your kids will finally be able, if the promise of the legislation is realized, to learn at school the way they learn at home. And that is a game changer.
Jennifer Bergland, Advocacy Chair with the Texas Computer Education Association, one of the major organizations advocating for the bill wrote this about it:
“HB 4294 is being sent to the Governor's desk for his signature. This bill received wide bipartisan support in both houses of the Texas legislature. Every Senator supported the bill, both liberal and conservative. Still, there are some who are opposing the bill because they perceive this as undermining the State Board of Education (SBOE). I know that even some of our members feel this way as well. As someone who has supported most conservative causes and been a strong supporter of the SBOE, let me give you the rationale as to why I support HB 4294.
"It is important to note that the SBOE will still have complete control over the content of the curriculum and textbooks. This bill requires districts to purchase at least a class set of textbooks for their schools. If districts CHOOSE to do so, they may purchase only the required class set, then use the rest of the funds set aside for textbooks to purchase additional supplemental items placed on a Commissioner's list. The Commissioner's list concept isn’t new. The idea to include this list in HB 4294 came from the Student Success Initiative. In order to improve reading and math instruction, the state has funded instructional materials on the Commissioner's list for qualifying schools. In order to get on the Commissioner's list, a product has to go through a process to ensure that it meets the SBOE approved TEKS and that it has scientific-based research indicating that the product will improve academic achievement.
"HB 4294 does not eliminate the important statutory role of the SBOE in textbook review. As we all know, state and local funds have always paid for a variety of instructional classroom materials that were not approved by the SBOE. The intent of HB 4294 is not to undermine the SBOE. Instead, it would allow districts that only use a class set of textbooks to use funds for instructional materials rather than wasting money on warehousing unused textbooks.”
So that is where you come in.
The bill is Gov. Rick Perry’s office waiting his signature. You need to give the governor’s office a call and say you support the legislation.
You need to do it really soon. Like right this minute.
It is for your kids.
Really.
Information and Links for this article:
Governor Perry’s office: governor.state.tx.us/contact/contact.aspx
Governor Perry’s Phone: 800-252-9600
Governor Peery’s fax number: 512.463.1849
Interview with Jennifer Bergland about HB 4294: www.snipurl.com/hb4294
Texas Student Success Initiative: snipurl.com/txssi
***