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Textbook Publishing Biz

© Julie Spears

The television was on in the next room the other night during the time I was researching textbook use and evaluation. I was concerned because I felt like everything I had learned in a certain class by my very capable instructor had been undone by reading the textbook assignment. The topics the instructor had covered seemed crystal-clear until I studied the chapter units. Examples in the textbook seemed poor and designed to encourage confusion.

My attention turned toward the show on television, ABC’s 20/20 when I realized the news show segment was about poorly written textbooks. The examples given on 20/20’s program, “Book Report” were secondary school textbooks, but I believe the problems exists equally in textbook publications at all levels of education.

How much of the problems of student’s learning is due to inaccurate data and poorly written textbooks, rather than students, teachers, administration or lack of standards? What standards of accountability do textbook publishers have when textbooks have unconventional or just plain wrong information in them?

Do we really expect children to learn about physical science when the textbook they are learning from has over eighty-five documented errors in it? Is there something wrong with an American history textbook that has just a few lines about George Washington but six and one-half pages about Marilyn Monroe. Is it acceptable for that history book to give the impression that Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain to discover America in 1500 rather that 1492?

How many college textbooks are purchased for classes that utilize very little if any of the “required text”? College textbooks can be quite expensive—they are a major expense for most students.

A “Report Card” by the National Education Goals Panel on textbooks at admits deficiencies of textbook evaluation. Textbook publishers are in the business of selling textbooks. The market, rather than learning goals, is the driving force of commercial publishing. Revisions and corrections are expensive, but many would not be necessary to begin with if these textbooks were edited for accuracy prior to their sale and distribution to the educational community. Facts should not be too difficult to locate in common subjects. Usability testing, increasingly used in web publishing, should not be difficult to conduct.

The problems with correcting printed textbooks could be solved by publishing textbooks on the web. Correcting errors online is much faster and far less expensive than correcting errors in print. Subjects dealing with new technologies can be delivered rapidly. Bibliographical references can be hyperlinked. Textbooks can be peer-reviewed for accuracy and usability testing can be extended. “Academic Productivity: The Case for Instructional Software” outlines the benefits of publishing high-quality collegiate software.

The copyright of the article Textbook Publishing Biz in Adult Education is owned by Julie Spears. Permission to republish Textbook Publishing Biz in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.