Who Selects our Textbooks?

By Lynn K. McMullin

Following a recent article in the Canton News and Foothills Trader, in which the reporter mentioned the Board of Education’s decision to purchase new textbooks for the French program, a resident asked me, “Who chooses our textbooks? Is there a process?” I’m happy to tell you, yes, there is!

Any time we purchase a new textbook, we usually spend at least several months reviewing a variety of texts and the support materials, such as teacher's editions, workbooks, technology links and applications, and so on. In the final analysis, the Board of Education policy requires that a minimum of three texts be overtly compared.

The teachers and principal then select one text and present a report to the BOE in which they provide specific and detailed answers to questions about the reading level and content level appropriateness for the grade; the attention to format and organization of the material; whether or not there are quality charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations; whether or not the text presents any potential controversies and is free of gender bias and stereotypes… and, in today’s world, are there a variety of technology resources and applications. The BOE even wants to know about the textbook’s physical features, including the size of print and weight of the book, as well as the quality of its binding and paper.

The Board of Education also keeps a watch on our publication dates.  The new French text, Bon Voyage: Levels 1, 2, and 3, published in 2008 by McGraw Hill, replaced a 1995 text, Abord. Not only is the new text less Eurocentric and more global, it is more up-to-date.  Chapter 2 in  Abord taught students the vocabulary for making a call from a pay phone in Paris.  It included learning the phrases for asking Parisians on what street the nearest pay phone was located.  The new text includes the vocabulary of electronic communications; contemporary clothing (such as sport sandals); transportation; contemporary occupations, and so on.  Its travel chapters include asking for bottled water, salads with dressing on the side, and vitamin supplements.

Modern textbooks are expensive. The Bon Voyage texts we just purchased for the French program cost $72 each.  People suggest that we simply buy e-copies of the text and forego the printed copy.  But, as of now, you can only buy the e-copy if you buy the hard copy.  In other words, if we purchase 50 French textbooks, we get 50 e-copy licenses to the same text.  Students can then keep their hard cover book in school and view their on-line book at home.  But, it is still a one-for-one proposition.  Most e-copies are actually simple PDF’s of the printed text, with some additional links and Internet features.  Book publishing is a business, and while schools are trying to save money, the publishers are trying to make money. Someday, students will carry around electronic readers, not textbooks; but that day just isn’t here yet.

We do try to save money on textbooks, however.  When a text is in its third year or older, and we need to purchase copies for new students or to replace lost or damaged copies, we have had good luck lately finding “used excellent” or “used very good” textbooks on amazon.com for quite a savings.  The used text comes in 'matching' the used texts we have in our classrooms.  In the past, we have also sold off copies of texts to used textbook companies, such as Budget Text, but generally not for a lot of money.  By the way, when texts are lost or damaged, we do expect students to pay for them.