Why Are Some Democrats Pushing for a 200 Page Limit on Textbooks in California?

[chound]

I thought only we students in India had to battle with problem of heavy books but it feels great to know that u too have the same problem.

 

[chound]

I finished reading the whole thread and it seems to me that Indian education system is far better than urs and I had been complaining earlier that US kids have a lot of free time and a lot less to study!

 

[Kakarot]

reading sucks that's why i watch the discovery channel. by now i must be an expert motorcycle mechanic and i can spot weld like a pro!

 

[faust9]

Textbook manufacturers are out of control IMHO. Here's a prime example from my own bookshelf:

Mechanics by Hibbler---An awful text if you ask me. The most recent edition of statics and mechanics combined edition runs for $150.00 and is over 1200 pages long.


A much better text called Mechanics by J.P. Den Hartog is 450 pages (dover will custom print these as well) and sells for $10.00.


The information presented in the Hartog text mirrors much of the information presented in the Hibbler text but at 1/15th the cost and 4lbs lighter...

This can be seen in any physics text or mathematics text as well. Spread a savings like that($120 physics text vs a $15 one with the same info just fewer glossy pages and fewer pictures) across a thousand studens:
That's a whopping $100,000 savings!

Modern texts have not gotten better as the cost of said texts have skyrocketed! The theory that more pictures makes a better student is wrong.

I say good for California for addressing this issue. By demanding shorter texts California can now leverage the cost of a Dover textbook as a means to reduce the cost of a similar text from Pearson.

Another benefit of this strategy might be to inspire smaller printing houses to produces these shorter texts => more competition => overall costs come down. Another benefit would be a possible improvement in the information presented to the students. There are quite a few studies that show a certain south/central state's dominance over information presented in modern textbooks. Many textbook manufacturers tailor their text offerings to meet the "moral and ideological' needs of this one state to the detrement of the information presented. California is the largest book buyer at the moment but the spread of watered down information to meet the requirements of the second largest bookbuyer cannot be missed or denied.

Kudos Cali. I hope this idea spreads and brings competition back into the relm of textbooks.

 

[TsunamiJoe]

in my physics class, we never even opened our books once...literaly

so in my opinion textbooks are irrelevant to a good instructor

 

[franznietzsche]

in my physics class, we never even opened our books once...literaly

so in my opinion textbooks are irrelevant to a good instructor

But there are so few of those. Remember, government is geared to the village idiot (poltically version would be "lowest common denominator").

 

[Pengwuino]

I say good for California for addressing this issue. By demanding shorter texts California can now leverage the cost of a Dover textbook as a means to reduce the cost of a similar text from Pearson.

Another benefit of this strategy might be to inspire smaller printing houses to produces these shorter texts => more competition => overall costs come down. Another benefit would be a possible improvement in the information presented to the students. There are quite a few studies that show a certain south/central state's dominance over information presented in modern textbooks. Many textbook manufacturers tailor their text offerings to meet the "moral and ideological' needs of this one state to the detrement of the information presented. California is the largest book buyer at the moment but the spread of watered down information to meet the requirements of the second largest bookbuyer cannot be missed or denied.

Kudos Cali. I hope this idea spreads and brings competition back into the relm of textbooks.

They arent adressing anything. They even said its because little kids want less weight in ther backpacks. Plus of course, since little councils decide (who must be payed off because act like it) what publisher to use and will most likely stay with what they have always picked. Its extortion not because the textbook manufactorers jack up prices, but because the school districts refuse to allow for competition

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

faust9 If I'm not mistaken these are College textbooks you are referring to? This bill deals solely with High School texts unless I missed something.

This can be seen in any physics text or mathematics text as well. Spread a savings like that($120 physics text vs a $15 one with the same info just fewer glossy pages and fewer pictures) across a thousand studens:
That's a whopping $100,000 savings!

There is a problem here aswell. Previoulsy passed CA legislation requires that all textbooks contain a significant amount of pictures and visual representations. Yet another reason why I worry that these new texts would be seriously deficient in regards to content.

All of our 7th and 8th graders have laptops here in Maine and by the time the present day 8th graders reach their senior year in high school every child from 7th grade on will have laptops. Each laptop also has wireless access. Phasing out of textbooks and into discs and internet usage only makes sense.

For Maine this may make more sense then. Here though, and possibly in several other states that may be effected by the change in market demands, the schools we have currently just don't have the means for such a transition. I'm sure there are schools here that could roll with it but they'll leave too many other schools in the dust.
I'm almost tempted to move to Maine now if I ever have children. It still worries me though, the phasing out of texts. It seems that fewer and fewer people are spending time reading any more. I'd be afraid that the reduction of reading material necessary in school may only worsen this situation.

 

[kat]

I'm almost tempted to move to Maine now if I ever have children. It still worries me though, the phasing out of texts. It seems that fewer and fewer people are spending time reading any more. I'd be afraid that the reduction of reading material necessary in school may only worsen this situation.

Please don't move to Maine, we're really not fond of outsiders (kinda kidding... ). I don't quite grasp why people are relating shortened textbooks and accessing information via computer as a reduction in reading material. In fact, it's been my experience through my own children that projects that are dependent upon internet research inevitably require far more reading then traditional information sources.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yah because, well in my experiences in high school, you find a LOT of contradictory information and information on so-so websites that you need to work through to figure out what you actually should put. It really is annoying. I've read a few essays by K-12'ers that have their bibliography containing a bunch of geocities and angelfire websites with pink flowers and annoying midi music.

 

[TsunamiJoe]

projects that are dependent upon internet research inevitably require far more reading then traditional information sources.

oh i know, we wouldn't want them to learn more than the bare minimum after all...all the extra knowlage is irrelevant if its not on an exam...

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

The problem is that too many students, here at least, don't want to do the work. By telling them that they need to do that much more work to learn anything the less likely they are to do it and the less likely they are too learn. We need to give them more reason to learn not more excuses not to.

 

[TsunamiJoe]

then we ought to pick up some of those cliche catholic school punishments, and bring back wips as accepted punishment...because i mean really...im learning precalc over the summer...by myself, and I am enhancing my german and japanese skills...

im sure people have enough willpower to at least do work at school...

 

[Big Papa]

This just goes to show ou how the government wants to "dumb down," the American students. If you read your history the American public education system was only created to make better workers. They wanted workers to read blueprints and etc.. Now that there is no great need to have American workers being really smart due to globalization, they are slowly making students less smart.

 

[TsunamiJoe]

lol i don't think its that, as much as its theyre trying to cut costs to fund our crusade

 

[Smurf]

So... does this mean no pictures?

 

[TsunamiJoe]

aparently its required by law to have pictures...i never heard of that, but i guess i always do remember my textbooks having tons of pictures in them...