Why oh why don't schools use textbooks anymore??

[Anonymous]

DCPS provides some textbooks in hard copy and digital form. The most up-to-date ones are those for AP courses as those have gone through teacher feedback and selection processes over the past 5 years with dedicated funding and support from the DCPS Office of Teaching and Learning. The College Board approves syllabi for AP courses and textbooks are required to be part of the course design, often because the higher-level content requires an in-depth text resource to supplement the use of additional texts used by the teacher. For non-AP courses, it varies.

In ELA, DCPS purchases many books and novels for schools to use in alignment to the curriculum which was created and is revised each year through work by central staff curriculum writers working with DCPS teachers as curriculum writing fellows. With the shifts of the Common Core State Standards, there's a focus on reading more texts aligned to a particular topic or theme (e.g., Rocks and Minerals, People Who Persevere, the Civil Rights Movement) to build students' background knowledge rather than topics scattered across a broader spectrum of different topics. Additionally, text selection tries to provide a better balance of "windows and mirrors," that is, texts that provide windows into the lives of people that are different from students as well as texts that more closely mirror students' own identities, lives, and experiences. Old ELA mainstays like the Norton Anthology are certainly useful, but they tend to skew toward a more traditional Western canon, so the texts are chosen more individually to fit the needs of the unit design. There are tradeoffs to that decision, for sure, but the district has also tried to make things easier for schools by publishing compilations of all the texts needed for each grade level. Funding cuts to central have meant that these are not necessarily provided to every school every year, and some DCPS schools opt out of using the centrally designed ELA curriculum and don't use those resources.

For social studies, there are still hard copy textbooks, but they were last formally adopted in 2007 following the last updating of the DC social studies standards in 2006. Given the adoption being 15 years ago, the hardcover textbooks are not used by many teachers, though they are still available for schools to order from the DCPS warehouse. Given the age of some of these books, social studies teachers also have access to an online textbook tool called the Discovery Education Techbook. In addition to the "core interactive text" (what you'd find in a traditional textbook), the Techbook includes many more images, maps, interactives, and video clips, along with providing features to support students accessing the text more easily (e.g., lowering the reading level of a passage, defining words, reading the text aloud, or translating into Spanish). The Techbook was piloted in 5 schools back in 2013 and given the positive feedback from teachers, gradually expanded to other schools as well. The DCPS social studies curriculum pulls from the Techbook but also a wide variety of primary and secondary source documents freely available online known as OER (Open Educational Resources). As the DC social studies standards are now being updated by OSSE, it's likely there will be an update to textbooks and other class resources sometime in the next few years.

For science, teachers also have access to the Discovery Education Techbook which started being used at the same time as the social studies version. Students can access Techbook via Clever, so that would be a good place to look for more information about social studies and science content. Science teachers also have access to an online curriculum resource called STEMscopes. In math, DCPS has adopted the Eureka curriculum which includes workbooks as others have noted. Like any other resource, there are tradeoffs to using single textbooks vs. a curated curriculum with other sources. Textbooks and curriculum can be used with varying degrees of fidelity and it's possible to use either to positive effect, or for them to not be used well. If you have questions about the materials your kids are bringing home, it's probably best to start with some questions to their teacher and go from there. It's also possible that some teachers aren't necessarily aware of all the resources they are able to take advantage of using.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what I hate? Quizlet!

Kids need REAL flashcards to study. They need to put pen to paper and feel the information as they write it down and practice quizzing themselves.

I think the lack of tactile sensation as part of learning and studying is a real real mistake.

I agree. God, get them off the freakin laptops.

My kid's class--5th grade---only uses a Discovery Techbook for math and she plays youtube videos as the instruction then they do problems on the laptops. No paper ever comes home! He isn't learning any math in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what I hate? Quizlet!

Kids need REAL flashcards to study. They need to put pen to paper and feel the information as they write it down and practice quizzing themselves.

I think the lack of tactile sensation as part of learning and studying is a real real mistake.

I agree. God, get them off the freakin laptops.

My kid's class--5th grade---only uses a Discovery Techbook for math and she plays youtube videos as the instruction then they do problems on the laptops. No paper ever comes home! He isn't learning any math in school.

Videos themselves aren’t bad. Khan Academy math vids saved my kid’s math education when schools were closed.

There’s nothing stopping your kids from doing extra problems on paper at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS provides some textbooks in hard copy and digital form. The most up-to-date ones are those for AP courses as those have gone through teacher feedback and selection processes over the past 5 years with dedicated funding and support from the DCPS Office of Teaching and Learning. The College Board approves syllabi for AP courses and textbooks are required to be part of the course design, often because the higher-level content requires an in-depth text resource to supplement the use of additional texts used by the teacher. For non-AP courses, it varies.

In ELA, DCPS purchases many books and novels for schools to use in alignment to the curriculum which was created and is revised each year through work by central staff curriculum writers working with DCPS teachers as curriculum writing fellows. With the shifts of the Common Core State Standards, there's a focus on reading more texts aligned to a particular topic or theme (e.g., Rocks and Minerals, People Who Persevere, the Civil Rights Movement) to build students' background knowledge rather than topics scattered across a broader spectrum of different topics. Additionally, text selection tries to provide a better balance of "windows and mirrors," that is, texts that provide windows into the lives of people that are different from students as well as texts that more closely mirror students' own identities, lives, and experiences. Old ELA mainstays like the Norton Anthology are certainly useful, but they tend to skew toward a more traditional Western canon, so the texts are chosen more individually to fit the needs of the unit design. There are tradeoffs to that decision, for sure, but the district has also tried to make things easier for schools by publishing compilations of all the texts needed for each grade level. Funding cuts to central have meant that these are not necessarily provided to every school every year, and some DCPS schools opt out of using the centrally designed ELA curriculum and don't use those resources.

For social studies, there are still hard copy textbooks, but they were last formally adopted in 2007 following the last updating of the DC social studies standards in 2006. Given the adoption being 15 years ago, the hardcover textbooks are not used by many teachers, though they are still available for schools to order from the DCPS warehouse. Given the age of some of these books, social studies teachers also have access to an online textbook tool called the Discovery Education Techbook. In addition to the "core interactive text" (what you'd find in a traditional textbook), the Techbook includes many more images, maps, interactives, and video clips, along with providing features to support students accessing the text more easily (e.g., lowering the reading level of a passage, defining words, reading the text aloud, or translating into Spanish). The Techbook was piloted in 5 schools back in 2013 and given the positive feedback from teachers, gradually expanded to other schools as well. The DCPS social studies curriculum pulls from the Techbook but also a wide variety of primary and secondary source documents freely available online known as OER (Open Educational Resources). As the DC social studies standards are now being updated by OSSE, it's likely there will be an update to textbooks and other class resources sometime in the next few years.

For science, teachers also have access to the Discovery Education Techbook which started being used at the same time as the social studies version. Students can access Techbook via Clever, so that would be a good place to look for more information about social studies and science content. Science teachers also have access to an online curriculum resource called STEMscopes. In math, DCPS has adopted the Eureka curriculum which includes workbooks as others have noted. Like any other resource, there are tradeoffs to using single textbooks vs. a curated curriculum with other sources. Textbooks and curriculum can be used with varying degrees of fidelity and it's possible to use either to positive effect, or for them to not be used well. If you have questions about the materials your kids are bringing home, it's probably best to start with some questions to their teacher and go from there. It's also possible that some teachers aren't necessarily aware of all the resources they are able to take advantage of using.

I'm a retired DCPS teacher and I currently tutor DCPS students.

First of all, I find it refreshing that parents are speaking up on these issues. It's rare to see anything on this forum related to the curriculum. Those of you who call yourselves educators, stop dismissing these valid concerns. Do you provide a detailed syllabus to students and parents at the beginning of the year? Do you provide a list of resources? Try being transparent and respectful.

A couple of observations about this post.

1. DCPS decided to "create" its own curriculum, despite the fact that in doing so, it was reinventing the wheel. Many strong curricula exist. I would not call what we have rigorous, strong, or content-rich. It's more like a weak gruel, and constant revising has not improved it. The idea that these "themes" or "topics" around which the content is organized "build background knowledge" is laughable. Themes such as "heroes" "friends" "people who persevere" are not doing it. I remember students begging me not to have to do "heroes" again because they did it that already two years in a row. If you want to build background knowledge, use something like the Core Knowledge Sequence, a K-8 resource that integrates history and geography, with literature, art, and music. The CK foundation has beautiful texts, both in print and electronic form.

2. While it's true that large, tome-like ELA anthologies are unnecessary if we are using novels and other trade books, it would be helpful to have an anthology of shorter literary works, such as short stories, poetry, speeches, and essays. But these anthologies exist, and we don't need to create them. It would also be useful to have some print resources for teaching writing, grammar, usage, and mechanics (GUM) as well as literary analysis. Teachers are either creating their own materials for Writing, GUM, and literary analysis or using materials from Teachers Pay Teachers. Our students are drowning in a sea of photocopied worksheets that end up scrunched up on the floor, stashed in the bottom of their lockers, or crammed into binders that are so large and unwieldy that they can't be transported between school and home. Or perhaps worse, assignments and resources are distributed electronically on canvas. Newsbreak: while some students can handle this, others cannot. I'm currently tutoring students who are clueless about where to find the "primary and secondary sources" that their teachers have provided to them. Parents, I hear your frustration. I'm living there now.

3. Discovery Education Techbook is difficult to use, not intuitive and filled with little bits and pieces of content in print, images, and video. As a teacher, I was unimpressed with the quality of the content. You might as well use an online encyclopedia, like Britannica. Without actual textbooks, science and social studies teachers are reduced to using online resources such as Newsela. This isn't a bad resource for what it is, but it's not a replacement for solid social studies and science content.

4. Math. This is a hot mess. Go ahead and use online resources, but at least provide a solid text with explanations, algorithms, and a glossary that students can keep at home as a reference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not just nostalgia. Children need to be manipulating more objects than just computer mouses. Turning pages is fine motor skills practice. It is also physically grounding in the tangible physical world. It truly does engage different parts of our brains and bodies. And you can’t beat those beautiful color photos, eye-catching graphics, etc. My students really enjoy getting out our old set of gorgeous textbooks.

None of this is true. None.

I disagree. You seem very defensive though. Why, do you think?

Because I've taught children ages 2 to 80, pre K-12, college, continuing education, as well as graduate school, where I mentor teachers in all settings and have done so for almost 40 years. I've written tomes of curriculum for public and private schools, as well as charters for private schools. I am a reading specialist who has worked with every type of learning disability there is, and, within the last ten years, also have been very much involved with the autism community. I've written three books, too many articles to count today, and am a frequent guest on educational podcasts. I've taught Reading, English, English Literature, Humanities, History, Social Sciences, as well as three math disciplines interspersed throughout the years.

That is why I know what I am talking about. I understand what interactive synchronous and asynchronous/ dynamic curricula looks like, how it is used, how collaboration is used, and the role of a teacher. I uunderstand what a textbook is, having edited 20 of them and having used textbooks in entirety for almost 25 years. I've seen the progression of technology as it has developed since I was in the trenches all this time. I understand the uses and possibilities of many materials. I can honestly say that a child today can literally go through school without one textbook (!) and learn more than what was ever available in 1963, 1973, or 1993, or even 2003. Can a textbook have a place? Sure, but now only as a temporary reference. Literature? Sure, the physical book is lovely, all for physical books as ancillaries and motivators, but we can still buy more of those as ebooks if we want to maximize $$. But discipline-based textbooks...not really necessary and I can make a good case for their shortcomings, which are many. Think about how everyone gets their news today. Do you wait for your morning physical newspaper to find out what's going on in the world? No.

My advice- let educators decide how to teach. That's what we do. It's just not that simple or binary..textbooks or not. There's so much open source and commercial material online that you are not aware of or even how to use it.Why not spend some time looking into it before you come up with an opinion not in your purview?

How much did you all get from Google and Microsoft to come to these conclusions? My bet is you are going to find out your entire career was wrong.

Nothing. I have multiple degrees and teach at the graduate level in my field. I think I would know what the field entails.
I hate to break it to you, but this comprises best practices in education today. Of note, if Microsoft and Google is all that you understand, there's quite a bit more to know. You are not trained and are living in the 1970s.

Best Practices = whatever they tell teachers to do at any given time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's complicated, but textbook publishing is kind of a boondoggle, they update textbooks every 3-4 years to get repeat sales, and the books are very expensive. In college or private school, students buy them directly. In public school, the school is supposed to purchase them. And of course students tend to lose books or destroy them, not like before, when we used to use same textbook for as kids 10 years prior, and everyone had to use book covers, and wasn't allowed to write on them.

But, like, the way that we present and assimilate information has changed too, so I'm not even sure textbooks are as useful as they used to be anyway.

Kind of like handwriting. I don't think it's ever really coming back in a way that it was taught before.

Well, a syllabus or something would be helpful. There's clearly an expectation of having parents assist, but how can we help if we don't know what's being taught? Additionaly, this isn't awesome for younger kids or ADHD kids who struggle to organize all the random parts that come their way.

PS- I HATE quizlet.

I'm not very fond of quizlet myself, but I use it for vocabulary practice for my Outschool classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's complicated, but textbook publishing is kind of a boondoggle, they update textbooks every 3-4 years to get repeat sales, and the books are very expensive. In college or private school, students buy them directly. In public school, the school is supposed to purchase them. And of course students tend to lose books or destroy them, not like before, when we used to use same textbook for as kids 10 years prior, and everyone had to use book covers, and wasn't allowed to write on them.

But, like, the way that we present and assimilate information has changed too, so I'm not even sure textbooks are as useful as they used to be anyway.

Kind of like handwriting. I don't think it's ever really coming back in a way that it was taught before.

Well, a syllabus or something would be helpful. There's clearly an expectation of having parents assist, but how can we help if we don't know what's being taught? Additionaly, this isn't awesome for younger kids or ADHD kids who struggle to organize all the random parts that come their way.

PS- I HATE quizlet.

I'm not very fond of quizlet myself, but I use it for vocabulary practice for my Outschool classes.

I think it's got its place, but when the teacher is the one inputting the words, and all the student does is click through, there's a lot of missed learning. For one thing, even if the kids made the quizlets themselves, at least they'd have some typing/spelling to go along with it. Or if you could PRINT the quizlet words, that would be better.

But flashcards will always be superior IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's complicated, but textbook publishing is kind of a boondoggle, they update textbooks every 3-4 years to get repeat sales, and the books are very expensive. In college or private school, students buy them directly. In public school, the school is supposed to purchase them. And of course students tend to lose books or destroy them, not like before, when we used to use same textbook for as kids 10 years prior, and everyone had to use book covers, and wasn't allowed to write on them.

But, like, the way that we present and assimilate information has changed too, so I'm not even sure textbooks are as useful as they used to be anyway.

Kind of like handwriting. I don't think it's ever really coming back in a way that it was taught before.

Well, a syllabus or something would be helpful. There's clearly an expectation of having parents assist, but how can we help if we don't know what's being taught? Additionaly, this isn't awesome for younger kids or ADHD kids who struggle to organize all the random parts that come their way.

PS- I HATE quizlet.

I'm not very fond of quizlet myself, but I use it for vocabulary practice for my Outschool classes.

I think it's got its place, but when the teacher is the one inputting the words, and all the student does is click through, there's a lot of missed learning. For one thing, even if the kids made the quizlets themselves, at least they'd have some typing/spelling to go along with it. Or if you could PRINT the quizlet words, that would be better.

But flashcards will always be superior IMO.

you can print the set, cut it into strips, and fold each strip. Not exactly flashcards, but similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not just nostalgia. Children need to be manipulating more objects than just computer mouses. Turning pages is fine motor skills practice. It is also physically grounding in the tangible physical world. It truly does engage different parts of our brains and bodies. And you can’t beat those beautiful color photos, eye-catching graphics, etc. My students really enjoy getting out our old set of gorgeous textbooks.

None of this is true. None.

I disagree. You seem very defensive though. Why, do you think?

Because I've taught children ages 2 to 80, pre K-12, college, continuing education, as well as graduate school, where I mentor teachers in all settings and have done so for almost 40 years. I've written tomes of curriculum for public and private schools, as well as charters for private schools. I am a reading specialist who has worked with every type of learning disability there is, and, within the last ten years, also have been very much involved with the autism community. I've written three books, too many articles to count today, and am a frequent guest on educational podcasts. I've taught Reading, English, English Literature, Humanities, History, Social Sciences, as well as three math disciplines interspersed throughout the years.

That is why I know what I am talking about. I understand what interactive synchronous and asynchronous/ dynamic curricula looks like, how it is used, how collaboration is used, and the role of a teacher. I uunderstand what a textbook is, having edited 20 of them and having used textbooks in entirety for almost 25 years. I've seen the progression of technology as it has developed since I was in the trenches all this time. I understand the uses and possibilities of many materials. I can honestly say that a child today can literally go through school without one textbook (!) and learn more than what was ever available in 1963, 1973, or 1993, or even 2003. Can a textbook have a place? Sure, but now only as a temporary reference. Literature? Sure, the physical book is lovely, all for physical books as ancillaries and motivators, but we can still buy more of those as ebooks if we want to maximize $$. But discipline-based textbooks...not really necessary and I can make a good case for their shortcomings, which are many. Think about how everyone gets their news today. Do you wait for your morning physical newspaper to find out what's going on in the world? No.

My advice- let educators decide how to teach. That's what we do. It's just not that simple or binary..textbooks or not. There's so much open source and commercial material online that you are not aware of or even how to use it.Why not spend some time looking into it before you come up with an opinion not in your purview?

How much did you all get from Google and Microsoft to come to these conclusions? My bet is you are going to find out your entire career was wrong.

Nothing. I have multiple degrees and teach at the graduate level in my field. I think I would know what the field entails.
I hate to break it to you, but this comprises best practices in education today. Of note, if Microsoft and Google is all that you understand, there's quite a bit more to know. You are not trained and are living in the 1970s.

Best Practices = whatever they tell teachers to do at any given time

News Flash- teachers are "they." We know what to do and how to do it. What we aren't going to do is let untrained, out of touch, and uneducated people with zero experience tell us how to do our job, just like anyone, in any job, who has trained and has considerable experience in the field. This isn't a consumer driven field where the public decides how they want their product
delivered. There is a solid swath of practice and expertise here that isn't asking for your advice, nor do we require it! We aren't letting parents write curriculum and cherry pick what is to be taught in the classroom based upon their political and religious beliefs. We are happy to explain what we are doing, how we are doing it, and welcome anyone to come observe. We also welcome people to become trained in various methodologies, which includes technology in order for said people to understand how it all works. But, no, we aren't going back to 1976 because that's what you remember about education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not just nostalgia. Children need to be manipulating more objects than just computer mouses. Turning pages is fine motor skills practice. It is also physically grounding in the tangible physical world. It truly does engage different parts of our brains and bodies. And you can’t beat those beautiful color photos, eye-catching graphics, etc. My students really enjoy getting out our old set of gorgeous textbooks.

None of this is true. None.

I disagree. You seem very defensive though. Why, do you think?

Because I've taught children ages 2 to 80, pre K-12, college, continuing education, as well as graduate school, where I mentor teachers in all settings and have done so for almost 40 years. I've written tomes of curriculum for public and private schools, as well as charters for private schools. I am a reading specialist who has worked with every type of learning disability there is, and, within the last ten years, also have been very much involved with the autism community. I've written three books, too many articles to count today, and am a frequent guest on educational podcasts. I've taught Reading, English, English Literature, Humanities, History, Social Sciences, as well as three math disciplines interspersed throughout the years.

That is why I know what I am talking about. I understand what interactive synchronous and asynchronous/ dynamic curricula looks like, how it is used, how collaboration is used, and the role of a teacher. I uunderstand what a textbook is, having edited 20 of them and having used textbooks in entirety for almost 25 years. I've seen the progression of technology as it has developed since I was in the trenches all this time. I understand the uses and possibilities of many materials. I can honestly say that a child today can literally go through school without one textbook (!) and learn more than what was ever available in 1963, 1973, or 1993, or even 2003. Can a textbook have a place? Sure, but now only as a temporary reference. Literature? Sure, the physical book is lovely, all for physical books as ancillaries and motivators, but we can still buy more of those as ebooks if we want to maximize $$. But discipline-based textbooks...not really necessary and I can make a good case for their shortcomings, which are many. Think about how everyone gets their news today. Do you wait for your morning physical newspaper to find out what's going on in the world? No.

My advice- let educators decide how to teach. That's what we do. It's just not that simple or binary..textbooks or not. There's so much open source and commercial material online that you are not aware of or even how to use it.Why not spend some time looking into it before you come up with an opinion not in your purview?

How much did you all get from Google and Microsoft to come to these conclusions? My bet is you are going to find out your entire career was wrong.

Nothing. I have multiple degrees and teach at the graduate level in my field. I think I would know what the field entails.
I hate to break it to you, but this comprises best practices in education today. Of note, if Microsoft and Google is all that you understand, there's quite a bit more to know. You are not trained and are living in the 1970s.

Best Practices = whatever they tell teachers to do at any given time

News Flash- teachers are "they." We know what to do and how to do it. What we aren't going to do is let untrained, out of touch, and uneducated people with zero experience tell us how to do our job, just like anyone, in any job, who has trained and has considerable experience in the field. This isn't a consumer driven field where the public decides how they want their product
delivered. There is a solid swath of practice and expertise here that isn't asking for your advice, nor do we require it! We aren't letting parents write curriculum and cherry pick what is to be taught in the classroom based upon their political and religious beliefs. We are happy to explain what we are doing, how we are doing it, and welcome anyone to come observe. We also welcome people to become trained in various methodologies, which includes technology in order for said people to understand how it all works. But, no, we aren't going back to 1976 because that's what you remember about education.

I'm an educator who taught in DCPS for nearly 20 years.
I have a BA, an MA, and an MAT.
I'm not telling you what or how to teach.
But I am telling you that what DCPS is doing is shortchanging students.
Stop being so defensive. Try listening. There's a lot you could be doing to improve the quality of the academic program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not just nostalgia. Children need to be manipulating more objects than just computer mouses. Turning pages is fine motor skills practice. It is also physically grounding in the tangible physical world. It truly does engage different parts of our brains and bodies. And you can’t beat those beautiful color photos, eye-catching graphics, etc. My students really enjoy getting out our old set of gorgeous textbooks.

None of this is true. None.

I disagree. You seem very defensive though. Why, do you think?

Because I've taught children ages 2 to 80, pre K-12, college, continuing education, as well as graduate school, where I mentor teachers in all settings and have done so for almost 40 years. I've written tomes of curriculum for public and private schools, as well as charters for private schools. I am a reading specialist who has worked with every type of learning disability there is, and, within the last ten years, also have been very much involved with the autism community. I've written three books, too many articles to count today, and am a frequent guest on educational podcasts. I've taught Reading, English, English Literature, Humanities, History, Social Sciences, as well as three math disciplines interspersed throughout the years.

That is why I know what I am talking about. I understand what interactive synchronous and asynchronous/ dynamic curricula looks like, how it is used, how collaboration is used, and the role of a teacher. I uunderstand what a textbook is, having edited 20 of them and having used textbooks in entirety for almost 25 years. I've seen the progression of technology as it has developed since I was in the trenches all this time. I understand the uses and possibilities of many materials. I can honestly say that a child today can literally go through school without one textbook (!) and learn more than what was ever available in 1963, 1973, or 1993, or even 2003. Can a textbook have a place? Sure, but now only as a temporary reference. Literature? Sure, the physical book is lovely, all for physical books as ancillaries and motivators, but we can still buy more of those as ebooks if we want to maximize $$. But discipline-based textbooks...not really necessary and I can make a good case for their shortcomings, which are many. Think about how everyone gets their news today. Do you wait for your morning physical newspaper to find out what's going on in the world? No.

My advice- let educators decide how to teach. That's what we do. It's just not that simple or binary..textbooks or not. There's so much open source and commercial material online that you are not aware of or even how to use it.Why not spend some time looking into it before you come up with an opinion not in your purview?

How much did you all get from Google and Microsoft to come to these conclusions? My bet is you are going to find out your entire career was wrong.

Nothing. I have multiple degrees and teach at the graduate level in my field. I think I would know what the field entails.
I hate to break it to you, but this comprises best practices in education today. Of note, if Microsoft and Google is all that you understand, there's quite a bit more to know. You are not trained and are living in the 1970s.

Best Practices = whatever they tell teachers to do at any given time

News Flash- teachers are "they." We know what to do and how to do it. What we aren't going to do is let untrained, out of touch, and uneducated people with zero experience tell us how to do our job, just like anyone, in any job, who has trained and has considerable experience in the field. This isn't a consumer driven field where the public decides how they want their product
delivered. There is a solid swath of practice and expertise here that isn't asking for your advice, nor do we require it! We aren't letting parents write curriculum and cherry pick what is to be taught in the classroom based upon their political and religious beliefs. We are happy to explain what we are doing, how we are doing it, and welcome anyone to come observe. We also welcome people to become trained in various methodologies, which includes technology in order for said people to understand how it all works. But, no, we aren't going back to 1976 because that's what you remember about education.

I'm an educator who taught in DCPS for nearly 20 years.
I have a BA, an MA, and an MAT.
I'm not telling you what or how to teach.
But I am telling you that what DCPS is doing is shortchanging students.
Stop being so defensive. Try listening. There's a lot you could be doing to improve the quality of the academic program.

Pretty sure you aren't teaching now, so, sit down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS provides some textbooks in hard copy and digital form. The most up-to-date ones are those for AP courses as those have gone through teacher feedback and selection processes over the past 5 years with dedicated funding and support from the DCPS Office of Teaching and Learning. The College Board approves syllabi for AP courses and textbooks are required to be part of the course design, often because the higher-level content requires an in-depth text resource to supplement the use of additional texts used by the teacher. For non-AP courses, it varies.

In ELA, DCPS purchases many books and novels for schools to use in alignment to the curriculum which was created and is revised each year through work by central staff curriculum writers working with DCPS teachers as curriculum writing fellows. With the shifts of the Common Core State Standards, there's a focus on reading more texts aligned to a particular topic or theme (e.g., Rocks and Minerals, People Who Persevere, the Civil Rights Movement) to build students' background knowledge rather than topics scattered across a broader spectrum of different topics. Additionally, text selection tries to provide a better balance of "windows and mirrors," that is, texts that provide windows into the lives of people that are different from students as well as texts that more closely mirror students' own identities, lives, and experiences. Old ELA mainstays like the Norton Anthology are certainly useful, but they tend to skew toward a more traditional Western canon, so the texts are chosen more individually to fit the needs of the unit design. There are tradeoffs to that decision, for sure, but the district has also tried to make things easier for schools by publishing compilations of all the texts needed for each grade level. Funding cuts to central have meant that these are not necessarily provided to every school every year, and some DCPS schools opt out of using the centrally designed ELA curriculum and don't use those resources.

For social studies, there are still hard copy textbooks, but they were last formally adopted in 2007 following the last updating of the DC social studies standards in 2006. Given the adoption being 15 years ago, the hardcover textbooks are not used by many teachers, though they are still available for schools to order from the DCPS warehouse. Given the age of some of these books, social studies teachers also have access to an online textbook tool called the Discovery Education Techbook. In addition to the "core interactive text" (what you'd find in a traditional textbook), the Techbook includes many more images, maps, interactives, and video clips, along with providing features to support students accessing the text more easily (e.g., lowering the reading level of a passage, defining words, reading the text aloud, or translating into Spanish). The Techbook was piloted in 5 schools back in 2013 and given the positive feedback from teachers, gradually expanded to other schools as well. The DCPS social studies curriculum pulls from the Techbook but also a wide variety of primary and secondary source documents freely available online known as OER (Open Educational Resources). As the DC social studies standards are now being updated by OSSE, it's likely there will be an update to textbooks and other class resources sometime in the next few years.

For science, teachers also have access to the Discovery Education Techbook which started being used at the same time as the social studies version. Students can access Techbook via Clever, so that would be a good place to look for more information about social studies and science content. Science teachers also have access to an online curriculum resource called STEMscopes. In math, DCPS has adopted the Eureka curriculum which includes workbooks as others have noted. Like any other resource, there are tradeoffs to using single textbooks vs. a curated curriculum with other sources. Textbooks and curriculum can be used with varying degrees of fidelity and it's possible to use either to positive effect, or for them to not be used well. If you have questions about the materials your kids are bringing home, it's probably best to start with some questions to their teacher and go from there. It's also possible that some teachers aren't necessarily aware of all the resources they are able to take advantage of using.

I'm a retired DCPS teacher and I currently tutor DCPS students.

First of all, I find it refreshing that parents are speaking up on these issues. It's rare to see anything on this forum related to the curriculum. Those of you who call yourselves educators, stop dismissing these valid concerns. Do you provide a detailed syllabus to students and parents at the beginning of the year? Do you provide a list of resources? Try being transparent and respectful.

A couple of observations about this post.

1. DCPS decided to "create" its own curriculum, despite the fact that in doing so, it was reinventing the wheel. Many strong curricula exist. I would not call what we have rigorous, strong, or content-rich. It's more like a weak gruel, and constant revising has not improved it. The idea that these "themes" or "topics" around which the content is organized "build background knowledge" is laughable. Themes such as "heroes" "friends" "people who persevere" are not doing it. I remember students begging me not to have to do "heroes" again because they did it that already two years in a row. If you want to build background knowledge, use something like the Core Knowledge Sequence, a K-8 resource that integrates history and geography, with literature, art, and music. The CK foundation has beautiful texts, both in print and electronic form.

2. While it's true that large, tome-like ELA anthologies are unnecessary if we are using novels and other trade books, it would be helpful to have an anthology of shorter literary works, such as short stories, poetry, speeches, and essays. But these anthologies exist, and we don't need to create them. It would also be useful to have some print resources for teaching writing, grammar, usage, and mechanics (GUM) as well as literary analysis. Teachers are either creating their own materials for Writing, GUM, and literary analysis or using materials from Teachers Pay Teachers. Our students are drowning in a sea of photocopied worksheets that end up scrunched up on the floor, stashed in the bottom of their lockers, or crammed into binders that are so large and unwieldy that they can't be transported between school and home. Or perhaps worse, assignments and resources are distributed electronically on canvas. Newsbreak: while some students can handle this, others cannot. I'm currently tutoring students who are clueless about where to find the "primary and secondary sources" that their teachers have provided to them. Parents, I hear your frustration. I'm living there now.

3. Discovery Education Techbook is difficult to use, not intuitive and filled with little bits and pieces of content in print, images, and video. As a teacher, I was unimpressed with the quality of the content. You might as well use an online encyclopedia, like Britannica. Without actual textbooks, science and social studies teachers are reduced to using online resources such as Newsela. This isn't a bad resource for what it is, but it's not a replacement for solid social studies and science content.

4. Math. This is a hot mess. Go ahead and use online resources, but at least provide a solid text with explanations, algorithms, and a glossary that students can keep at home as a reference.

Current DCPS teacher and parent both here. Agree with above poster completely. My kid recently refused to complete an essay for a class in which he was already doing pretty well simply because going back through the assignments on Canvas to cite course material for it was just too arduous. A text book with an glossary would have made it a cinch. Discovery Techbook is useless to me. I guess it does have some video resources but many of them are, literally, from the last millennium. Also, to use the curriculum, students mostly need to be on devices rather than engaged with each other and the teacher cooperative-learning style - yuck. As for DCPS re-inventing the wheel of ELA curriculum, PLEASE choose from extant high-quality available curriculum such as those mentioned above. Weak gruel is exactly what is served up. Fortunately at my school many of us have parted ways with much of it (shhh…). As for science, STEMscopes is a very strong curriculum but DCPS needs to buy the student workbooks with the readings/photos/graphics embedded. As it is, teachers need to print out each and every piece/reading. Eureka math is also a strong curriculum when taught by an experienced teacher. But agree that a text or at least more background info available in the workbook would be very helpful for parents/tutors.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Honestly you all sound like a bunch of grandmas. Textbooks seem really dated and stagnant…except for math,maybe.

This grandma DCPS teacher loves science textbooks. The kids love looking at a colorful page about rocks and minerals, and then reading about how to classify rocks and minerals.

Get your curriculum coordinator to get you on some authentic immersive sites for geology. The books should be a supplement.

And these sites are designed for young elementary students? They are readable, relatable and navigable by 8-yr-olds? If so please share. There are no science “curriculum coordinators.”

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It is not just nostalgia. Children need to be manipulating more objects than just computer mouses. Turning pages is fine motor skills practice. It is also physically grounding in the tangible physical world. It truly does engage different parts of our brains and bodies. And you can’t beat those beautiful color photos, eye-catching graphics, etc. My students really enjoy getting out our old set of gorgeous textbooks.

None of this is true. None.

I disagree. You seem very defensive though. Why, do you think?

Because I've taught children ages 2 to 80, pre K-12, college, continuing education, as well as graduate school, where I mentor teachers in all settings and have done so for almost 40 years. I've written tomes of curriculum for public and private schools, as well as charters for private schools. I am a reading specialist who has worked with every type of learning disability there is, and, within the last ten years, also have been very much involved with the autism community. I've written three books, too many articles to count today, and am a frequent guest on educational podcasts. I've taught Reading, English, English Literature, Humanities, History, Social Sciences, as well as three math disciplines interspersed throughout the years.

That is why I know what I am talking about. I understand what interactive synchronous and asynchronous/ dynamic curricula looks like, how it is used, how collaboration is used, and the role of a teacher. I uunderstand what a textbook is, having edited 20 of them and having used textbooks in entirety for almost 25 years. I've seen the progression of technology as it has developed since I was in the trenches all this time. I understand the uses and possibilities of many materials. I can honestly say that a child today can literally go through school without one textbook (!) and learn more than what was ever available in 1963, 1973, or 1993, or even 2003. Can a textbook have a place? Sure, but now only as a temporary reference. Literature? Sure, the physical book is lovely, all for physical books as ancillaries and motivators, but we can still buy more of those as ebooks if we want to maximize $$. But discipline-based textbooks...not really necessary and I can make a good case for their shortcomings, which are many. Think about how everyone gets their news today. Do you wait for your morning physical newspaper to find out what's going on in the world? No.

My advice- let educators decide how to teach. That's what we do. It's just not that simple or binary..textbooks or not. There's so much open source and commercial material online that you are not aware of or even how to use it.Why not spend some time looking into it before you come up with an opinion not in your purview?

How much did you all get from Google and Microsoft to come to these conclusions? My bet is you are going to find out your entire career was wrong.

Nothing. I have multiple degrees and teach at the graduate level in my field. I think I would know what the field entails.
I hate to break it to you, but this comprises best practices in education today. Of note, if Microsoft and Google is all that you understand, there's quite a bit more to know. You are not trained and are living in the 1970s.

Best Practices = whatever they tell teachers to do at any given time

News Flash- teachers are "they." We know what to do and how to do it. What we aren't going to do is let untrained, out of touch, and uneducated people with zero experience tell us how to do our job, just like anyone, in any job, who has trained and has considerable experience in the field. This isn't a consumer driven field where the public decides how they want their product
delivered. There is a solid swath of practice and expertise here that isn't asking for your advice, nor do we require it! We aren't letting parents write curriculum and cherry pick what is to be taught in the classroom based upon their political and religious beliefs. We are happy to explain what we are doing, how we are doing it, and welcome anyone to come observe. We also welcome people to become trained in various methodologies, which includes technology in order for said people to understand how it all works. But, no, we aren't going back to 1976 because that's what you remember about education.

I'm an educator who taught in DCPS for nearly 20 years.
I have a BA, an MA, and an MAT.
I'm not telling you what or how to teach.
But I am telling you that what DCPS is doing is shortchanging students.
Stop being so defensive. Try listening. There's a lot you could be doing to improve the quality of the academic program.

Pretty sure you aren't teaching now, so, sit down.

To the highly experienced expert above, of course there is much valuable information and products available online now l. Too much, in fact. What I think you might have forgotten from your teaching days is just how little time K-12 teachers have to plan, teach, grade, communicate with parents, train, etc. Wading through all of these resources is challenging. Also, young children should not be on devices for more than a very short amount of time during their school day for SO many reasons. High school students now spend most of their day on devices then come home and spend all evening plugged in doing homework and socializing. But in the classroom, the reality is that devices are often unavailable, broken, or difficult to get young students logged onto. Classroom technology such as smart boards often just don’t work and District-wide filters block much content (often for very good reason). You can theorize and pontificate all you want from a cozy home office where everything functions but in the trenches technology and online resources are of limited value.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This should be a rallying point for parents--to get text books back in the classroom. Energy spent on this rather than arguments over masking is a much more wise use of time and energy.

No, because we're up against the enornmous educational establishment which wants to sell cheap, digital curriculum and very expensive consultants.

You hit the mail on the head. Also, teachers have NO SAY in this. She textbooks become outdated after a while, but not all. Not by any means.