We’ve all heard the voices of DOOM about the looming budget cuts from the sequester. I call BS, at least as it affects K12 education. Laziness often drives how we talk about education funding. Because it is easy to track federal spending we focus our energy there. But this willfully…
Last December I penned (keyed?) a relatively optimistic piece about education spending, with the conclusion that the textbook adoption market was in a crash but supplemental materials were in a short-term stall. I had it right on the first point and wrong on the second – we have seen a…
These are grim days for the world of education. Funding cuts past, present, and future loom over schools and districts. Class sizes are swelling, essential services are being trimmed, and any spending decision that can be delayed is sitting in limbo. The companies that serve schools are feeling the pinch…
From a Publisher’s perspective Apple’s iPad textbook initiative is a decent 1.0 release with promise. I’ve had a few weeks to play with iBooks Author and iBooks2 and discuss them with colleagues. I’ll write about the many positives in future posts. But there is a worm in this apple. All…
UPDATE: For those who took offense at this graphic know that as I saw it the teachers’ drinking was a result of the cycle, not the cause. I interpreted this graphic as a slag on parents (myself included). If you are a teacher and were offended please accept my apology.…
Is the instructional materials market in the tank? I’ve spoken with people at a dozen companies who are all seeing the same thing – since November 1st a moderately down market has dropped like a stone. A senior executive at one of the big 4 publishers flatly stated that this…
eBooks, iPads, and the Kindle are changing the fundamental structure of the publishing industry. From a strategic perspective they are having the largest impact on the development and pricing of products. In other words it is affecting the “what” deeply. The “how” has not changed all that much, regardless of…
Distilling the range of policy positions on our current economic malaise is a huge challenge, but fortunately Rortybomb is up to the task. I recommend his post – A Topological Mapping of Explanations and Policy Solutions to Our Weak Economy. Not only does he provide spiffy venn diagrams that distill…
In an age of information overload Librarians are the pilots who can help us quickly navigate to what is meaningful. Said differently – librarian’s rock and they make a huge difference in schools. Here is a video made by a school for a library aid who got laid off due…
I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of this. Notice to All Banker Types from a Teacher Also too: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Crisis in Dairyland – For Richer and Poorer – Teachers and Wall Street www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor…