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Having participated in K-12 public school curriculum reviews for several years, it is no surprise Florida is suing McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning for overcharging the state for their woke filled materials. It doesn’t help that the bureaucratic process takes over a year to solicit and receive proposals, evaluate submissions, and get curriculum into the classroom.
Florida operates under a two-stage evaluation process. First the state evaluates the proposed curriculum. Once the state decides what curriculum is acceptable, the list is published. Then local districts move forward with their review of the state approved publishers because funding is tied to selecting from the list. Once the district review is completed, the local school board decides, based on recommendations, which curriculum to adopt and purchase.
This long arduous process allows information to get shuffled, misplaced, or forgotten which often benefits the publisher while the taxpayer foots the bill.
Connections versus Competition
The U.S. Congress proposed No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2001 with G.W. Bush signing the bill into law on January 8, 2002. This legislation did several things, but one aspect was it created a standard model for instruction with annual testing applied to all children in public schools. The law didn’t take into consideration children aren’t widgets who function in the same manner, at the same time, for a specific purpose. We are individuals, not made to fit a mold but equipped with a range of aptitudes and capabilities.
To further national standardization, Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, implemented a set of state standards aligning with NCLB’s push towards the one-size-fits-all model. This led to Ignite! Learning, developed and co-founded by Neil Bush, to provide computerized curricula for social studies, science, and math which aligned with the NCLB standards.
Our education system has its own entrenched deep state. Whether individuals have the same last name or not, the reality is creating a non-competitive advantage stifles the entrepreneurial spirit which has the capability of providing a range of great products to educate children.
Competition Fosters Improvement
Understanding K-12 public school curriculum and where it comes from is vital to student learning. Unfortunately, the industry has moved in the direction of limited competition. Look at McGraw Hill for example. They were two publishers from the late 1800s before merging in the early 1900s. Then in 1988 they bought the school and college division from Random House, a well know publisher. In the late 1900s and to present day they have acquired several small publishers and technology companies, taking a monopolistic step in education curriculum.
Savvas Learning’s history also dates to the late 1800s, established as Scott, Foresman and Company, and began publishing elementary books in the early 1900s. Prentice Hall was founded in 1913, and Pearson Education was formed in 1998. In the 2000s, these two companies as well as mergers and acquisitions with many smaller companies began operating under the new brand of Savvas Learning.
There are many smaller publishers who produce great resources but have challenges competing with the exclusive oligarchy of publishers and their decades long history of providing curriculum. The tactics used ensures they remain as primary providers in the education industry.
The Publishing Oligarchs
McGraw and Savvas along with HMH who was founded in the 1800s and grew based on mergers and acquisitions are three primary publishers dominating the education industry. There are tried and true methods for teaching but using a variety of tools and techniques is what fosters student success and must be considered. The primary reason: teaching one or two children with one tool may prove successful, but there is a high probability the same tool will lead to failure for others.
Some believe there are many publishers to choose from. However, the field narrows significantly for K-12 curriculum. Technology has altered the playing field and allowed newer, up and coming publishers to enter the market. However, they struggle to obtain states’ approval. The system continues to promote the status quo regardless of declining student learning outcomes. The objectives are clearly not aligned.
In addition to overcharging, Florida continues to combat school boards approving woke curriculum as do other states. The Arizona state superintendent disapproved of a recently adopted Savvas history book which he stated was “DEI-oriented” and “contains anti-police propaganda.” A flagrant disregard to recent EOs and legislation continues.
Correction will require states subjecting the publishing oligarchs to enhanced oversight. Also states and local school boards must rethink their curriculum contracts and streamline their review and adoption cycle. It’s time to send a clear message to publishers who believe they are too big to fail and untouchable.
Karen Hiltz, Ed.D
Best In Ed, Vice President
National School Boards Coalition (NSBC)
Executive Board Committee (EBC) Vice Chairman
Dr. Karen Hiltz served in the U.S. Navy with a career in Federal Procurement, then taught business courses in undergraduate and graduate programs. She served in appointed and elected positions at the local level before becoming Vice President of Best In Ed and Executive Board Committee Vice Chairman of the National School Boards Coalition (NSBC).
- Trump administration
- K-12 Curriculum
- Woke agenda
- DEI
- Transgender agenda
- Florida suing publishers
- Curriculum publishers
- No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
- George W. Bush
- federal education mandates
- Jeb Bush
- McGraw Hill publisher
- Savvas Learning
- Prentice Hall
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