The EdVantage Approach
EdVantage begins with the premise--validated by reseach--that textbooks
and instructional materials play an enormously important role in
curriculum and instruction.
We also observe that districts spend very little money or energy in
evaluating these textbooks and instructional materials, despite their
educational importance and despite the $8 billion districts spend on
them.
EdVantage provides districts with cost-effective ways to improve their selection process that will
- save time
- save money, and
- improve student achievement.
WHAT WE KNOW AND OBSERVE
ABOUT THE ROLE OF TEXTBOOKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
IN TODAY'S CLASSROOM
Teachers Use Textbooks More Than They Admit
- 70%
of teachers surveyed by the National Education Association and the
Association of American Publishers report using a textbook at least
once a week, with most of those reporting that they use them every
day.
- One
shadow study revealed that an average of 62.5% of class time is
structured around print materials, with little variation across school
districts.
- A
survey of 339 reading teachers indicated that 85% of teachers use basal
readers, and that 56% of the districts represented by the teacher
sample require strict use of the basals.
- Ninety percent of science and math teachers at each grade use textbooks.
- Eighty to ninety percent of reading teachers rely on a textbook as the major source of planning activities.
Some Teachers Depend Even More Heavily On Textbooks
- One
study demonstrated that less experienced teachers and those weak in
subject area expertise rely more heavily on textbooks.
Schools of Education Teach That Textbooks are Bad
- A
study of pre-service teachers revealed that that education programs
taught that “good teachers don’t follow textbooks,” but when the same
teachers began their student teaching, they were required to use a
textbook.
Teachers Not Adequately Trained To Use Textbooks
- Despite
the wide use of textbooks, only 51% of teachers receive any training in
the use of the materials they use, with 25% from publishers’
representatives, 15% from district consultants, and 14% from other
sources.
- Many
teachers, especially beginners, lack the innate ability to make choices
about textbook use and need help in learning how to use them
effectively as a reliable support.
COMMON DISTRICT MISTAKES
IN ALIGNING CURRICULUM WITH MATERIALS PURCHASES
Districts
may spend several months or even years defining a "guaranteed and
viable curriculum" (Marzano) or developing detailed "curriculum maps"
(Jacobs), only to select a textbook or instructional program that does
not align closely with that curriculum.
Districts may focus on alignment between the curriculum and state
tests, but then spend little time evaluating how instructional
materials purchases may reinforce--or contradict--curricular priorities.
A district of 5,000 pupils typically spends hundreds of thousands of
dollars on instructional materials each year. Large districts
spend millions--even tens of millions.
Small and medium-sized districts have few resources to perform thorough
due diligence on textbooks and instructional materials.
Many districts have adopted elaborate evaluation criteria and have
created--on paper--rigorous review processes; yet the reality is that
few districts dedicate the resources to ensure that the criteria are
respected and that the process is objective. As with curriculum
implementation, the "intended" evaluation process does not resemble the
"enacted" process.
WHY HIRE EDVANTAGE
TO ASSIST IN MATERIALS SELECTION?
SAVE TIME
- Stop reinventing the wheel every time you adopt textbooks.
- Train your teachers in best practices in materials evaluation.
- Rely on our reports to streamline your evaluation process.
SAVE MONEY
- Our process often reveals materials that are both more effective and less expensive.
- Avoid expensive adoption mistakes in which your materials do not align to either district curricula or state tests.
- Use our reports to help you focus your evaluation on the materials most likely to meet your needs.
IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT
- Choose materials that best fit the needs of your students and teachers.
- Focus on evaluation criteria that correspond to district achievement goals.
- Rely less on publishers' sales representatives and more on objective evaluations of materials.
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