I can see locally sourced (or even multi-district-sourced) texts for things like — well, math and statistics are probably the best examples, easily and objectively aligned with state testing (and curriculum) standards.
When you get into less objective areas, though, I can easily see problems crop up. Imagine the battles over the Texas social studies curriculum, only now multiplied over each district's individually crafted (or generously donated from a third party) online social studies texts. Ditto for biology texts, or other sciences that have ideological battles raging over them.
As the commenter to the article noted, anything that kicks textbook publishers in the teeth is an attractive idea, but there are potential risks to this kind of idea as well. #ddtb
Embedded Link
Anoka-Hennepin teachers write their own online textbook, save district $175,000 | The Republic
MINNEAPOLIS – The new textbooks in Michael Engelhaupt's statistics class at Blaine High School are kind of cheap and won't last long, but he doesn't mind. After all, he wrote them.
Crikey, that’s an awful post title. (Mine, not the linked article.)
This is going to multiply the creation vs evolution battles a hundredfold… and that’s not counting the small districts where nobody’s going to stand up for real science or real history.
That’s my concern, to be honest.