Textbooks No Longer Issued?

[In the Corn]

Last night was orientation for incoming freshman at my daughter's high school. We had the chance to meet her teachers and walk her routes to each class. All in all pretty informative and worthwhile.

Her last class is geometry. We get a handout when we walked in the door with instructions on how to download the textbook chapters from the school district's website. Instruction are also given for those who have a computer, but no internet access. What about those that don't have a computer?

I'm well aware that the majority of homes have a computer and internet access, but why is this now a requirement for my child to receive a free public school education?

I walked out with some other parents and they had the same comment.

I feel for families that don't have a computer...seems to me, this will just increase the likelihood of generational poverty.

[Wonderboy]

I'm just guessing, but my bet is that the college will have some sort of financial help for students who don't have computers. And obviously the students have access to computers in the library and through their friends.

In any case, this is the wave of the future. It's almost like parents in the 18th century complaining that the school is requiring paper and pens when chalk slates were good enough for them.

[In the Corn]

I'm just guessing, but my bet is that the college will have some sort of financial help for students who don't have computers. And obviously the students have access to computers in the library and through their friends.

In any case, this is the wave of the future. It's almost like parents in the 18th century complaining that the school is requiring paper and pens when chalk slates were good enough for them.

College is a whole different story. Give the kid a scholarship to purchase a computer, or include it in tuition. High school on the other hand shouldn't handicap a child because of family income.

We already help young people who can't afford school lunch. If you're family can't afford to pay for lunch, how can expect they are going to afford a computer.

[Wonderboy]

College is a whole different story. Give the kid a scholarship to purchase a computer, or include it in tuition. High school on the other hand shouldn't handicap a child because of family income.

We already help young people who can't afford school lunch. If you're family can't afford to pay for lunch, how can expect they are going to afford a computer.

Ah, I misread your post and thought it was college. HS is certainly a little more tricky.

[Lucky]

Doesn't seem right to me, unless they have some type of program to provide computers for use of the kids who can't afford them. They wouldn't have to be fancy, just internet capable.

Now I remember I have several old computers in storage from when I had a law practice up and running. I would just need to figure out a way to make sure no confidential information remained. They won't play the latest video games, but they would be fine for the net.

[Kevin Seitzer]

In 2005, 60 percent of poor families in the U.S. with elementary and preschool-age kids had Internet access at home. I would guess that percentage is higher today, and also that it would be higher for families with high-school-age kids than elementary/preschool. I wonder what the percentage is, though. It would probably vary by community. I'm guessing in the Minneapolis suburbs that the percentage of poor families with high-school children that have Internet access is very high.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1560660/

[In the Corn]

26% of kids in the school are on free or reduced lunch. While this isn't a majority, it is still a significant number. My daughter's school service boundary is very interesting. It draws kids from one of the poorest suburbs of Minneapolis to one of the richest. The income stratus is crazy, and there is a definite divide (NIMBY) in the area.

KS, I'm kinda surprised this doesn't bother you.

[Moonlight J]

As someone who works for a publishing company, this is what we're being asked to do. We still develop both, but more and more districts are seeing greater ROI on the digital versions of our products and better test scores from digital implementations, than print.

We did an efficacy study in California with a completely iPad-based math program in 4 large districts with test score problems and saw dramatic improvements in each district.

Along this note, this is why I think there needs to be a stronger push for city-wide free wifi with the opportunity for others to purchase an extra level of service much like many airports are doing these days.

[Moonlight J]

26% of kids in the school are on free or reduced lunch. While this isn't a majority, it is still a significant number. My daughter's school service boundary is very interesting. It draws kids from one of the poorest suburbs of Minneapolis to one of the richest. The income stratus is crazy, and there is a definite divide (NIMBY) in the area.

KS, I'm kinda surprised this doesn't bother you.

if you don't mind sharing, which school district is it?

[senorsheep]

Does your school have a computer lab with internet access that is made available to students off hours and during free periods? Ours does. Seems to me that should suffice, if all they want is for the kids to be able to print the chapters. If there's interactive content in those downloadable chapters, then I could see a problem.

Schools are strapped for cash - eliminating unnecessary textbook purchases seems like a pretty good way to stretch their budgets, so long as all students can still be fairly served without too much inconvenience.

[regular-guy]

Look for a bond issue to come up in the 2012 election. A few years ago, the high school in the town i used to live in gave all the students a palm pilot. This was a year after a bond issue passed; kind of frustrating. In 2010, it cost approximately $7800 per student throughout the district. Katy ISD outside of Houston spends over $9k to educate a student. Some private schools are more expensive than that (and the parents still have to pay public school taxes), but most are no more than that. It seems more money is spent every year, but the product of more intelligent students isn't happening.

[B-Fly]

Does your school have a computer lab with internet access that is made available to students off hours and during free periods? Ours does. Seems to me that should suffice, if all they want is for the kids to be able to print the chapters. If there's interactive content in those downloadable chapters, then I could see a problem.

Schools are strapped for cash - eliminating unnecessary textbook purchases seems like a pretty good way to stretch their budgets, so long as all students can still be fairly served without too much inconvenience.

This is where I land, as well. They should have to ensure that all students, regardless of family circumstance, have equal access to the instructional materials, which in some cases would require free printing for students who can't otherwise access the materials at home.

[In the Corn]

This is where I land, as well. They should have to ensure that all students, regardless of family circumstance, have equal access to the instructional materials, which in some cases would require free printing for students who can't otherwise access the materials at home.

Here's the rub. When you access the chapter's from the districts website, you cannot print the materials. The teacher even made the comment that you're unable to print from the website because they do not want kids going to the computer lab and printing the chapters out.

Sheep, yes, absolutely there is a computer lab. What does a kid do who has to be home to watch little brother and sister.

I'm sure everyone here knows, I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but crap like this pisses me off.

MJ - ISD #11

[DMT]

Here's the rub. When you access the chapter's from the districts website, you cannot print the materials. The teacher even made the comment that you're unable to print from the website because they do not want kids going to the computer lab and printing the chapters out.

Sheep, yes, absolutely there is a computer lab. What does a kid do who has to be home to watch little brother and sister.

I'm sure everyone here knows, I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but crap like this pisses me off.

MJ - ISD #11

Yes, that completely changes the situation and I agree is unacceptable.

[Moonlight J]

[QUOTE=regular-guy;39161. It seems more money is spent every year, but the product of more intelligent students isn't happening.[/QUOTE]

In your state, it's a direct result of a TON of bureaucratic crap from Austin. They give us more headaches than any other state. School just started in Texas and a key component for instruction this year that many Texas districts adopted was just released last week to the customers because of crap in Texas holding up the funding to pay for the PO's schools had submitted to us.