Skip navigation
Reports & Analysis Custom Research Research Subscriptions
Sign In / Create Account Cart
Sign In / Create Account Cart
  • Reports & Analysis
  • Custom Research
  • Research Subscriptions

Resources

  • Analyst Buzz
  • Press Releases
  • Blog
  • Resources & Downloads
  • Impact Tracker

The Freedonia Group

  • Contact
  • About
  • Our Staff
  • Help Center
  • Career Opportunities
Freedonia Market Research Analyst Buzz Week 31 - 2023 Pity the poor educational publisher....Really?

Week 31 - 2023 Pity the poor educational publisher....Really?

by Bob Berkman

August 1, 2023

It is an odd thought.

What is Simba Information thinking about?

Pity the poor educational publisher
 
Really?

 
It is an odd thought. Companies like Mcgraw Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic and Pearson and other big ed publishers are of course large, wealthy corporations, and often criticized by librarians and students for their expensive texts and journals.
 
But many are now hunkered down, under siege by ongoing educational culture wars as more states and school districts restrict how race and gender may be taught in the classroom, and write their textbook adoption specifications to require adherence to those rules.
 
How should publishers respond?
 
It’s a kind of no-win dilemma. Complying with the restrictions could mean violating a publisher’s own mission on what it means to educate and notions of free expression-it can also mean alienating one’s own employee base which, particularly if younger, will have strong opinions and values that tilt towards more, not less information on these so-called “divisive topics.”
 
Ignoring the restrictions will almost certainly mean a rejection of the textbooks, and a real loss of business-and in states like Florida and Texas, that means a huge chunk of the market. 
 
It’s going to have to come down to two things for publishers: establishing priorities and creativity.  First, each publisher will need to revisit its core values and most important stakeholders and make hard decisions where there will be a necessary trade off.
 
But this challenge also calls upon creativity and imagination-there may be paths where publishers can work with their best authors to create texts that do not violate the letter of the restrictions but also do not violate their company’s larger values and mission.
 
But it won’t be easy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simba will be looking for examples of educational publishers that have successfully navigated these treacherous waters and will report on them in our Education Market Advisor newsletter.
 

Have unique research needs?

Freedonia Custom Research listens intently to your needs and objectives. Then we work diligently to define and deliver a service to meet them.
Learn About Our Custom Research Services

Subscribe to Our Blog

Stay up to date with the latest information about new market research and news in areas relevant to your business from our analysts and team members.

Simba Information Blog Subscription

Provide the following details to subscribe.

  • Contact
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Career Opportunities
  • Press
  • User Agreement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map
Facebook Linkedin Twitter

Additional Resources

  • Market Size Resources
  • Lawn Mowers Research
  • Global Motor Vehicle Research
  • Global Paint & Coatings Research
  • Global Industrial Valves Research
  • Global Agricultural Equipment Research
  • Indoor Air Quality Equipment Research
  • Global Adhesives & Sealants Research
  • Hardscaping Products Research
  • Residential Landscaping Research
  • Food Packaging Research
  • Global Carpets & Rugs Research
  • Global Residential HVAC Research
Copyright © 2023 MarketResearch.com, Inc. All rights reserved.