The pros and cons of state-level textbook adoption

The debate concerning the advantages and disadvantages of state vs. local adoption of textbooks has gone on for decades. Until recently, however, there have been no systematic attempts to study this issue—at least not in a way that will yield insights to policymakers and others interested in the manner in which educators evaluate and select textbooks. This article describes recently completed studies that have examined textbook adoption and have the potential to illuminate this debate. The many pros and cons surrounding state vs. local adoption are considered in light of these recent findings. Michael A. Tulley, associate professor of education at Indiana University-Kokomo, has been researching and writing in the area of textbook adoption since the early 1980s. He is a former classroom reading teacher, and also served as a state-level reading consultant with the Indiana Department of Education.