- checking login information
Loading...Scholastic Severs Some Corporate Ties
Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, has announced that it is cutting back its InSchool marketing division’s corporate-sponsored projects, and creating a new review board to vet its materials.
Two months I wrote here that the company had pulled its biased coal curriculum, thanks to pressure from the media and from Care2 members. The curriculum, distributed to 66,000 fourth grade teachers, was sponsored by the American Coal Foundation, meaning that it somehow failed to mention any of the downsides of coal production: no negative effects of mining and burning coal, no toxic wastes, no lung disease, no greenhouse houses.
Scholastic Dumped Its Coal Curriculum – Now Others Are On The Chopping Block
Now Scholastic is taking further steps to loosen its ties with corporations.
Here’s what The New York Times reports:
“We have to improve our standards, and make sure there’s not a scintilla of anything that could be suggested to be biased,” said Richard Robinson, the president and chief executive of Scholastic. “The vast majority of our programs are not controversial, but once in a while there was a slip-up in editorial judgment.”
The company said last week that it would make a partial retreat from corporate and industry-sponsored programs and lesson plans it distributes free to teachers. It has already withdrawn some of its most controversial programs. But others, including a lesson plan sponsored by the American Egg Board recommending the health benefits of eggs, are continuing.
Scholastic InSchool, part of the company’s marketing division, distributes the materials, which are paid for by dozens of corporations and agencies like the Census Bureau. The InSchool unit accounts for less than 1 percent of Scholastic’s $2 billion in revenues, and fewer than two dozen of its 10,000 employees. The bulk of Scholastic revenues come from publishing books, like the Harry Potter and Hunger Games fiction series, and literacy programs like Read 180.
Shouldn’t Scholastic Abandon All Corporate Ties?
But wouldn’t it be better if Scholastic simply stopped producing any teaching materials paid for by a for-profit corporation or a trade group that promotes business interests?
Read more: children's publishing, childrens books, human rights, Scholastic, scholastic inc, teachers, textbooks
have you shared this story yet?
some of the best people we know are doing it
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
Recent Comments from Causes
thanks
"The fact that summonses are being issued for failure to recycle means that someone is checking, which…
Well, ladies, here we go again. I think we need to put men in their place. We need to eliminate Viagra…
meet our writers
21 comments
+ add your ownthank you for the article.
My employer, Rethinking Schools, a non-profit publisher, was involved in the campaign to halt distribution of the coal curriculum. Our curriculum editor Bill Bigelow, wrote a detailed critique of the curriculum, for anyone who might be interested. http://rethinkingschools.org/archive/25_04/25_04_bigelow.shtml.
Also, here's a copy of the message we sent out to our followers about this latest development. It gives a little more background about what went on behind the scenes to get us to this point. http://www.rethinkingschools.org/opt-in/110803.shtml
Thanks for sharing.
As the mother of an 8 year old who buy's books from Scholastic all the time, I trust them to have and be unbiased books and other materials be neutral.
The review board should be made up of scholars. And yes, they should sever all ties with corporations and if they have any, with any religious groups.
Not sever ALL corporate ties. Accept Corp money, BUT, print fair, accurate, unbiased materials.
If they corporations do not like it, let them leave or break the ties then. I do not see why everything has to be all or nothing. Do th right thing, and let the chips fall.
Thumbs up Britan.
Given the money they made hand over fist by being the Harry Potter publisher, they don't need to be corporate shills anymore. About time!
Good to see someone stepping away from the corporation crack pipe! Really, society will be better served if we can teach our children to love themselves, the animals on this planet and the planet itself.
Corporations have no interest in doing any of that, no matter what they trumpet... A perfect example in my book is the Holiday convenience store chains (here on the west coast of America), they now have "blue planet" gasoline..... Okay how is buying their fuel going to keep/make our planet blue?!?!?!
So if Scholastic wants to continue to supply our children with knowledge they should steer clear of all but the most environmentally/socially aware corporations to remain on "neutral" ground.
Rather than severing all corporate ties, they should seek a sponsor for the other side of every issue for which they accept a corporate issued unit of lessons. I remember Bell Telephone company back in the old days sponsoring some really great TV specials about science. They had some top notch scientists working for them on issues that affect telephone transmissions. The TV specials may have been a way of winning the favor of their scientists with a chance to share the scientists' love of science with the public. Green wash didn't exist back then.
login to add your comment
use your care2 login
add your comment