News Flash

We just learned that the Urban Curriculum Council asked Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to submit the instructional materials they submitted for state adoption to Learning List for review, as well. The Urban Curriculum Council is a consortium of the instructional leaders of the 17 largest school districts in Texas. Why did they make this request? On September 20th, …

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The Great Debate: The Role of Technology in Education

Don’t miss the New York Times’ set of debates and discussions, Schools for Tomorrow, about the potential of technology to transform education.  Khan Academy founder, Sal Khan, provides the keynote address, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discusses the role of online learning in public education, including the President’s ConnectED initiative. Panel discussions with education experts and policymakers address …

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The Steps Learning List Takes to Ensure Authentic Reviews

David Streitfeld’s piece in Sunday’s New York Times reported on regulatory efforts to crack down on deceptive product reviews on the Internet. The article highlighted the prevalence of online reviews that have been paid for by product sellers, and the increasing sophistication of writers who create false reviews for profit or to benefit employers. As a review site, Learning List …

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It’s Raining IM in Texas

Yesterday, the Texas State Board of Education held a public hearing on the instructional materials submitted for state adoption this year. Not surprisingly, most of the testimony focused on science textbooks, and in particular biology textbooks. Historically, only products that addressed 100 percent of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) were eligible for state adoption. However, in 2011, the …

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We’re In the News

Kate Alexander’s piece in last week’s Austin American Statesman carefully examines how the marketplace for instructional materials in Texas has changed in recent years. Alexander explains that implementation of the Common Core State Standards in 14,000 districts nationwide means that even large states, such as Texas and California, with more than 1,000 districts each, now hold less sway in the …

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Introducing Learning List’s Blog

We are happy to launch Learning List’s blog. Not surprisingly, our blog will focus on selecting and purchasing instructional materials and online courses. More specifically, we hope our posts will help educators review and select the instructional materials best suited to meet their students’ unique needs. Our blog posts will address such topics as: Understanding the standards; aligning to standards; …

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It’s Back to School Time!

It seems like school just let out yesterday. “Back to School” sales are everywhere… children are labeling their school supplies, teachers are already in their classrooms preparing for the new school year, and administrators are carefully disaggregating student data. As a teacher and administrator for many years, I know how hard educators work to provide the best instruction possible for …

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How We Do Our Reviews

Our goal is to save educators time and money! We hire experienced, certified teachers with expertise in standards alignment.  We train our reviewers to verify a publisher’s correlation and to assess the products’ key features and functionality.  Our editorial reviews draw from our reviewer’s feedback and interviews with the publisher and their customers who have personally used the product with students.  

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How do We Decide Which Products to Review?

We invite publishers to submit the products they want to sell.  And we review the products for free.  But, since Learning List is designed as a service for educators, we want educators to help fill our library.  Think of us as an extension of your curriculum department.

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Why we developed Learning List

In 2011, the Texas legislature decentralized and largely deregulated the purchasing of instructional materials and technology by school districts.  At the same time, school districts nationally were facing the challenge of implementing the Common Core State Standards. Education reformers were touting the cost-saving and academic benefits of online courses.

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