109,263 errors. Five grand a pop. Let’s do the math…
Reviewers found 109,263 errors when reviewing Houghton Mifflin’s math textbooks that were submitted to the state of Texas. Seriously. That’s with real math, not Houghton Mifflin math. Texas imposes a $5,000 fine on each mistake. The state’s letting them off on a technicality, so the textbook publisher will not have to pony up half a billion dollars to pay the education department.
Ah, Texas textbooks. Ring a bell? Go read that link if you haven’t. It tells about Texas’s textbook standards, which, I swear I’m not making this up, must glorify “free enterprise”, “patriotism”, and the “values” of the state’s heritage (of Texas. Uh-oh. Then again, not to worry. “Lying” is clearly one of their values, so when they deceive students, they’re actually teaching them an important lesson about the values of the state. See? Neat, huh?)
Go read. At the time of that post, the chairperson of the Board of Education co-owned a petroleum company, and explained that “The oil and gas industry should be consulted” when it comes to textbooks, because they “always get a raw deal.”
Email subscription
