|
The following suggestions come from the collective experience of the members of the Texas
Educational Publishers Association. The first three of these suggestions are set apart
to emphasize their importance to our members. 1. Arrange for
all presentations to be on the ground floor of the building selected for the hearings.
Today's educational programs are far more than a textbook, and moving display materials and samples to
the assigned space can be a major task. 2. To save a great deal of
time and confusion, publishers with multiple programs for adoption should be assigned a room and remain in it.
This means that the committee members should move at the end of each presentation and not the
publishers.
3. Provide adequate time for presentations. The consensus of our
members is that at least thirty minutes be scheduled for each presentation, with ten minutes between
presentations. A major program category - one which includes more than two grade levels, for example -
should be allowed one hour or more. Following is a list of additional thoughts and
suggestions:
- Assign rooms that have tables for display.
- Allow at least thirty minutes to an hour for set-up. This is especially important for hearings scheduled after school.
- Do not schedule simultaneous hearings for the same subject. Each publisher is entitled to
a complete audience.
- Committee member attendance should be mandatory. Your local hearing is the culmination of a year of effort on the part of
state officials, district supervisors, and teachers, as well as publishers, and represents a great deal of money
and time. It should be considered as one of the most important tasks a teacher can do
for his or her school and students.
- Publishers should be notified if the district does not offer a subject which is up for adoption.
- Allow at least two weeks notice of the hearing. Provide clear directions to the building,
a map, if available, and information on unusual situations (for example: entry through the rear of
the building).
- Large, multi-grade programs should have adequate space for presentation.
- Many districts have student helpers on hand to assist in unloading and set-up. This
is greatly appreciated by the publishers' representatives.
The Texas Educational Publishers Association offers these suggestions in a
spirit of cooperation. Based on input from Texas educators over the years, we have made changes
in the directory to make it more useful. TEPA encourages the exchange of ideas on all
levels. |
