One of the key flaws of the US educational system as identified among teachers and parents is the constant feeling of disjointedness when it comes to new curricula; add that to the fact that each state gets to determine its own curriculum, yet the test scores of the entire nation are compared to those of students in other countries.
While not yet reaching the point of adopting one national curriculum, the Common Core is a new set of guidelines that has been adopted by almost every state, the only holdouts being Alaska, Nebraska, Virginia, Texas, and Minnesota and a handful of US territories.
Now, ebrary is making Common Core adoption even easier and making it more feasible for schools to put these standards into practice by providing digital content that meets the Core’s guidelines.
“ebrary believes in supporting both students and teachers with the most relevant content available while providing libraries with flexible acquisition options to achieve the greatest return on their investment. We’re excited to be able to offer content that maps directly to Common Core Standards,” said Leslie Lees, ebrary’s Vice President of Content Development, in a press release. “In order to achieve that value alongside applicable subject matter, many libraries start with a continually growing collection like Schools and Educators Complete and then supplement with patron driven acquisition, short-term loan, and perpetual archive – including expertly selected packs in critical areas.”
ebrary has instituted a couple of different options for schools and individual teachers who are actively looking for digital content that will align with the standards. It has over 3000 titles that can be purchased individually, which also coincides with its pricing structure that allows libraries to offer the titles in their catalogs but only charges them for them once patrons actually check them out. This results in a greater volume catalog for smaller-budgeted libraries, as well as not requiring as hefty an investment up front.
ebrary offers its platform on apps for iPhone and iPad, as well as Android powered devices. Along with the usual interactive tools like hyperlinks, embedded videos, and ebrary’s InfoTools which allows words in the text to link directly to more online content, ebrary also offers its interface in multiple languages in keeping with the global push in educational standards.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
