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<p>Very good point, BB, and especially true if you compare a school costing 55,000 a year to one that costs 63,000 dollars. At that level, the prices of the books are trivial. However, consider the same case for a student with a very low EFC, and perhaps a net cost of attendance of 1,000! Unless the school is on top of things, the COA budget might not reflect the current cost of books. In this case, a difference between 1,000 in books and 2,000 is a nice piece of change! Of course, I also understand that the budget might account for a very smart purchase and resale process using Amazon or other sources. Yet, most students might check the bookstore by default or simply try to skip the purchase. </p>
<p>My perspective is that the differences in perception account for much of the way the industry has protected its turf. In the public K-12, parents do not see a bill for the books their school system is buying. I believe that if all parents were to receive an itemized bill that separate the direct cost of education from other matters such as athletics and book purchases, we might have a different reaction. The current system works because most costs are hidden behind a curtain of secrecy. Coupled with the amazing apathy of voters in matters of education, you have a recipe for corruption and abuses. And both are rampant throughout our system. </p>
<p>When it gets to the next level, it’s more a matter of “what can one do” as the books are mandatory and (as you wrote) represent a small fraction of the total cost of 4 to 6 years of education. That, and the fact that the costs are simply “shared” with the parents, as in the student buys and uses Mom’s and Dad’s credit card! </p>
<p>All in all, the above does not change much to the overall issue. Academic books are too expensive and we have NO need for so many new versions. The issue of the test banks needing to stay fresh is a canard. Any educator worth its paycheck should be able to prepare a test that remains fresh and timely. In a way, it goes to the heart of a different problem, and one that is especially true in K-12: educators are unable to teach a class without the crutch of a Teacher’s edition and access to an editor’s site for tests. </p>
<p>From books to teachers’ preparation and training, there are few surprises left about how we get where we are. And it ain’t pretty! </p>