For Immediate Release

July 12, 2007

Contact: Stacy Skelly

Ph: 202-220-4556

Congress Told of Publishers' Efforts to Support College Textbook Affordability and Student Success

Association of American Publishers Hosts Forum on Student Spending, Price Transparency and New Instructional Technology

Washington, D.C., July 12, 2007:  At a Capitol Hill briefing held by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) on Tuesday, congressional staff members got a crash course on college textbooks, learning that options are more varied than ever and range from basic black-and-white paperbound books to four-color hardbound books to complete digital learning programs. 

At the briefing, which featured presentations by post-secondary publishing experts, former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, AAP’s President and CEO, spoke of the pivotal role that course materials play in helping America’s college students succeed in higher education, preparing them to compete in a 21st Century workforce. She added that by giving American students the best, most up-to-date tools we are securing their future and ours. 

In his presentation, Stephen Hochheiser, vice president of college store and public affairs at Thomson Higher Education, explained that publishers offer a range of course materials and are exploring ways to empower the student consumer by improving access to information.  He pointed out that student spending on college textbooks and course materials accounts for less than five percent of the average college student’s annual education expenses and that textbook price information is available to the public online, contrary to common misconceptions. 

Greg Tobin, vice president for editorial direction at Pearson Education, told staffers about the positive impact that new teaching and learning technologies are having on student retention and pass rates.  Specifically, Tobin highlighted the University of Alabama where student pass rates have nearly doubled and institutional costs dropped by almost 50 percent after faculty switched to a publisher-developed, computer-based learning program.

Representatives from Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, Houghton Mifflin Company, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill Companies, Pearson Education, Reed Elsevier, and Thomson Learning Publishing participated in the event, answering questions and offering hands-on demonstrations of their latest education technology. 

More information on college textbooks can be found at http://www.textbookfacts.org.

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’smore than300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.

###